dgunbug

We are going to be booking airline tickets between approximately oct 15-nov 15. We will have a month and can possibly fly into Tokyo and out of Kyoto or vice a versa. Considering the fact that we'd like to catch the best part of the fall foliage, would we best to start from the north or south?

Kathie

We had full fall colors in Kyoto in mid-November. So if it was me, I'd fly into Tokyo and out of Kyoto.

someotherguy

That's a bit early for Koyo in those parts of Japan. I'd suggest flying in to Tokyo and then continuing on a domestic flight to Aomori at the far north of Tohoku then working your way south. I was there at the beginning of November a couple of years ago and the Oirase stream and lake Towada were a few days past their best, but Kakunodate was about perfect. So starting at Aomori in late October would be about right.

Don't get fixated on Tokyo to Kyoto. There's a lot of good sights elsewhere, without the crowds.

hawaiiantraveler

Hi Jume
Go with in an out of Tokyo at that time. We have done a few fall trips and been to all corners of Japan doing it. I wrote about one in this report where you can see dates and places traveled to. Next year should be similar in dates. When you get to the detailed questions I will be here to contribute.

http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...japan-2009.cfm

Aloha!

Kinopio

I was in Japan From November 8-17 last year and we were about a week or so too early for great foliage in any of the places we went(Tokyo, Kyoto, Kanazawa). Some smaller trees were looking beautiful but there was still mostly green even by the end of the trip. I would try to head further north and into higher elevations that time of year. The weather we had was great though.

dgunbug

Thank you all. We are not going to visit the far northern regions of Japan as this is our first trip there and one can only see so much in a month time. Seeing the fall foliage would be a bonus, but it is not the prime reason to go to Japan. We just wondered if the likelihood of seeing leaves towards the end of the trip would be greater in Tokyo as it is further north.

Over he last 20 years I have made numerous trips up north hoping to catch the prime leaf season, but always seem to miss it by a few weeks on either end. I'm not sure I am meant to see the beautiful colors, but it sure would be a bonus on this trip.

MinnBeef

I was in Japan in Nov. 2013, the same time as Kathie. I was also in Kyoto in mid-Nov. The colors were breathtaking but as I understood, not quite yet at peak. Trying to time "peak" 6 months in advance is like trying to time the stock market. You're better off setting an itinerary that works for you, choosing dates around the times of historical peak colors. The rest is then a bit of a roll of the dice. In general, the colors would tend to move north to south, although I believe Tokyo's peak itself tends to run later (early Dec??) due in part to the heat island effect. Enjoy-koyo spotting in Japan is one of the absolute highlights of my international travel life.