Autumn in Japan: The Best Season to Visit Japan?

The beauty of Japan is expressed through its temples, its immense and strangely erected buildings but also, above all, through its omnipresent nature. In the heart of cities, parks offer a haven of softness and beauty and generally surround silent temples. In autumn, 秋 (aki) in Japanese, these delicately composed gardens are adorned with yellow-orange-red colors that completely transform them. This is why, at Maison Aimi, we like to think that autumn is the best season to visit Japan . In this article, discover the highlights of Japan in autumn as well as the destinations to favor in autumn in Japan.

Summary

What to see in Japan in autumn? Highlights

Where to go in Japan in Autumn?

Visiting Japan in Autumn

Namely

• Autumn is a particularly pleasant season to discover Japan. Our preference is at least November: the autumn colors are magnificent, the temperatures are still mild and the typhoon season is over.
• One of the highlights of Japanese cities is their parks, so autumn is a great time to discover all the Japanese cities you want to visit: Tokyo, Kamakura, Kyoto or Hiroshima. Our recommendation: discover Nikko!
• The activity that will delight you in autumn is momijigari–or observing the leaves and the colours of autumn. For this, the Japanese settle down in the parks to share a drink.

Autumn, which begins on September 21 and ends on December 21 as in France, is marked by many cultural events and celebrations, such as the Takayama Autumn Matsuri, momijigari and Halloween.

Takayama Autumn Festival

On the island of Honshu, north of Nagoya, autumn is celebrated every year on October 9th and 10th during the Takayama Festival. Every year, tens of thousands of people flock to the city. This festival is a way of expressing gratitude while also marking the beginning of preparations for winter. It takes place in and around the Sakurayama Hachimangu Shrine and many floats parade for two days.

🍂 The momijigari

Like hanami, which is a celebration of the cherry blossoms in spring, momijigari is an opportunity for the Japanese to observe the changing color of the trees during the fall while having drinks with family or friends. This practice is popular in cities and national parks. It begins in late September-early October in the north of the island of Hokkaido, the northernmost island of Japan, and ends in late November-early December on the island of Kyushu and the Okinawa islands. As with hanami, weather reports provide information on the appearance of the fall colors.

🎃🕸 Halloween in Japan

As in France, Halloween was inspired in Japan by American festivities. However, this event is not marked by children ringing doorbells and casting spells: it is rather the adults who enjoy it!

Adults dress up in costumes, streets and shops are decorated with Halloween decorations and the big theme parks in Japanese cities ( Tokyo Disneyland or Universal Studios Japan) are decked out in Halloween colours. A strange atmosphere then hovers in the cities!

Autumn is definitely one of the best times to visit Japan. You will be able to enjoy the cities and destinations you have been wanting to visit while discovering sublime colorful landscapes.

Tokyo and surroundings in autumn

In autumn, the heart of Tokyo is in full swing. Halloween decorations go up in shops in October, while Tokyo city parks, including Shinjuku Gyoen, the Imperial Palace East Gardens, and Ueno Park, light up with autumn colors.

Kamakura in Autumn

A good reason to go to Tokyo in autumn is to enjoy visiting the city of Kamakura (about an hour's drive from Tokyo), its temples and its giant Buddha, in autumn. More wooded than Tokyo, the city of Kamakura is a pleasure to discover at this time of year.

Nikko in Autumn

Second great reason to go to Tokyo between September and December: visiting Nikko in autumn. Nestled in the mountains north of Tokyo, this city is known and recognized for its many shrines and its lake.

Parks around Mount Fuji in autumn

An hour by shinkansen from Tokyo, the parks that extend around Mount Fuji are wonderful havens of nature and the opportunity to enjoy the colors of autumn and a view of the snow-capped Mount Fuji. The small town of Hakone, its onsens and ryokans (traditional inns) are a must to discover in autumn.

Kyoto and its surroundings in autumn

The former capital of Japan, Kyoto is a popular destination for tourists in Japan – and rightly so. We highly recommend that you visit the Arashiyama Forest, Kinkaku-ji (the Golden Temple), and Fushimi Inari-taisha (a temple with a thousand red doors) during the fall. Surrounded by trees, these legendary places in the city are magnificent at this time of year. You will also enjoy walking along the banks of the Kanogawa River during this season.

Nara in Autumn

Nara was also a capital of the Japanese Empire in its time. If it is now better known for its many deer that roam freely and beg for food from tourists and locals, it offers its visitors an immense wooded park dotted with many shrines. A park that autumn adorns with its most beautiful colors.

Hiroshima and its surroundings in autumn

Marked by the explosion of the first atomic bomb in history, the city of Hiroshima retains many scars from this sad event. Its most symbolic place, point 0, a church whose stained glass windows were blown out by the explosion, is located in the middle of a large park dedicated to world peace and anti-nuclear. In autumn, these places are tinged with the colors of autumn and bring another dynamic to the landscape and the city.

Miyajima in Autumn

You've probably seen Miyajima before - without knowing it was Miyajima: Miyajima is the island where the red gate (tori) submerged in the sea is located. Located off the coast of Hiroshima, this island offers a beautiful hike that offers several viewpoints over Hiroshima Bay and the tori. In autumn, this very natural walk turns red.

Visiting Japan in autumn is a great experience because there are fewer tourists than in spring, the temperatures are milder than in August while remaining mild, and there are many matsuris. Along with spring, it is certainly the best season to visit Japan!

When to go to Japan in Autumn?

If you are planning to go to Japan in the fall, there are four things to consider:

1. Typhoon season runs from mid-August to early October: this is a season marked by major storms that can delay your plane and prevent outings;
2. Temperatures are mild in Japan in autumn, ranging from 10°C to 20°C in Tokyo and Kyoto between October and the end of November;
3. Many Japanese people take days off at the end of September: this involves additional costs and requires booking well in advance for this period;
4. Momijgari lasts from late September to early December on Japan's four main islands, and more specifically from mid-November to late November in Tokyo, Mount Fuji and Kyoto (the most popular destinations for first-time visitors to Japan).

This is why we recommend you go to Japan in Autumn in November . This will be the opportunity to avoid the typhoon season while enjoying the moijigari and autumn temperatures.

How to dress in Japan in Autumn?

The weather in Japan is mild in autumn but it can be quite humid and temperatures can drop dramatically from one day to the next. That's why it's important to bring extra clothes just in case.

🧤 Buying clothes in Japan can sometimes be tricky, as sizes larger than L can be hard to find. We recommend bringing extra clothes rather than relying on buying them locally.

Less popular with tourists than spring and marked by milder weather than summer, autumn is a very pleasant season to visit Japan. Similar to hanami, momijigari is a great discovery to make.