autumn leaves

Chubu, Location, Nature, Seasonal Travel, Toyama

Kurobe Gorge Railway in Autumn 2026: How Far It Runs, Fares and Getting There

A Kurobe Gorge Railway train with orange locomotives crossing a red steel arch bridge above a blue-green river, with mountainsides in yellow and orange autumn colour

The Kurobe Gorge Railway has been running its full line, Unazuki to Keyakidaira, since 1 October 2026 and stops for the season on 30 November. At Keyakidaira you can only visit the station area and visitor centre. This guide covers the October–November timetable, fares (¥2,480 one way to Keyakidaira; ¥3,080 on most trains from 24 to 30 November), how to book, the rail-pass discount, when the leaves usually turn, and how to reach Kurobe-Unazukionsen on a Shinkansen that stops there, then the Toyama Chiho Railway.

Nobu
October 15, 2026

Location, Chubu, Experience, Ishikawa, Nature, Seasonal Travel, Weather & Seasons

Kenrokuen in Autumn 2026: Leaf Forecasts, Yukitsuri Ropes, the November Light-Up and Getting to Kanazawa

A still pond at Kenrokuen under a blue sky, with red maples on the left bank, red leaves hanging across the top of the frame, and several tall cones of yukitsuri ropes rising above a pine on the far shore, all reflected in the water

Kenrokuen's colour usually runs from early to late November. The 2026 Weathernews forecast, what is known about the yukitsuri rope work (no 2026 notice in the prefecture’s October list on 11 October), the seven free light-up evenings in November 2026, hours, free early entry, and trains from Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka.

Nobu
October 11, 2026

Location, Experience, Kanagawa, Kanto, Nature, Seasonal Travel, Weather & Seasons

Hakone Autumn Leaves 2026: When the Colour Peaks, Where to See It, and the November Crowds

A red and white Hakone Tozan Railway train crossing the green steel truss of the Deyama iron bridge above a steep valley of red, orange, yellow and green trees, under a blue sky

In typical years Hakone's autumn colour runs from early November at Lake Ashi to early December in Hakone-Yumoto. This guide covers Weathernews' spot-by-spot 2026 forecasts, the Hakone Museum of Art's 30 October pre-opening, light-up status and what operators say about crowds.

Nobu
October 11, 2026

Location, Aichi, Chubu, Experience, Nature, Seasonal Travel, Weather & Seasons

Korankei Autumn Leaves 2026: Peak Dates, Light-Up and Getting There from Nagoya

Red and orange maples covering the left bank of a shallow, stony river, with a red-railed bridge crossing it in the middle distance, white buildings and yellow trees on the right bank reflected in the water, and misty forested hills behind

The 71st Korankei Momiji Matsuri runs 1–30 November 2026, with the light-up every evening from sunset to 21:00. Peak forecasts, the train-and-bus routes from Nagoya, last departures on the April 2026 timetables (November ones not yet out), parking, places to stay in Asuke and the association's weekend traffic warning.

Nobu
October 11, 2026

Location, Kansai, Kyoto, Seasonal Travel, Shrines & Temples, Weather & Seasons

Lesser-Known Kyoto Autumn Temples and Shrines: 9 Places with Access and Crowd Notes (2026)

Tall trees with leaves turning yellow, orange and red over a shaded shrine yard, paper lanterns on poles in the foreground and parked cars and vans visible behind a low fence.

Nine temples and shrines from my list of 54 lesser-known places in Kyoto, all with autumn colour documented by their own sites, Kyoto City or Weathernews. Five have a checkable access or timing difference, three more were included for their location in city dispersal areas (a policy, not a crowd count), and Adashino is a companion stop to Giōji. None is guaranteed quiet; each entry says what can still make it busy. Plus Enkoji's and Rurikoin's 2026 booking rules.

Nobu
October 7, 2026

Location, Chubu, Culture, Seasonal Travel, Travel Tips, Weather & Seasons, Yamanashi

Momiji Meaning: Maple, Autumn Leaves and Where the Word Leads in Japan

Woodblock print of orange-red maple branches framing a view down from a high bank: a blue pond, thatched roofs, a shrine gate and small figures on a path, with flat green fields, low mountains and a line of geese in a pale sky beyond.

Momiji (紅葉) means the red and yellow leaves of autumn and, by extension, the maple. Where the word comes from, how it differs from kaede, the maple poems of the Hyakunin Isshu, hanafuda's deer and the slang word shikato, and the difference between Lake Kawaguchi's Momiji Corridor and Momiji Tunnel.

Nobu
October 6, 2026

Location, Experience, Kanto, Nature, Shrines & Temples, Tokyo, Transportation, Travel Tips

Mount Mitake, Tokyo: Guide to the Rock Garden Loop, Musashi Mitake Shrine and the Cable Car

A green-patinated metal torii gate over the stone stairway to Musashi-Mitake Shrine on Mount Mitake, Tokyo, framed by orange and red autumn maples, with wooden lanterns and carved stone markers on both sides

Mount Mitake in western Tokyo: JR, bus and cable car from Shinjuku, the trails the Visitor Center listed as open and closed on its 18 September 2026 report, Rock Garden loop times stretch by stretch, what is shut at the shrine on weekdays, and the night kagura dates.

Nobu
October 3, 2026

Location, Experience, Kanto, Nature, Seasonal Travel, Tokyo, Weather & Seasons

Meiji Jingu Gaien Ginkgo Avenue Guide: Light-Up, Festival Status and Where to Stand

Golden ginkgo trees line both sides of the Meiji Jingu Gaien avenue in Tokyo, with the stone dome of the Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery standing at the far end under a clear sky

The Meiji Jingu Gaien ginkgo avenue in autumn 2026: who runs the light-up and when Tokyo announced it in past years, a festival last listed for 2019, the works at the gallery end, and which station exit to use.

Nobu
October 3, 2026

Location, Experience, Kanto, Nature, Seasonal Travel, Tokyo, Weather & Seasons

Tokyo Autumn Leaves: Where to See Fall Foliage, from City Gardens to Mount Takao

Golden ginkgo leaves and grey branches against a blue sky, looking straight up into one of the trees that line the Meiji Jingu Gaien ginkgo avenue in central Tokyo

Tokyo's autumn leaves sorted into four kinds of place, with the order they usually turn, 2026 hours and fares, and what's missing this autumn: Koishikawa Korakuen's red Tsutenkyo bridge, dismantled for rebuilding.

Nobu
October 3, 2026

Location, Kansai, Kyoto, Seasonal Travel, Travel Tips

Kifune Shrine and Kurama: The Walk Between Them, With 2026 Access Notes

The stone staircase at Kifune Shrine in Kyoto lined on both sides with tall vermilion kasuga lanterns, visitors climbing between them and autumn-tinted maples on the hillside above.

The 80-minute trail between Kurama-dera and Kifune Shrine, the cable car status to check, the last bus that leaves before the shrine closes, and what the maple tunnel really offers.

Nobu
September 22, 2026