October trip hoping for some fall colors

Hello, I am planning to visit in mid October to November. We are hoping to see some fall colours if we can. I understand it is still a bit early for peak colours but will take what we can get.
Our group members are not very physically fit so we are packing in less places per day.
This will be my 4th time in Japan but first time chasing the fall colours.
Would appreciate feedback and suggestions, in particular concerns highlighted in bold.
In general, would you be able to comment on which parts of this trip we are likely to see fall colours?

Oct 19
Daytrip to Enoshima (Arrived the day before)

Oct 20
Daytrip to Yokohama

Oct 21
Shinjuku Gyoen, Shinjuku area walk

Oct 22
Move to Osaka by shinkansen
After check in, maybe dotonbori night walk

Oct 23
Osaka castle, Umeda sky building

Oct 24
Visiting the Kuromon and Shinsekai market streets, Tsutenkaku tower

Oct 25
Minoh waterfall daytrip

Oct 26
Free day, catch up on any missed activities, if nothing missed then go to Nara.
Was planning to go to Nara from Kyoto later in the trip, doing so here instead would let us spend more time in Kyoto.

Oct 27
Moving to Kobe, Herb Garden and ropeway, as well as Nunobiki Falls near the herb garden.
Hoping to have dinner at Steakland to try Kobe beef, other forum members here have recommended that place as relatively affordable to get the real deal. Are reservations needed?

Oct 28
Sumaura Park, amusement park on top.
Maybe Akashi Kaikyo Bridge Observatory, or just relax at Sumaura Park if it is too rushed.

Oct 29
Daytrip to Mount Rokko

Oct 30
Ikuta road, Chinatown, waterfront

Oct 31
Move to Kyoto
Evening stroll in Gion

Nov 1
Nishiki Market, a different part of Gion

Nov 2
Sagano railway, hozugawa river boat ride - are reservations required?
Arashiyama bamboo forest.
This is one of the days we hope to get some fall colours, how likely is this?

Nov 3
Nara daytrip - Nara Park, Naramachi shopping street
Ideally if we already went from Osaka, we could definitely use a free day to relax in Kyoto or catch up on anything that we missed.

Nov 4
Kyoto Imperial Palace and Nijo Castle

Nov 5
Moving to Takamatsu

Nov 6
Shodoshima daytrip, Kankakei gorge, soy sauce museum, maybe Angel Road if weather and tide permits.
Are reservations required for the boat to and from Shodoshima? Don't want to be stranded.
Also this is one of the spots we are really hoping to get fall colours, what are our chances?

Nov 7
Tokiwacho shopping street, castle, lighthouse/waterfront walk

Nov 8
Ritsurin Garden, really hoping to get fall colours here and spend some time at the garden. What are our chances of getting red or golden leaves at this date?

Nov 9
Shikoku Village, maybe also Mount Yashima

Nov 10
A long move by tran back to Tokyo.

Nov 11
Hamarikyu Gardens, Tsukiji Outer Market, Tokyo Dome City

Nov 12
Ueno park and zoo, Ameyokocho
Anyone know of any good places to buy some dried seaweed and maybe dried scallops in Ameyoko? This is our last day and we want to buy back some dried food souvenirs.

Have you considered the Japanese Alps? Well-known places include Takayama, Kanazawa, Kamikochi, and Shiragawago. Foliage there will be at its peak during mid October.
Beside being great for foliage watching. these spots are very scenic.

Another spot great for foliage in Oct is Nikko.

You see, foliage season starts and ends at different times in different places. Japan is a very long country and therefore there are microclimates in different locations.

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

If fall colors is you primary goal you are going to the wrong region of Japan or the wrong time.

Agreed, I would be looking at Karuizawa on to Kamikochi then on to Takayama. Kamikochi should have good colour by mid October

Hi everyone, thanks for the input.
Fall colours would be great but it is a "take what we can get" mentality, as we really want to go to these places, with or without fall colours.
We did consider the alps and north Japan, but we have been to Hokkaido before, and plan to go to the alps next year after the opening of the new Kurobe alpine route. We do not have anyone who can drive this time, but may next time, which is why we decided to make this trip more "city based".

I notice according to the map doggieluver linked:

1-We will be in Tokyo at the start and end of the trip, in mid October and mid November. I note on the map it says late November to early December. Does that mean "peak" is in late nov, in which case we may well get some fall colours in mid Nov, just not the "peak"?

2-For Kyoto, InsideKyoto mentioned the fall colours season is particularly flexible. We will be there in early November. Though the map here said late november, any chance that there might be some colours on the mountains or during the train ride? Again, does the map mean "peak" colours meaning it starts before that, or does it mean leaves only start changing in late nov?
https://www.insidekyoto.com/autumn-colors-in-kyoto#:~:text=The%20leave....
"The leaves start changing in Kyoto sometime in October. The peak of fall foliage usually comes in mid-November, and you can usually see colors on the trees until mid-December. Thus, in an average year, the foliage season in Kyoto lasts from 15 October to 15 December, with a peak around 15 November."

3-We will be in Kagawa and Shodoshima during the 2nd week of November, and it is orange on the map meaing mid nov. I guess that means there's a fairly good chance here?

Again, I just want to know to be able to set expectations within the group so no one is disappointed. Even if the answer is "no" for the above 3 questions, we will still try and make it a good trip, just without fall colours.

Would also appreciate clarification if reservations are required at Kobe Steakland, the boats to and from Shodoshima from Takamatsu and recommendations for dried foodstuffs in Ameyoko.

Thanks so much, I know as LikeBike said, it is not the ideal time if we are primarily after fall colours. I think it may be better for our group's expectations if we think of it as a "bonus" rather than the primary goal here.

hi! best bet would be nikko or fuji/hakone area for early november. these are the easily accessible areas from tokyo.

we have tried the sagano romantic train on the first week of november 2017 and the leaves were still green. pretty but green.

I suggest Matsumoto(urban area)
for fall colorful leaves during mid October to early November.
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6050.html

LikeBike:
If fall colors is you primary goal you are going to the wrong region of Japan or the wrong time.

I agree.

Generally the autumn color foliage season starts
earlier in northeastern Japan / on highlands,
later in southwestern Japan / on lowlands.

The beginning and the duration of the color foliage season
depend on weather conditions since early autumn.

We will be in Tokyo at the start and end of the trip, in mid October and mid November.

From the Tokyo 23-ward-city areas,
you can make a day trip to Mount Takao.
There are cable cars connecting the base and the mountainside.
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3029.html

Getting back to Tokyo a little earlier than you currently plan,
you can visit Mount Takao on a weekday,
avoiding crowdedness expected during weekends.

November the 3rd is a public holiday in Japan;
some popular tourist spots may gather many visitors.

andrea:
best bet would be nikko or fuji/hakone area for early november

Hakone may be a good choice;
it has some fall color foliage spots
with peaks observed from October to November.
On your way from Tokyo to Osaka,
you can visit Lake Ashi [Ashinoko];
on your way back to Tokyo,
you can visit Gora and Owakudani.
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5200.html

Nikko
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3800.html

Kamikochi
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6040.html

Thanks for the suggestions.
So it seems like there is little chance of getting much, if any, fall colours during most of the trip.
As such, I am considering your suggestions of Mt Takao and Hakone.
Hotels are already booked and paid for so only option is daytrips.
Therefore, Nikko and Kamikochi or stopping between tokyo and osaka are not possible.

Only day this could happen is Nov 11, since Nov 12 being final day we do not want to go far, and need to shop for friends and family.
Would you say there is a good chance of fall colors on Nov 11 at Mt Takao? If so, it will be worth the change.
I am particularly interested in Mt Takao because that is very easily accessible by rail.

On a side note, we will be taking ropeways up Mt Rokko on Oct 29, given the higher elevation, are there any chances of fall colours then? Or is it still way too early even taking the elevation into account?

After taking on board your suggestions, and upon further research, it seems Mount Takao is probably my best bet.
As it is too late to change any of my hotels, without driving, Mount Takao seems to be the only spot with a very high chance of fall colours within easy access.

I am also considering Mount Hiei in Kyoto, since being 848m tall, according to the previous years' reports, some years it comes earlier and I may be able to get some good fall colours then.

enjoy the hike (if you opt to) and hope you get to see fuji-san from mt. takao!