​Hello everyone! This week, I will write a story about the forecast of autumn foliage in Japan for the year 2018 from the snowy Northern Region known as Hokkaido through the main island of Honshu and finally focus on the Island of Kyushu which is the southern part of the country. 

First thing first, I would like to inform everyone that the forecast data are all taken from Japan Weather Association (JWA) which is one of the most famous weather forecast website in Japan. However, since the nature is quite hard to predict these day so anyone who is planning to Japan to see the beauty of the nature, please use this forecast at your own risk! Especially the typhoons that happened lately might delay or accelerate the time of autumn foliage in some regions of Japan.

​Below is a map of Japan with an autumn forecast for this year.

Hokkaido Region

Even though Hokkaido does not regarded as a marvelous spot to see the autumn foliage comparing to ancient capital of Kyoto or World Heritage Site at Nikko but Hokkaido is, in contrary, regarded as the earliest region to spot the turning of autumn leaves which starts to change the colors ahead of Tokyo and the rest in Japan for almost 2 months! The area that is very famous for early autumn spot is Daisetsuzan National Park where there are high mountains with a vast varieties of flora and fauna in the area. Visitors who want to witness the beauty of its nature can reach the national park by their own car and public bus with a convenient ropeway to take visitors high up to the higher part of the mountain.

Below are the list of major cities in Hokkaido that are famous for autumn spots:

Tohoku Region

Tohoku means Northeast and true to its name, since Tohoku Region is located in the Northeast from Tokyo. The majority of this region for autumn spots tends to lean to many natural places than old town or park in big cities like some other regions in Japan. For the famous spot to observe the mother nature, Tohoku also has abundant choices to choose namely, Oirase Streams, Yama-Dera, Lake Towada, Ruins of Morioka Castles etc. For the weather in this region, it is colder than Tokyo and Osaka so the cycle of autumn leaves is faster and has time frame somewhat similar to Hokkaido Region.

Below are the list of major cities located in Tohoku Regions:

Kanto Region

Kanto region is a region where Tokyo is located, this region has been long regarded as one of the greatest region to observe the autumn spots. The class leading spots in this region are Nikko, a world heritage designated by UNESCO, especially in Oku-Nikko zone where Mount Nantai and Lake Chuzenji located while Takaragawa Onsen which is very famous to many visitors is also a great spot since it has outdoor hot spring surrounded with leaves that turn their colors to yellow and orange during the autumn season. So if you have a chance to visit Japan, Kanto Region should not be missed by any visitors!

The table below is illustrated with major cities in Kanto Region, including Tokyo and many large cities

Chubu Region

Chubu Region is also known as Central Region in Japan. With its heritage and natural places combine together, the region has a rich of historic places to observe while the autumn spots are also plenty. The recommended places are Korankei, located in vicinity of Nagoya, Kamikochi which popularly called "Switzerland of Japan" by many foreigners while the Japanese Alps that is known for snow wall also has its own autumn spot as well and visiting many ancient site such as UNESCO World Heritate, Shirakawago, is always a popular choice and the city of Kanazawa, known as "Little Kyoto" is also getting more attraction from oversea visitors too.

For any readers who is interested in visiting this region, we have private tour to Japan in autumn for Kanto Region.

Noted that Mount Fuji is geographically located in this region as well with two prefectures that has Mount Fuji in its territory : Yamanashi and Shizuoka Prefecture.

Kansai-Chugoku Region

For Kansai Region, it is now considered as one of the best regions to spot an autumn color leaves. Since the Kansai Region is the location of many old capitals of Japan (The City of Nara, Kyoto and Osaka are used to be designated as capitals of Japan in ancient time), there are still many sites of heritage and old structures that survive through time. As one of the great spot, the city of Kyoto is the most famous and usually crowded with both local and foreign tourists alike. In many cases, most temples located in the downtown of Kyoto or even suburb are all great spot to see the autumn foliage. Moreover, Nara is also another choice to navigate your joyful walking in this season as well. While the Chugoku Region is other destination famed for autumn spot too. For those who seeks a quieter place than Kyoto and Nara, Miyajima Island is also a great place to retreat a wave of tourists while you still can enjoy the colorful of leaves during a visit on this island.

For visitors who prefer to take a private tour to Kyoto, there is a travel agent contact at the bottom of this blog.

Below the paragraph is the list of major cities for both Kansai and Chugoku Regions:

Kyushu Region

As the last part of the Japan Southern Region, Kyushu might not be a frontline spot for autumn seekers but the region itself is still an alternative choices for visitors who has been visit those "Been there done that Region" before. For Kyushu, there are some autumn spots that quite popular among the locals. One of that is Kurokawa Onsen where the small hot spring town is located while the Kuro River flows through this scenic town with a view of red leaves as a background. The other spot is called Yufuin where a small lake is located with a cozy atmosphere to welcome visitors from around the world is another place that should not be missed when visiting Kyushu.

​This is all the information that we provide for this year, once again, please be reminded that the forecast shown in this blog might be different than the actual time by many causes such as typhoon, earthquakes or any disaster including global warming can be a cause for delay or accelerates the cycle. Anyway, coming to Japan is always a great experiences to everyone and I am absolutely sure to guarantee that, Have a good trip in Japan this Autumn everyone ^_^

P.S. Before closing, I would like to introduce local travel agents who specialized in providing small private group for traveling in Kansai based in Kyoto and Toyko. So, if you are traveling to Japan and need a special experience while traveling, please do not hesitate to contact the company!

​Main sources tenki.jp