Japan Autumn Foliage Guide 2026: Dates & Spots
Koyo is sakura’s better-planned sibling: the color wave runs six weeks, holds for days instead of hours, and prices spike only in one city on weekends. Here’s the calendar, the spots, and the booking play.
Verified: July 13, 2026.
The wave, north to south
| Region | Peak window |
|---|---|
| Hokkaido (Daisetsuzan → Sapporo) | Late Sep–late Oct |
| Nikko / Japan Alps / Takayama | Mid Oct–early Nov |
| Tokyo / Kamakura | Mid Nov–early Dec |
| Kyoto / Kanazawa | Mid–late Nov |
| Kyushu (Fukuoka, Beppu) | Late Nov–early Dec |
Sakura logic inverted: the bloom ran south-to-north; koyo falls north-to-south. Miss Kyoto’s peak? Kyushu is a week behind.
Kyoto: the main event, managed
The consensus best, and the one place with sakura-grade crowds on late-November weekends.
- Tofukuji (¥600 bridge area), the valley of maples; brutal queues on weekends, fine at 8:30 AM midweek
- Eikando (¥600 day, ¥600 night illumination), the night session is the best paid upcharge of the season
- Arashiyama, the whole district turns; the dawn-bamboo playbook applies, and the Hozugawa boat (¥6,017 ($37.19)) runs through the painted gorge, its best month. Viator’s Arashiyama walk through the bamboo and temple grounds (¥9,707 ($60), 63 reviews) is the guided-walk alternative if the boat’s booked out
- Free tier: the Kamo riverbanks and Philosopher’s Path do 80% of it for ¥0
Beds: Kyoto doubles on peak weekends, the Osaka-base trick saves more in November than any other month.
Tokyo: ginkgo gold, free
Tokyo’s version is gold, not red, and mostly free:
- Meiji Jingu Gaien ginkgo avenue, the tunnel of yellow, free, late November
- Shinjuku Gyoen (¥500) and Rikugien (¥300, night illumination)
- Icho Namiki → Gov Building free deck for gold streets + Fuji, one afternoon
The booking strategy
- Foliage forgives late planning, outside Kyoto weekends, normal booking windows work. It’s the anti-sakura.
- Kyoto: midweek or Osaka-based. The one hard rule.
- Mountain legs first: Nikko and the Alps peak in October, the Takayama route and Nikko’s Irohazaka lead the itinerary, cities close it.
- Illuminations: budget ¥600–1,000 × 2. Eikando and Kodaiji, done.
Final thoughts
Koyo is Japan’s best season per yen: sakura’s beauty, half the price panic, six times the window. Build it on the 2-week frame with the mountain wild card, and let Kyoto be a midweek stop. Arashiyama’s bamboo grove peaks in the same window, GetYourGuide’s Kyoto by Bus tour (¥5,297 ($32.74), 750 reviews) covers it plus Fushimi Inari in one day.
Seasonal siblings: cherry blossom strategy · winter guide · summer guide.
Verified as of July 13, 2026.
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Check rateFrequently Asked Questions
When is autumn foliage season in Japan?
The wave runs north-to-south from late September (Hokkaido) to early December (Kyushu). The big-city peaks: Tokyo mid-November to early December, Kyoto mid-to-late November, the reverse direction of cherry blossom season.
Is autumn foliage season as expensive as cherry blossom season?
Cheaper and longer. Koyo lasts weeks per location versus sakura's days, so demand spreads out. The exception is Kyoto's late-November weekends, which price and crowd like peak sakura, go midweek or base in Osaka.
Where is the best autumn foliage in Japan?
Kyoto is the consensus king (Tofukuji, Eikando, Arashiyama), with Nikko's mountain lakes, the Japanese Alps around Takayama, and Tokyo's ginkgo avenues as the supporting cast. Hokkaido's Daisetsuzan starts the season in September.
Do temples charge extra during foliage season?
Some Kyoto temples add evening illumination sessions at ¥600 to 1,000, separate from day entry. The illuminations at Eikando and Kodaiji are among the few upcharges in Japan genuinely worth paying.