Red maples, the clearest air of the year, and the food you came for.
These are the places the prefecture pages name for this season. Each one links to its own page, with opening times, prices and a MAP button.
Pick the season first, then the place.
| Prefecture | September – November |
|---|---|
| Aichi | The best season. Autumn colour at Korankei gorge in late November is the local sight. |
| Akita | Autumn colour from early October in the mountains, and rice harvest on the plain. |
| Aomori | Autumn colour in the gorge from mid-October, which is the other peak season here. Apples are picked. |
| Chiba | Clear and mild. |
| Ehime | The other good cycling season: clear, dry and cool over the water. |
| Fukui | Autumn colour at Eiheiji in November. Echizen snow crab opens in November and is the local event of the year. |
| Fukuoka | Warm, dry and clear. Good walking weather, and the food stalls are at their best. |
| Fukushima | Autumn colour from mid-October around the volcano and the lake. The best season here. |
| Gifu | Autumn colour in the valleys in late October and November. The best walking weather. |
| Gunma | Autumn colour through October and November, and the best walking weather of the year. |
| Hiroshima | Autumn colour in Momijidani on Miyajima in November. Clear air over the sea. |
| Hokkaido | Autumn colour comes first in Japan, from late September in the mountains. Crab and scallops are at their best. |
| Hyogo | Clear and dry, and the best months for the north coast. |
| Ibaraki | Kochia bushes turn deep red on the same hill in October. Autumn colour at the falls in November. |
| Ishikawa | Autumn colour in the garden in November. Crab season opens, and the sea is generous. |
| Iwate | Autumn colour from early October in the mountains. The best month for the gorge boats. |
| Kagawa | Clear and dry. Autumn colour in the garden in late November. |
| Kagoshima | October and November are the best months here. |
| Kanagawa | Autumn colour in Hakone through November, and the clearest chance of Fuji from the lake. |
| Kochi | October and November are clear and quiet. |
| Kumamoto | The clearest air of the year, and the best chance of standing above a sea of cloud at Daikanbo. If you can choose, come now. |
| Kyoto | Autumn colour peaks in the last two weeks of November, and it is as busy as spring. Worth it. |
| Mie | October and November are dry and clear — the best months. |
| Miyagi | Autumn colour at Naruko Gorge in late October is the best in the prefecture. |
| Miyazaki | October and November are close to perfect. |
| Nagano | Autumn colour comes down from the peaks through October. Kamikochi closes in mid-November. |
| Nagasaki | The best months. Cool evenings, clear air, and the night view at its sharpest. |
| Nara | The best months. Autumn colour in the park in late November, with the deer under it. |
| Niigata | Harvest, new rice and new sake. Autumn colour in the gorges in late October. |
| Oita | Autumn colour on the plateau, and the clearest views of Mt. Yufu. |
| Okayama | Muscat grapes, then autumn colour in the garden. An easy, dry season. |
| Okinawa | Still warm enough to swim into October, with fewer people and lower prices. |
| Osaka | The best season. Dry, cool evenings, and the food streets are comfortable to walk. |
| Saga | The best time for the kilns and the pottery markets, and for the shrine. |
| Saitama | Autumn colour in Chichibu in November, and a night festival there in early December. |
| Shiga | Autumn colour on the mountain in November, above the lake. The best month here. |
| Shimane | The best months. Autumn colour in the garden, and the shrine at its busiest in the old tenth month. |
| Shizuoka | November is clear, and the tea fields are still green. |
| Tochigi | Autumn colour that people come from Tokyo for, peaking around late October up high and November below. Go on a weekday. |
| Tokushima | Autumn colour in the gorge in November, which is when the valley is at its best. |
| Tokyo | Late November is autumn colour, and the clearest air of the year. |
| Tottori | The best season: cool sand, autumn colour on Daisen, and crab from November. |
| Toyama | Autumn colour on the route through October, before it closes for snow. |
| Wakayama | Autumn colour at Koyasan in early November is the peak of the year. |
| Yamagata | Autumn colour from early October up high. The stone steps in autumn are the best walk of the year. |
| Yamaguchi | The best months for the coast roads and the gates at Motonosumi. |
| Yamanashi | Grape harvest, then autumn colour round the lakes in early November. The air begins to clear. |
