Japan’s Brilliant Fall Foliage: Top Five Viewing Places

Unseen Japan
5 min readOct 3, 2024

The best spots as ranked by Japanese residents.

Picture: denkei / PIXTA(ピクスタ)

By Ebony Brown

Viewing the fall foliage (紅葉; kouyou) has been a popular pastime in Japan since the Heian era (8th to 12th century). Odes to the beauty and changing nature of the trees were enshrined in Waka poems and featured in stories like The Tale of Genji. Once the domain of the nobility, it’s become a beloved annual outing for residents of Japan.

Where are the best places to view fall foliage? Read on to learn the top five spots that residents chose in a recent survey.

Types of trees

Picture: のびー / PIXTA(ピクスタ)

Japan’s fall foliage is most famous for two types of trees: the Japanese Maple leaf and the ginkgo leaf.

The maple leaf (momiji or kaede) is ubiquitous. If asked to conjure up images of Japan, the brilliant red leaf is bound to come to mind. These gorgeous trees are native to Japan and widespread.

Over the centuries, several varieties have been cultivated that change into vibrant shades of red, orange, and yellow. These add a bit of natural elegance to the environment. Some locales in Japan…

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