Autumn Colors Forecast 2016 in Japan
The viewing of autumn leaves is called koyo or momiji-gari in Japanese, and is a popular pastime in autumn. The fall season is one of the most beautiful seasons in Japan with great weather that is perfect for traveling. The autumn foliage season in Japan typically starts in mid-September in the northern mountains of Hokkaido, and slowly makes it way down south reaching Tokyo and Kyoto in mid to late November. You can even enjoy the fall foliage into December in many parts of Japan. All this means a season lasting nearly three months!
The green leaves of summer change to spectacular reds, oranges and yellows as the weather cools, and the koyo front makes it way south.
The autumn colors forecast each year varies depending on temperatures leading up to the season. This means the timing of the viewing of the autumn leaves can vary by a few days to a few weeks from year to year. The past few weeks has seen some unusually cold temperatures which has sped up the progress of the autumn colors in central Japan.
The autumn colors have reached their peak in Kamakura, which is located less than an hour south of Tokyo, and is called “The Kyoto of Eastern Japan”. They are now past their peak in many popular spots including Tokyo, Kyoto, Nara and Kanazawa.
The table below outlines some of the popular destinations in Japan for viewing the autumn leaves with the average estimated viewing time.
More information can be found at the official Koyo Guide in Japan.
http://kouyou.nihon-kankou.or.jp/en/
Autumn Colors Table (Updated 4 December 2016)