Autumn Colors in Japan: 2017 Fall Foliage Forecast
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 fiery reds, apricot oranges and golden yellows of the season as the weather cools, and the koyo front makes it way south.
Autumn Colors Season 2017
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 temperatures have started falling with the cooler weather speeding up the progress of the changing colors. The autumn color season in Western Japan is about a week earlier than the average season.
The autumn colors are expected to reach their peak in Tokyo around late November to early December and in Kyoto around mid November to early December.The autumn color season is now in full swing in the Kansai region (Kyoto, Osaka and Nara) as well as Miyajima in Hiroshima and Korankei in Central Japan. The autumn colors are approaching their peak in both Tokyo and Kyoto.
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.
Autumn Colors Table (Updated 19 November 2017)
John Asano is a blogger, travel writer and travel advisor living in Gifu, Japan. Originally from Melbourne, Australia, he has lived in Japan now for over 15 years. John loves nothing better than picking up his camera and exploring all the amazing sights and attractions that Japan has to offer. He writes about the must see sights and attractions in Japan at Japan Travel Advice, as well as about Japanese culture and modern life on his blog Japan Australia. You can read more of his work at http://japan-australia.blogspot.com/
