2012/12/11

Tokyo Report

Today I headed to Tokyo for our last report for this autumn season. The past couple of days had been very windy and that could have had an adverse effect on the longevity of the autumn leaves... read all

2012/12/07

Tokyo Report

Its been a week since our last autumn report from Tokyo, and in that time the autumn foliage has reach the peak around most of the sites in the city. Today I revisited some of Tokyo's best autumn color spots,... read all

2012/12/05

Kamakura Report

Almost three months after our first autumn report, the colors have finally begun to change around Kamakura. Typically one of the latest places in Japan where the leaves change, the season doesn't usually... read all

2012/12/02

Kyoto Report

Today I headed over to Eastern Kyoto on this year's last scheduled autumn color report from the Kansai Region. The season is definitely winding down around... read all

2012/12/01

Tokyo Report

The first autumn color report of December comes from Tokyo, one of the last places in Japan to see its trees change colors. The seasonal spectacle had already advanced nicely earlier this week in many of... read all

2012/11/29

Kyoto Report

Today I headed out to Kyoto to continue our coverage of the autumn colors in the Kansai Region. Many of the spots around Kyoto have already reached their peak and beyond, so part of today's report was to... read all

2012/11/29

Himeji Report

Today I visited Himeji for our first ever autumn color report from that city.Mount Shosha, a temple mountain overlooking the city from the northwest,... read all

2012/11/27

Tokyo Report

Another week has passed since Schauwecker made our last autumn color report from Tokyo, so today I headed back down to the city to revisit some of last week's... read all

2012/11/26

Kyoto Report

Today I visited a few locations in Kyoto which offered simply stunning fall scenery. The restart of the working week, in combination with the rainy weather, brought back some calm to the streets of Kyoto... read all

2012/11/25

Kyoto Report

Today I revisited Tofukuji and Kiyomizudera, as well as the Sagano and Arashiyama area. Kyoto was really crowded today: the autumn season... read all

2012/11/23

Miyajima Report

Today I headed west to Miyajima, famed as one of Japan's top three scenic spots. The island is separated from main land by a 15 minute ferry ride from Hiroshima. I visited a few of Miyajima's places... read all

2012/11/22

Kyoto Report

Today I explored the Sagano, Arashiyama and Ohara districts of Kyoto and visited many of their temples. Sagano and Arashiyama lie side by side in the western outskirts of... read all

2012/11/21

Tokyo Report

Eight days after our first autumn color report from Tokyo, I revisited some of the city's best fall foliage spots. Overall, the season was still at an early stage, and I do... read all

2012/11/21

Kyoto Report

Today I visited Kyoto again to follow up on my report last week. The streets were busy with tourists of different nationalities, heading towards various destinations, most probably to one of Kyoto's popular autumn color spots... read all

2012/11/19

Takaosan Report

Takaosan (Mount Takao) is located in the suburban west of central Tokyo, and is popular as one of the few natural recreation areas within the metropolitan city. The summit of the 599 meter tall mountain offers nice views of Tokyo... read all

2012/11/16

Kyoto Report

It was a sunny day at Kyoto. Autumn season fever has hit the city and tourists were spotted in droves. Kyoto has so many good autumn color spots to offer that the season here usually lasts longer than in most other cities, spanning... read all

2012/11/15

Mount Fuji Report

Today I made a follow up visit to the Fuji Five Lakes (Fujigoko) region on the northern side of Mount Fuji. It's been ten days since our last visit to the area, and since then the... read all

2012/11/15

Shosenkyo Report

Shosenkyo Gorge in Yamanashi Prefecture is considered one of Japan's most beautiful gorges, offering great natural scenery consisting of landscapes with cliffs and many interestingly shaped rocks, a nature trail... read all

2012/11/14

Hakone Report

Today I visited Hakone, the popular outdoor destination two train hours west of Tokyo. While the hot spring town of Yumoto at the entrance to Hakone is located at a mere 100 meters above sea level, the summit of Mount... read all

2012/11/13

Tokyo Report

Today I made our first autumn color report trip to Tokyo. As it is still relatively early in the season, the trees around Tokyo are understandably pretty green. However, some of the earlier changing trees are... read all

2012/11/09

Sakurayama Report

Today I visited Sakurayama Park in Gunma Prefecture which is a well known spot for seeing winter cherry blossoms, a rather uncommon variety of cherry blossom that blooms in the winter. The winter... read all

2012/11/08

Koyasan Report

Yesterday I reported that Kyoto is still at an early stage of the autumn color season. Tourists wishing to see the peak of the season in the Kansai Region now, need to make a trip into higher elevations. Among... read all

2012/11/07

Kyoto Report

Even though the peak of Kyoto's fall foliage season is still about two weeks ahead, I visited the city for an early first autumn color report today. We plan to continue reporting from... read all

2012/11/07

Nikko Report

Today I revisited Nikko to check on the state of the autumn colors around the lower areas of Okunikko and around Nikko Town. Nikko has a particularly long koyo season, which is... read all

2012/11/07

Yamadera Report

It was a good trip to Yamadera Temple today. The temple is one of the most important in the Tohoku Region, with a history of more than a thousand years. It has within its precincts more than 40 temple buildings, distributed along the... read all

2012/11/06

Naruko Report

It was a wet day. I made my way to Naruko Gorge in the morning expecting the best and worst day for autumn color reporting: best because I read that colors are currently at their peak there, worst because, well, it was a wet day.... read all

2012/11/05

Hiraizumi Report

Today I visited the Unesco World Heritage site of Chusonji Temple in Hiraizumi, a city of great cultural and political prominence during the Heian Period. After immersing in the glory of past civilization, I went to nearby Geibikei... read all

2012/11/05

Mount Fuji Report

Today we paid a visit to the Fuji Five Lakes (Fujigoko) region along the northern side of Mount Fuji. At about 1000 meters above sea level, the area normally sees its autumn foliage about three weeks... read all

2012/11/01

Kuju Report

Today I visited the Kuju Mountains, which are part of the Aso-Kuju National Park, located across Oita and Kumamoto prefectures. The weather forecast had predicted a cloudy, cold and windy morning for the day,... read all

2012/10/31

Towada Report

Today I completed my late October Tohoku reporting with a visit to Lake Towada (Towadako) way up north in the Towada-Hachimantai National Park. The largest caldera lake in Japan, Lake Towada... read all

2012/10/30

Bandai Report

Today I headed back up to Fukushima Prefecture to check out the lower slopes around Mount Bandai. The area experiences a long autumn colors season due to the large... read all

2012/10/26

Minakami Report

Gunma Prefecture is a great place for beautiful nature and quality onsen. Today I headed to Minakami in Gunma to check out its autumn colors. First, I took the Tanigawadake Ropeway to Tenjindaira of Mount... read all

2012/10/24

Nikko Report

Following our previous reports on Nikko last week and the week before, today I visited again to check out the progress of the autumn colors there.... read all

2012/10/22

Alpine Route Report

Today I head out to the Northern Japan Alps to revisit the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route, a series of buses, cablecars, electric trolley buses, and a ropeway that connect Toyama and... read all

2012/10/18

Noboribetsu Report

I wrapped up my 3-day reporting trip through Hokkaido with a visit to Noboribetsu Onsen, one of my favorite hot spring resorts. The autumn colors... read all

2012/10/18

Sounkyo Report

On day two of my 3-day reporting trip through Hokkaido, I re-visited Sounkyo Onsen, where we had previously reported from on September 20 and... read all

2012/10/17

Shiretoko Report

On Japan's northernmost island of Hokkaido, the autumn colors are gradually descending into lower elevations, but remain one to two weeks behind their average schedule. On the first day of a 3-day reporting trip across Hokkaido, I... read all

2012/10/16

Norikura Report

Norikura of the Northern Japan Alps encompasses the highlands of Norikura Kogen and Mount Norikuradake. It is a popular autumn color spot ... read all

2012/10/16

Nikko Report

Today I made our second autumn color visit to the popular Nikko area, about two hours north of Tokyo. Its been a week since our first report from... read all

2012/10/15

Kamikochi Report

I arrived at the base of Kamikochi early as planned, parked my car near its entrance because only buses and taxis are allowed in, and received welcome news from the parking attendant that clear skies were in for the day. Then, before... read all

2012/10/12

Oze Report

Today I travelled to Oze to check out the autumn colors there. Quick introduction: Oze National Park is located between Gunma,... read all

2012/10/11

Hachimantai Report

Today Schauwecker and I continued our Tohoku Region reporting with a visit to the Hachimantai area of Towada-Hachimantai National Park. We... read all

2012/10/10

Bandai Report

Today we paid a visit to the Bandai area of Fukushima Prefecture for our first autumn color (koyo) report this season from the Tohoku Region. After an... read all

2012/10/09

Nikko Report

Nikko, as popular a tourist destination as it tends to be, is particularly widely visited every autumn because it usually provides great autumn colors in combination with its famous places of interest. The varying elevations of the... read all

2012/10/05

Route 292 Report

Of all national roads in Japan, a section of Route 292 between Shiga Kogen in Nagano Prefecture and Kusatsu Onsen in Gunma Prefecture is the highest at about 2172 meters above sea level. The high altitude of... read all

2012/10/04

Alpine Route Report

The Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route is a spectacular way to cross the Northern Japan Alps by a combination of buses, cablecars and a ropeway... read all

2012/09/28

Kurodake Report

The story of this autumn leaves season so far has been about the warmer than average weather that has limited the intensity of color changes. Last night I was talking to an elderly restaurant owner who wasn't optimistic that colors... read all

2012/09/27

Kogen Onsen Report

6:30 in the morning and we were on board a bus to Daisetsu Kogen (Daisetsu Highlands) - From September 22 to 30, 2012, private cars can only go as far as the Lakesite parking lot at the base of the highlands, from where a shuttle... read all

2012/09/26

Asahidake Report

A few days after our last visit, we returned to Mount Asahidake to check on the progress of autumn colors there. After a hotter than average summer, the past couple of days saw temperatures drop by a few degrees, so... read all

2012/09/21

Asahidake Report

Three days after my first visit, I returned to Mount Asahidake today. In the meantime, temperatures have dropped to somewhat more seasonable values, but the nanakamado bushes around the mountain... read all

2012/09/20

Kurodake Report

Located in the center of Hokkaido, Daisetsuzan National Park is larger than some of Japan's 47 prefectures. Not surprisingly, the park can be accessed from many... read all

2012/09/18

Asahidake Report

Welcome to the 2012 autumn color reports! Starting today, we will follow the seasonal colors for approximately three months as they descend from the highest peaks of Hokkaido ... read all