After 45 reports spanning three months, it has come time for our final autumn color (koyo) report trip of the season. This year has been an unusual one that started off strong in the northern regions of... read all
After an unusually warm and rainy mid-season, this year's autumn color season cast some doubt about how it would finish in its last few weeks. While the colors in Tokyo seemed to be pushed back a little later than usual... read all
As this year's autumn color season is coming into its final stretch, around two of the country's biggest cities, many spots are just reaching their best color this week... read all
After some great cool autumn weather the weekend past, I headed to Kamakura and Yokohama in Kanagawa Prefecture to check out how the autumn colors were... read all
Today I spent the day revisiting many of the popular autumn color spots in Kyoto, many of which were most recently covered by Raina on her visit last week. Back then the... read all
After a promising start to the autumn color season in Hokkaido two and a half months ago, an unfavorable combination of above-average temperatures and below-average sunshine has led to a rather disappointing later... read all
Today I headed east to continue reporting on the autumn colors (koyo) from the Kansai Region. After an early morning train ride, I arrived in Osaka, stowed my bags, and hopped a Hankyu train for... read all
Today I headed out west to pick up the autumn color (koyo) coverage in Kyoto. The peak colors around much of western Japan appear to be slightly delayed this year, probably due to the abnormally warm,... read all
Today I round up the week with another visit to Kyoto. It has been three days since my last visit to the old capital, and this time, I focused on the eastern side of Kyoto covering the area between... read all
Continuing our coverage of this year's autumn color season, we're following the late-season colors as they are beginning to approach their peak color in southern Japan... read all
Continuing my tour of valleys and gorges, I visited Kankakei Gorge located at the center of Shodoshima Island, the second largest island in the Seto Inland Sea. Kankakei holds the... read all
While mentioning the name Tokyo usually evokes images of a crowded, sprawling, concrete and glass jungle, there is literally another side to Tokyo that seems to be a world apart... read all
Today, we mix things up a little and head out of the Kansai Region, to Aichi Prefecture in the Chubu Region. My destination today was Korankei, a... read all
Today as the autumn colors (koyo) approach the peak around western Japan, I spent the day closer to Tokyo and headed back down to the base of Mount Fuji to... read all
Staying in the Kansai Region, I visited Kyoto again today. It was forecast to rain from the afternoon and while the skies looked somewhat promising in the morning, it... read all
The autumn color season has finally begun in Tokyo this year, and our team is here to cover the progress at each of the city's best leaf-watching spots... read all
With Joe and Scott covering the Kanto Region, I remain in the Kansai Region and revisited Kyoto again. This time, I went to different temples compared to my last trip three... read all
With temperatures dropping across the country, this year's autumn color front has just started creeping into Japan's large cities. While the season is coming into full force in western Japan this week, in and around Tokyo... read all
While Raina continues to see great colors across western Japan, today I headed out on an autumn color report from the famous national park area around Hakone, a popular side trip... read all
While western and southern Japan is where the autumn color action is really starting to heat up at this point in this year's season, there is still some great mid-season color on display... read all
Today, I find myself in the old capital of Kyoto, a favorite sightseeing spot amongst locals and tourists alike. When Joe visited the city ten days ago, the trees were still mostly green. I... read all
After Miyajima yesterday, I headed for another important religious site, this time in Wakayama Prefecture. My destination was Mount Koya, center of... read all
Today I drove down to Fuji Five Lakes (Fujigoko) region at the base of Mount Fuji to check on the autumn colors (koyo) around the mountain. The Fuji Five... read all
The autumn colors around the northern parts of the country seem to be coming to a close a bit faster than in a typical year, leaving us with a bit of a gap before we would normally start covering... read all
With much of the autumn colors in northern and central Japan's high mountain areas coming to an end quickly this week, leaf watchers around the country are gearing up for the second half of the season... read all
Today Schauwecker and I drove out Nikko to follow up on the progress of the area's autumn colors (koyo). It seems to have been a relatively fast koyo season this year, and despite Nikko's typically... read all
Continuing our mid-season mountain coverage of this year's autumn color reporting, I made my way today to one of northern Japan's most famous mountains: Mount Bandai... read all
Sometimes a little trip off of the beaten path can be the most rewarding. Continuing my autumn color reporting in Japan's Northern Alps this week, today I found myself exploring... read all
Perhaps the most impressive places to enjoy autumn colors in Japan are its mountain highlands, and today I made my way to one of the country's most well-loved alpine parks: Kamikochi... read all
After catching the wild colors around some of northern Japan's highlands last week, this week I'm taking our high-elevation autumn color reporting south to central Japan to the areas around the highest mountains in the country... read all
For our third autumn color report from Japan's northern Tohoku region, I drove south today from the near-peaking Lake Towada in Aomori Prefecture to neighboring Akita Prefecture... read all
Today, I went to Nikko for a follow up Nikko autumn color report. I visited Okunikko and Nikko to see how the colors had developed since the last time Joe went nine days ago. The autumn colors are... read all
Today I embarked upon a follow up report from the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route to check out the autumn colors along the popular highland traverse. It has been nearly three weeks since Raina came through here on... read all
After a cold and unexpectedly snowy night on Mount Hakkoda, I continued my autumn color reporting from Japan's northern Tohoku region today making my way deeper... read all
In Japan, the north is often synonymous with the great outdoors, and for travelers hoping to experience autumn colors in a natural, expansive setting, Tohoku, the northernmost region... read all
Continuing our coverage of the autumn color season, I made my way to the beautiful Mount Nasu in northern Tochigi Prefecture. Mount Nasu, located just a little over an hour north of Tokyo... read all
Today I went for a drive along national route 292, the stretch between Yamanouchi and Kusatsu. The route reaches one of the highest elevations of the national routes at 2172 meters and because of its relatively... read all
Continuing with our autumn color reports, I headed to Oze National Park to check out the grass in the marshland, kusamomiji. Only 150 kilometers north from Tokyo, it is possible to visit Oze in a daytrip but it... read all
A day after the long weekend, colloquially referred to as Silver Week, I headed off to Murodo, the highest point along the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route to check out the autumn colors. Murodo sits at around 2450... read all
The weather could not have been better to do the Daisetsuzan Traverse from Asahidake Onsen to Sounkyo Onsen today. Hikers traversing the Daisetsuzan Mountains typically climb the summit of Mount Asahidake along... read all
For the 8th year in a row, we start reporting Japan's autumn color season from Daisetsuzan National Park in the center of Hokkaido. The highest point on the island, the Daisetsuzan Mountains are the first place in... read all
