If you're not really too hyped about the hot weather months in summer, then a visit to Japan during the beautiful koyo, or autumn foliage, season is a must.
It's not only the beautiful cherry blossoms during the spring season that draws many tourists to Japan. With the passing from summer season to fall, Mother Nature colorfully drapes the country with red and yellow hues during the months of September through November.
Plan a visit this "aki" ("autumn" in Japanese) and enjoy the spectacular fall colors.
If you're traveling to Japan for the first time, plan a visit from Osaka to Kyoto, the former imperial capital of Japan. With over 2000 Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines in the city, visitors can easily explore the city by purchasing a city pass which can be used on the subway and buses.
The city of Kyoto is full of history and culture and especially during the autumn season, the view of the city of Kyoto with the famous Kiyomizu-dera Temple in the foreground is no exception is terms of explaining the meaning of "beauty".
Before you go depart Kyoto, don't forget to take a side-trip over to Arashiyama and capture the colorful autumn foliage by the famous Togetsu-kyo Bridge, also known as the "Moon Crossing Bridge", as well as walking through the capitvating bamboo grove near Tenryu-ji Temple.
If you're planning a trip into Tokyo, then plan an extra day or two to explore Nagano which is about 65 minutes away when taking the JR Hokuriku Shinkansen.
One of the popular spots to stopover is Karuizawa, which is conveniently one of the stops on the JR Hokuriku line. The station provides a quick and easy access to Karuizawa Prince Shopping Plaza, an outlet mall featuring over 200 shops and restaurants, including retail stores that offer tax-free for visitors from abroad. If you're more into visiting scenic nature spots, then we have two suggestions to take a selfie with coloful autumn leaves in Karuizawa:
Lastly, for the outdoor enthusiast, we suggest taking the extra mile (and extra days) to explore the Japanese Alps. Plan a hike to Karasawa in Kamikochi and enjoy the fall colors of Nagano.