Japan Fall Foliage Forecast in 2025

"Red Leaves Hunting" - what Japanese themselves say about fall foliage viewing is a must-do on a Japan tour in autumn. The best time for fall foliage starts in late September and ends in mid-December from north to south throughout Japan.

What's the Best Time for Fall Foliage in Japan?

The specific best time to see fall foliage hinges on where you are going. As Japan is a long and narrow country, the further north cools off earlier, and autumn leaves come earlier, too. At the same time, higher mountain areas will step into the fall foliage season earlier as well.

Regional Fall Foliage Period

Regions	Best Time for Fall Foliage Safari
Hokkaido	Late September to late October
Tohoku (Sendai)	Mid-October to mid-November
Kanazawa	Mid-late October to late November
Kanto (Tokyo)	Mid-October to early December
Kansai (Kyoto, Osaka)	Mid-November to early December
Nagoya	Middle to late November
Shikoku (Kochi, Takamatsu)	Late October to early-mid December
Kyushu (Fukuoka, Kagoshima)	Mid-late November to mid-December

 Note: It's a pity that autumn leaves can hardly be seen in Okinawa in the lower-latitude region.

Fall Foliage of Major Japan Cities in 2024 & Former Years

Cities	Average Date for Red Leaves	Red Leaves Date 2024	Average Date for Yellow Leaves	Yellow Leaves Date 2024
Sapporo	Oct. 28	Nov. 8	Nov. 4	Nov. 5
Kushiro	Oct. 16	Oct. 26	Oct. 21	Oct. 23
Aomori	Nov. 13	Nov. 19	Nov. 2	Nov. 8
Akita	Nov. 12	Nov. 22	Nov. 5	Nov. 12
Sendai	Nov. 21	Dec. 2	Nov. 23	Nov. 29
Niigata	Nov. 15	Nov. 26	Nov. 13	Nov. 21
Toyama	Nov. 24	Dec. 5	Nov. 19	Nov. 28
Kanazawa	Nov. 24	Dec. 4	Nov. 10	Nov. 14
Nagano	Nov. 12	Dec. 1	Nov. 10	Nov. 20
Mito	Nov. 20	Dec. 3	Nov. 22	Dec. 1
Tokyo	Nov. 28	Dec. 5	Nov. 23	Nov. 30
Kofu & Mt. Fuji	Nov. 29	Dec. 7	Nov. 17	Nov. 29
Nagoya	Nov. 28	Dec. 9	Nov. 18	Nov. 25
Kyoto	Dec. 5	Dec. 18	Nov. 24	Dec. 3
Osaka	Dec. 1	Dec. 9	Nov. 22	Nov. 29
Nara	Nov. 22	Dec. 5	Nov. 18	Nov. 30
Tottori	Nov. 30	Dec. 12	Nov. 27	Dec. 9
Matsue	Nov. 24	Dec. 2	Nov. 21	Nov. 30
Hiroshima	Nov. 22	Dec. 4	Nov. 15	Nov. 25
Kochi	Dec. 2	Dec. 15	Nov. 15	Nov. 23
Fukuoka	Dec. 1	Dec. 15	Nov. 20	Dec. 3
Kagoshima	Dec. 15	Dec. 21	Nov. 25	Dec. 4

The date represents the time when autumn leaves turn completely red or yellow.

Fall Foliage Forecast 2025 of Major Cities in Japan

Cities	Predicted Fall Foliage Date 2025	Cities	Predicted Fall Foliage Date 2025
Sapporo	Nov. 11	Kushiro	Oct. 27
Aomori	Nov. 15	Akita	Nov. 14
Sendai	Nov. 22	Niigata	Nov. 25
Toyama	Dec. 2	Kanazawa	Dec. 3
Nagano	Nov. 30	Mito	Dec. 3
Tokyo	Dec. 5	Kofu & Mt. Fuji	Nov. 30
Nagoya	Dec. 5	Kyoto	Nov. 29
Osaka	Dec. 4	Nara	Dec. 3
Tottori	Dec. 10	Matsue	Dec. 3
Hiroshima	Dec. 6	Kochi	Dec. 5
Fukuoka	Dec. 7	Kagoshima	Dec. 15

The best time of red leaves is around half a month totally before and after the date for reference.

Best Time & Best Places for Fall Foliage in Hokkaido

Destinations	Best Time for Red Leaves	Predicated Time 2025
Asahidake - Daisetsuzan National Park	Late Sep. to mid-Oct.	Sep. 25 - Oct. 17
Lake Akan	Early to mid-Oct.	Oct. 4-16
Jozankei Onsen	Middle to late Oct.	Oct. 5-17
Lake Shikotsu	Middle to late Oct.	Oct. 14 - Nov. 24
Lake Toya	Middle to late Oct.	Oct. 15 - Nov. 23

 Daisetsuzan National Park is the earliest place to see autumn leaves in Hokkaido and Japan, as some leaves begin to turn into red/yellow since mid-September.
 Jozankei Onsen is the most popular red leaves attraction in Hokkaido.

Best Time & Best Places for Fall Foliage in Tohoku

Destinations	Best Time for Red Leaves	Predicated Time 2025
Naruko Gorge, Miyagi	Mid-Oct. to early Nov.	Nov. 5-19
Miyagi Zao	Oct.	Oct. 24 - Nov. 12
Oirase Gorge, Aomori	Mid-Oct. to early Nov.	Nov. 1-10
Lake Towada, Akita	Late Oct. to early Nov.	Oct. 26 - Nov. 8
Mt. Kurikoma, Iwate	Early-mid Oct.	Oct. 11-27
Bandai-Azuma Skyline, Fukushima	Oct.	Oct. 15 - Nov. 9
Nakatsugawa Valley	Middle to late Oct.	Oct. 28 - Nov. 13
Bandai Mountain Gold Line	Oct.	Oct. 25 - Nov. 12

Best Time & Best Places for Fall Foliage In & Around Tokyo

Destinations in Tokyo	Best Time for Red Leaves	Predicated Time 2025
Meiji Jingu Gaien – Outer Garden of Meiji Jingu Shrine	Mid-Nov. to early Dec.	Dec. 3-14
Mt. Takao	Mid-Nov. to early Dec.	Nov. 27 - Dec. 9
Mt. Mitake	Early to mid-Nov.	Nov. 20 - Dec. 3
Mitake Gorge	Mid-late Nov.	Nov. 23 - Dec. 8
Lake Okutama	Late Oct. to mid-Nov.	Nov. 19 - Dec. 2
Rikugi-en Garden	Late Nov. to early Dec.	Dec. 5-17
Ueno Park	Mid-Nov. to early Dec.	Dec. 4-14
Destinations near Tokyo	Best Time for Red Leaves	Predicated Time 2025
Lake Haruna, Takasaki	Late Oct. to early Nov.	Nov. 7-21
Fukuroda Falls, Ibaraki	Early to mid-Nov.	Nov. 21-30
Lake Chuzenji, Nikko	Mid-Oct. to early Nov.	Oct. 30 - Nov. 13
Nikko Toshogu Shrine	Nov.	Nov. 14-29
Kawamata Lake, Nikko	Late Oct. to early Nov.	Nov. 1-16
Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, Kamakura	Late Nov. to mid-Dec.	Dec. 6-16
Hakone Gora Park	Nov. to early Dec.	Nov. 24 - Dec. 3
Lake Kawaguchi (Maple Corridor) & Mt. Fuji	Nov.	Nov. 21 - Dec. 3

 See Also: Best Places to See Red Leaves in Tokyo

Best Time & Best Places for Fall Foliage in Central Japan

Destinations	Best Time for Red Leaves	Predicated Time 2025
Karuizawa	Early Oct. to early Nov.	Nov. 6-23
Kamikochi	Early Oct. to early Nov.	Oct. 27 - Nov. 10
Shirakawa-go	Mid-Oct. to mid-Nov.	Nov. 6-24
Kenroku-en Garden, Kanazawa	Middle to late Nov.	Nov. 22 - Dec. 6
Kurobe Gorge (Trolley Train)	Late Oct. to mid-Nov.	Nov. 5-23
Tateyama Ropeway	Early to mid-Oct.	Oct. 9-22
Lake Kuzuryu	Mid-Oct. to mid-Nov.	Nov. 10-23
Kiyotsu Gorge Tunnel	Late Oct. to early Nov.	Nov. 8-21
Shosenkyo Gorge	Mid-Oct. to late Nov.	Nov. 10 - Dec. 8
Aichi Prefectural Forest and Campground	Middle to late Nov.	Nov. 23 - Dec. 7
Kawazu Seven Waterfalls	Late Nov. to early Dec.	Dec. 4-16

Best Time & Best Places for Fall Foliage in Kyoto & Kansai

Destinations in Kyoto	Best Time for Red Leaves	Predicated Time 2025
Hieizan Enryakuji Temple	Early to mid-Nov.	Nov. 21 - Dec. 2
Arashiyama	Mid-Nov. to early Dec.	Dec. 1-13
Eikando Temple	Middle to late Nov.	Nov. 25 - Dec. 10
Tofukuji Temple	Mid-Nov. to early Dec.	Nov. 26 - Dec. 11
Kiyomizu-dera Temple	Late Nov. to early Dec.	Dec. 2-14
Kitano Tenmangu Shrine	Mid-Nov. to early Dec.	Dec. 2-17
Kifune Shrine	Nov.	Nov. 26 - Dec. 7
Sanzenin Temple	Middle to late Nov.	Nov. 22 - Dec. 5
Bishamondo Temple	Mid-Nov. to early Dec.	Nov. 23 - Dec. 1
Rurikoin Temple	Middle to late Nov.	Nov. 21 - Dec. 6
Other Places in Kansai	Best Time for Red Leaves	Predicated Time 2025
Osaka Castle Park	Mid-Nov. to early Dec.	Nov. 22 - Dec. 10
Meiji no Mori Mino Quasi-National Park	Mid-Nov. to early Dec.	Nov. 30 - Dec. 10
Kougenji Temple	Early to mid-Nov.	Nov. 19-28
Nara Park	Early Nov. to early Dec.	Nov. 25 - Dec. 13
Todai-ji Temple	Early Nov. to early Dec.	Nov. 26 - Dec. 12
Mount Koya	Late Oct. to early Nov.	Nov. 7-21

Read More:

 5 Less-Crowded Places to See Red Leaves in Kyoto
 Best Places to See Autumn Foliage in Osaka

Best Time & Best Places for Fall Foliage in Chugoku

Destinations	Best Time for Red Leaves	Predicated Time 2025
Daisen, Tottori	Late Oct. to early Nov.	Nov. 6-18
Ashizu Valley, Tottori	Early-mid Nov.	Nov. 14-24
Tsuyama Castle Kakuzan Park, Okayama	Middle to late Nov.	Nov. 26 - Dec. 8
Miyajima Momijidani Park, Hiroshima	Middle to late Nov.	Nov. 25 - Dec. 6
Chomonkyo Gorge, Yamaguchi	Late Oct. to mid-Nov.	Nov. 22 - Dec. 1

Best Time & Best Places for Fall Foliage in Shikoku

Destinations	Best Time for Red Leaves	Predicated Time 2025
Oboke & Koboke, Tokushima	Middle to late Nov.	Nov. 19 - Dec. 3
Tsurugi-san National Park, Tokushima	Mid-Oct. to early Nov.	Oct. 29 - Nov. 12
Kankakei National Park, Kagawa	Nov.	Nov. 21 - Dec. 9
Ritsurin Garden, Takamatsu, Kagawa	Mid-Nov. to early Dec.	Dec. 1-13

Best Time & Best Places for Fall Foliage in Kyushu

Destinations	Best Time for Red Leaves	Predicated Time 2025
Akizuki Castle, Fukuoka	Middle to late Nov.	Dec. 3-14
Komyozen-ji Temple, Fukuoka	Middle to late Nov.	Dec. 1-10
Daikouzenji Temple, Saga	Mid-Nov. to early Dec.	Nov. 29 - Dec. 11
Mt. Unzen, Nagasaki	Late Oct. to early Nov.	Nov. 12-25
Mt. Aso, Aso, Kumamoto	Late Oct. to mid-Nov.	Nov. 23 - Dec. 2