Momiji Itinerary (7 days - November)

Hi,

coming november I will be travelling to japan for the 3rd time. In my past travels i've visited Tokyo-Kyoto-Kamakura-Nara (1st travel in August 2015) and Tokyo-Nikko-Sendai-Yamadera (2nd travel in May 2017). Considering i'm travelling with a first time visitor which itinerary do you suggest for 7 full days in Autumn ?



The itinerary i'm considering is :

- 3~4 days in Tokyo : i love Tokyo and for a first time visitor is a must

- 2 days in Kanazawa : i've never been in Kanazawa, Kenroku-en should be amazing during momiji.



Do you have better suggest for the places to go considering i'm travelling during momiji ? Are there better place for the red leaf ?

Tokyo : Which spot are a must for the red leaf ?



Thanks a lot :-)

It depends on when you will be traveling in November. If it is first 7 days of November, Tokyo, Kyoto and possibly Kanazawa is too early. If it is last 7 days of November, it will be fine. Could you tell us exact dates?

https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2014.html

exact dates are 9-17 november

From Tokyo mid Nov is good for autumn foliage in Takao-san. Further afield are the Fuji Five Lakes region and Shosenkyo Gorge.

Do-able as a day trip from Kanazawa is beautiful Kurobe Gorge. A lot depends on the un-predictable weather but normally early Nov is a better time for koyo in the gorge.

Your dates seem to be a little bit early for the autumn foliage in the city area of Tokyo and Kyoto. As William wrote your chance will increase if you go to northern/mountain area. You will go to Kanazawa from Tokyo so I will add several places along Hokuriku shinkansen which runs from Tokyo to Kanazawa.

Karuizawa 900 m above the sea level. Might be too late.

Komoro Kaikoen 660 m. Good for early November. Take Shinano Tetsudo train from Karuizawa or Ueda.

https://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Attraction_Review-g1021313-d1567270-Rev...

Ueda Castle ruin. 450 m. Good for early to mid November.

http://www.go-nagano.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Ueda-Castle-Autumn...

Zenkoji temple in Nagano city 365 m. Early to mid November.

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g298565-d324917-...

Enjoy your trip!

Do you have better suggestion for the red leaves insted of Kanazawa ? (I still have time to cancel my reservation.)
I want to visit a place with the peak colors of autumn, this is the main goal of my trip! Any suggestion ?
Is mt Takao worth ? or 5 fuji lakes ?

I hiked up Takao-san first week of November 2017. It was already lovely at that time. You might also want to check out Showa Kinen Koen, a little less than an hour from Shinjuku if I remember correctly. It was already at its peak when we went November 9, 2017.

Icho Namiki should be a bit yellow by this time, nice but not that spectacular yet. And the ginko trees in Yoyogi were also golden but that could really differ each year. Enjoy autumn in Japan!