Japan itinerary help - Koyo - Oct 24

Hello :)

I am from Singapore and am intending to visit Japan with my wife and my 3 year old child.

Main purpose is to enjoy Koyo :)

Would like to seek kind guidance to my itinerary please - many thanks in advance.

24-26 Oct 24 - Hakone or Fuji 5 Lake
27-29 Oct 24 - Nikko
30 Oct - 1 Nov 24 - Kamikochi
2-6 Nov 24 - Kyoto

We are starting with Hakone first because our flight lands 1600 hours and we want to stay near lake Chuzenji.

We are contemplating between Hakone or Fuji Lake.

We are contemplating to visit Kamikochi or not. We are having difficulty securing a hotel and the hotel seems quite basic compared to its price.

Main concern is 1 Nov 24 period the koyo in Kamikochi will be long gone. Any advise?

Many thanks!!!

Someone correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe the Koyo in Nikko is earlier than Hakone? (Mid- to late October for Nikko, around Lake Chuzenji. Koyo in Hakone would start in late October and best in November, I believe, though it depends on the year of course and on the elevations too.)

By the way, Nikko = Lake Chuzenji , Hakone = Lake Ashi (Ashi-no-ko).

If you are arriving into Narita at that time, definitely stay one night in Tokyo. Even if you are flying into Haneda, I would stay one night in Tokyo, for wanting to avoid further travel after a flight…

I am not familiar with Kamikochi at all. I hope someone can pitch in.

Though I have not visited Kamikochi in late October/early November, the autumn foliage is somewhat different from other famous koyo spots: the main koyo tree in Kamikochi is yellowish larch the peak color of which is later by one month than red maple. So although Kamikochi is 1500 m high, the peak color season is late October/early November. You can also see red birch which is somewhat earlier than larch. So all in all late October/early November would be a good season to see koyo in Kamikochi.

You can check the approximate time of the autumn leaves here.
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2014.html
Kyoto is early for autumn leaves. (The season starts after the middle of November.)
https://koyo.walkerplus.com/list/ar0726/
Iroha-zaka in Nikko is in season in the middle of October.
https://koyo.walkerplus.com/list/ar0309/ct02800/?utm_source=koyo&utm_m...
Kamikochi is from the middle to the end of October.
https://koyo.walkerplus.com/detail/ar0420e13025/
Hakone is from early to mid November.
https://koyo.walkerplus.com/detail/ar0314e13129/data.html
https://koyo.walkerplus.com/detail/ar0314e154535/data.html
Lake Kawaguchi seems to have a long season.
https://koyo.walkerplus.com/detail/ar0419e13079/

Thanks all :)

As per the advice, we have decided to stay in tokyo first before making our move to Nikko and Hakone/Fuji lake.

My wife have decided to give Kamikochi a miss for this trip as we didnt want to change so many hotels.

Have been trying to book a hotel near lake chuzenji or central nikko but the hotels are so expensive over $600 to upwards $1000 sgd.

We are now considering Yumoto or Kinugawa as base as they are more affordable.

Any idea which area is better? In terms of travel to and fro lake Chuzenji.

Thankss!

Check this page for Nikko autumn colors:
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3817.html

If your aim is the autumn colors around Lake Chuzenji, then Yumoto Onsen would be closer than Kinugawa. (To get to Lake Chuzenji from Kinugawa, you’d need to take trains and a bus up the winding road to the Lake. From Yumoto Onsen, it will be just the bus.)
Also, the autumn colors around Kinugawa would be later, in November, in a “normal” year.