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A red bridge with white scaffolding under its deck, crossing a valley of red and yellow trees below a mountain lit by the rising sun

Higashizawa Bridge and Utsukushi-mori at Sunrise: Kiyosato’s Autumn Leaves (2026)

Sunrise at Utsukushi-mori and Higashizawa Bridge in Kiyosato, Yamanashi, on 28 October 2026: my photos, the first sun on Yatsugatake, the bridge's repair work to August 2027, free parking, the usual leaf season, bears, and where to stay.

Japan · Yamanashi · Hokuto · Kiyosato

By Nobu · I went at sunrise on 28 October 2026 · facts checked on 29 October 2026 against Hokuto City, the Hokuto tourism association, the Kiyosato tourism association, the transport ministry and the KEEP Association · all photos are mine, taken that morning

On the morning of 28 October 2026 I went to Kiyosato, on the Yamanashi side of the Yatsugatake mountains, to photograph the dawn at two spots: Utsukushi-mori, a hilltop lookout above a free car park, and Higashizawa Bridge, the red arch bridge over the Higashizawa valley. The autumn colour was a little past its peak at both, but the view at Higashizawa was overwhelming, and the first sun lighting up Yatsugatake was the most beautiful thing I saw all morning. I think it is one of Yamanashi’s signature autumn leaf spots.

Before you go, one thing you should know: Higashizawa Bridge is under repair until 10 August 2027, and half of it is hidden behind sheeting. You can see the scaffolding in my photos. Below are my photos from both places, how I fitted them into one sunrise, what the official sources say about parking, walking and the usual leaf season, and where to stay.

Jump to: My sunrise route · Utsukushi-mori · Higashizawa Bridge · Getting there · Before you go · Why Kiyosato · Where to stay · More autumn in Yamanashi · FAQ

A red bridge with white scaffolding under its deck, crossing a valley of red and yellow trees below a mountain lit by the rising sun
Higashizawa Bridge at sunrise on 28 October 2026, with the repair scaffolding under the deck.
Higashizawa Bridge90 m red arch bridgeUnder repair 24 September 2026 – 10 August 2027; half of it covered by sheeting
Utsukushi-moriA lookout at about 1,542 mAbout 15 minutes’ walk from the free car park, with steps to the deck
Usual leaf seasonMid October to early NovemberHokuto tourism association, for Higashizawa Bridge
My visit28 October 2026, at sunriseThe colour was a little past its peak at both places
ParkingFree at bothWhen I parked on 28 October 2026. Higashizawa: the observation-deck car park on the Kiyosato Station side

My sunrise route: Utsukushi-mori, then Higashizawa Bridge

I did both in one morning, Utsukushi-mori first, in the dark, and Higashizawa Bridge once the sun was up. The times below are from my camera.

Time, 28 October 2026Where
5:20My first photo at Utsukushi-mori: the moon in the pre-dawn sky
5:20–5:49Dawn colour behind the distant mountains, seen from the deck
6:04–6:49Higashizawa Bridge: the sun on Yatsugatake, then on the valley

If you only have time for one, I would choose Higashizawa for the sunrise: the first light on Yatsugatake was the best thing I saw that morning.

On Google Maps: Utsukushi-mori lookout · Utsukushi-mori information office and car park · Higashizawa Bridge · Higashizawa Bridge observation deck

Utsukushi-mori at dawn

My first photo here, at 5:20, was taken before sunrise. The car park at the foot of the hill was free and open, even at that hour. Hokuto City describes Utsukushi-mori as a 1,542 m hill, an isolated part of the east ridge of Akadake, with a free car park for 50 cars and a walk of about 15 minutes to the top; the Hokuto tourism association adds that the last part, to the viewing deck, is steps. The Kiyosato tourism association lists Yatsugatake, the Southern Alps, Mount Fuji and the Chichibu mountains among the views, and gives the height as 1,543 m.

A band of orange dawn light along the horizon behind a cone-shaped mountain and lower ridges, under a deep blue sky with dark clouds
Dawn from Utsukushi-mori. The cone on the horizon is Mount Fuji, which the Kiyosato tourism association lists among the views.

The leaves around the hill were a little past their peak when I was there, mostly browns and oranges, with the odd maple still bright red. My photos from the deck, taken over half an hour, show how much the sky changed before sunrise.

Swipe: Utsukushi-mori, 5:20–5:49

The moon high in a black sky above dark cloud, before dawn at Utsukushi-mori
5:20, the moon in the pre-dawn sky.
Wooden steps with rope handrails leading down a slope towards a dark forest, with an orange dawn sky and a cone-shaped peak on the horizon
The steps to the deck.
A wide view down wooden steps with rope handrails over a forest towards distant mountains under an orange and blue dawn sky
Looking back down the steps.
A cone-shaped mountain on the horizon under an orange band of dawn light, with wooden steps and rope handrails in the foreground
Mount Fuji at dawn.
Orange light breaking through a bank of cloud over distant ridges, with a dark forest and a few buildings below
Light breaking through the cloud.
A bright red maple and a bare tree in the foreground, with a cone-shaped mountain and ridges on the horizon under an orange band of light
One maple still bright red.
Brown and orange autumn forest spreading below a grey sky with a thin line of pink light over distant mountains
The forest below, a little past its peak.

The Utsukushi-mori tourist information office at the car park is open 9:00–17:00, closed on Wednesdays (this can change around holidays) and closed for winter from December to the end of March, the Hokuto tourism association says. In early to mid June, Hokuto City says, the hill is known for its Rengetsutsuji azaleas.

Higashizawa Bridge: the red bridge and Yatsugatake

Higashizawa Bridge, known locally as the “red bridge”, is a 90 m red arch bridge over the Higashizawa valley, whose stream rises on Jigokudake in the Yatsugatake range, the Hokuto tourism association says. Its autumn course describes the red bridge against the autumn colour of Yatsugatake behind it, and points to the observation-deck car park on the east, Kiyosato Station, side of the bridge, which was free when I parked there. The association’s spot page lists the car park at 20 cars and 3 buses; a Hokuto City page gives about 40 cars and 5 buses.

A pointed mountain peak lit orange and pink by the morning sun, with clouds around it and darker slopes below
The first sun on Yatsugatake from the observation deck.

This was the moment of the morning for me. In my photos the sun reaches the top of Yatsugatake first, while the valley and the bridge are still in shadow. The leaves here were also a little past their peak, but with the red bridge, the colour in the valley and the lit mountain together, the view was overwhelming.

The repair work: the Hokuto tourism association says the bridge is under repair from 24 September 2026 to 10 August 2027. Traffic runs under alternating one-way control, pedestrians can still cross, and because sheeting covers the outside of the bridge, half of it cannot be seen. In my photos from 28 October you can see the scaffolding under the deck.

Swipe: Higashizawa Bridge, 6:04–6:49

A red arch bridge with scaffolding beneath it crossing a valley of autumn trees, with a sunlit mountain peak behind under pink clouds
The bridge and Yatsugatake.
Morning sun lighting the top of a ridge orange under a dark, cloudy sky, above dark forest
First light on the ridge.
A railing of an observation deck in the foreground, looking over autumn trees to a red bridge and a sunlit mountain behind
The view from the observation deck.
Red maples and dark trees framing a view of a sunlit orange ridge under heavy cloud
Maples framing the lit ridge.
A red bridge across an autumn valley with a mountain peak half in cloud and lit by the sun behind
Cloud over the peak.
A tangle of red and bright yellow autumn leaves on trees in the valley
Red and yellow in the valley.
A bright red maple leaning over the paved floor and red railing of an observation deck
A red maple at the deck.

My photos from above show red, orange, yellow and green across the valley.

An aerial view of a red bridge with scaffolding crossing a deep valley of orange and red autumn forest
The bridge from above.
Looking straight down on a mix of red, orange, yellow and green treetops
The canopy, straight down.
An aerial view over an autumn valley with sunlit orange forest, and a long mountain range with a little snow under cloud behind
The Higashizawa valley in the morning sun.

The Hokuto tourism association gives the usual autumn colour at the bridge as mid October to early November, with larch, white birch, Erman’s birch and maples.

Getting there

By car. The Hokuto tourism association gives about 25 minutes to Higashizawa Bridge from the Nagasaka or Kobuchizawa interchanges on the Chuo Expressway. If you need a car, compare rental cars or search Rakuten Travel’s rental cars (paid links: I may earn a commission if you book).

Without a car. The Hokuto tourism association gives about 10 minutes by taxi to Higashizawa Bridge from Kiyosato or Kai-Oizumi stations, and lists the seasonal Kiyosato Picnic Bus to a Higashizawa Bridge stop; the Kiyosato tourism association says the bus runs every day in late October and early November. The bus does not help at sunrise: on both of its timetables the first bus reaches the Higashizawa Bridge stop at 9:07. For a sunrise visit, ask about early taxis in advance, and check JR East’s service information for the Koumi Line.

An aerial view of a red bridge with scaffolding beneath it spanning a forested autumn valley
Higashizawa Bridge across the valley.

Before you go: bears, the late season and drones

Bears: Hokuto City’s bear page lists sightings in the city in 2026, including one on 9 September about 200 m east of the Yatsugatake youth nature centre. It says the city is bear habitat (sightings usually come from late June to late November), that when you enter the forest you should keep in mind you may be in bear habitat and carry a bear bell, a radio or tear-gas spray, and that when going into the mountains you should avoid early morning and evening where you can; it adds that bears are said to be more active at dawn and dusk, though they are active by day too. A sunrise visit is exactly that time, so go prepared.

Late season. Utsukushi-mori is at about 1,542 m, and its information office closes for winter from December to the end of March.

Drones. Japan’s transport ministry says drones of 100 g or more must be registered, and that flights in certain conditions need its permission or approval. If you plan to fly, check the current rules with the transport ministry before you go.

Why Kiyosato is here

Kiyosato as a destination goes back to Paul Rusch, an American whom the KEEP Association credits as Kiyosato’s founding figure. Seisenryo was built on the Yatsugatake foothills in 1938 as a training facility for Christian leaders, and the KEEP Association is based on it. After the Second World War, the Kiyosato Educational Experiment Project began, aiming to build a new kind of rural community; its initials gave the KEEP Association its name, and the association lists a church, a high-altitude experimental farm, a clinic and a nursery among what followed.

Today the KEEP Association has a site of about 240 hectares at the southern foot of Yatsugatake.

Where to stay in Kiyosato

Three places in Kiyosato, with details from their own pages, checked on 29 October 2026.

Kiyosato Kogen Resort: outdoor bath and sauna

The resort’s own site describes an outdoor bath of Akita cedar, a large wood-lined indoor bath and a sauna, and a Japanese-style room on the ground floor near the baths with its own hinoki bath.

  • Who it suits: anyone who wants an outdoor bath and a sauna after an early start.
  • Catch: ask the resort about parking and its tattoo policy when you book.

Paid link: I may earn a commission if you book. Check Kiyosato Kogen Resort on Agoda

Hotel Hut Walden, Moeginomura: 11 rooms

An 11-room hotel inside Moeginomura, the craft-and-cafe village in Kiyosato, with check-in at 15:00 and check-out at 10:30. Moeginomura keeps eight parking spaces for hotel guests.

  • Who it suits: couples who want a small hotel inside Moeginomura.
  • Catch: only eight parking spaces for hotel guests.

Paid link: I may earn a commission if you book. Check Hut Walden on Booking.com

Seisenryo: baths and guest parking

Seisenryo takes overnight guests. Whatever the room type, staying guests can use its large bath and outdoor bath, Seisenryo says, and it keeps parking for staying guests: 20 spaces beside the main building and 20 in front of the new wing. The baths are open 15:00–23:00 (closing at 23:30) and 6:00–9:00 (closing at 9:30).

  • Who it suits: anyone who wants a bath after coming back from a sunrise visit, in the 6:00–9:00 morning slot.
  • Catch: book through Seisenryo’s own site.

For more choice in the area, compare places to stay around Kiyosato (paid link: I may earn a commission if you book).

More autumn in Yamanashi

Higashizawa Bridge and Utsukushi-mori: FAQ

Is parking free at Higashizawa Bridge and Utsukushi-mori?

Yes, both were free when I parked there on 28 October 2026. Hokuto City lists a free car park for 50 cars at Utsukushi-mori; at Higashizawa Bridge I used the observation-deck car park on the Kiyosato Station side.

Can you see Higashizawa Bridge in 2026–27?

Yes, but it is under repair from 24 September 2026 to 10 August 2027, and sheeting hides half of the bridge. Pedestrians can still cross.

When is the autumn colour at Higashizawa Bridge?

The Hokuto tourism association gives mid October to early November as usual. On 28 October 2026 it was a little past its peak.

How long is the walk at Utsukushi-mori?

About 15 minutes from the car park to the top, Hokuto City says, with steps up to the viewing deck.

Can you see Mount Fuji from Utsukushi-mori?

The Kiyosato tourism association lists Mount Fuji among the views from the top, and I saw it on the horizon at dawn on 28 October 2026.

Can I get there by public transport for sunrise?

Not by bus. On both of the Kiyosato Picnic Bus timetables, the first bus reaches the Higashizawa Bridge stop at 9:07, long after sunrise. Taxis take about 10 minutes from Kiyosato Station to the bridge; ask about early-morning taxis in advance.

Sources (checked 29 October 2026)

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