Hi!

My partner and I will be in Japan from 19 October till 2 November. We would love to see some of the autumn colours. Since we are keen hikers, we would like to do two 2-4 day hikes. Where should we go? Is there a track/route that you would recommend? Where is our biggest chance to see the autumn colours?
Japanese Alps? Where there? Is there a trip that also takes in some hot pools? What is your favourite?

Would love to hear from you.

All the best

Katja
Wellington, New Zealand

Katja,

You won't have to go far to see the autumn foliage, as you'll be here during their peak.

The Japan Alps will more than likely be covered with snow by the end of October, and the colours will be finished at higher altitudes (anything over 2000m). Kyoto will be beautiful in early November but probably very crowded.

Where are you planning to travel in Japan? That will determine which areas to hike. If you're going to be in Tokyo then you could make trips to Oze or Lake Chuzenji and do some hiking/camping around there. Or you could head to Hakuba in Nagano Prefecture and do some hiking in the foothills will awesome views of the snow-capped Alps. If you're going to be in Kansai then there are some nice hikes near Kyoto, or you could make a trip to Shikoku.

Hi wes,

that sounds really good. So far only Tokyo, Kyoto and Nara are planned. Have bought the Lonely Planet Hiking in Japan, but too many choices.
I would like to have some Japanese flavour to the hike, like temples, small japanese villages, typical guesthouses or hot pools. View onto snowcapped Alps sounds great. So you said Hakuba would be good for that?

What would you recommend in the Kyoto region?
A friend told me that the autumn colours there would hit ~20 November, so I thought we might be too early for that and had to go north of Tokyo to see the red and golden leafs. Am I wrong?

Thanks a lot for your help

Katja

katja,

sorry for getting back to you late.

If you have the Lonely Planet guide then you'll find a lot of options. Near Kyoto you can hike up to Atago-san or do Fushimi Inari. Another choice not in the guidebook would be to head to Arashiyama and go to the monkey park.

http://www.munky.net/travel/japan/japan06-monkeypark/

Every year the autumn leaves come at different times. The maple leaves are usually the last to change, but other types of foliage are changing now. The gingko trees should definitely be changing around the end of this month, and they turn a vivid yellow.

The foliage in Oze national park is now at its peak, as are most of the trees at higher elevation. The peaks of Hakuba just got their first dumping of snow yesterday, so winter is quickly approaching.

Have a look through the guide and let me know which hikes you're interested in. I've done 95% of them.

Hi,

thanks a lot for the suggestions. We are looking at hikes around Kyoto and will certainly read up on the ones you suggested.

After talking to some people here in NZ we looked again at the option of Mt Fuji. However, on other forums I found that in the second half of October all hut (except from the 5th level huts) are closed, no public transport goes to Fuji any more and the weather can be dangerous and the top is covered with ice. Is that correct or only a way to deter tourist who don't know what they are doing? What route would still be possible this time of the year?

Thanks for the offer to help us with the hikes. We haven't decided yet, but I will send you our favourites soon and if you could say a word (or two) about them that would be awesome.

Thank you soo much

Katja

Katja,

Mt. Fuji is definitely off limits unless you're an experienced climber. If you've done Mt. Cook in the winter then Mt. Fuji won't be a problem this time of year, but the snowfall is already approaching 1 meter on the summit. It's much better to be on a peak where you can view its conical shape anyway.

Hi Wes,

Thanks for all the info so far. I have pretty much the same question as Katja except we will be in Japan Oct. 26th - Nov 9th.

I was hoping to find a 2-3 day hike where we could stay at a hut w/ food and get a great view along the way. We do not really want to pack crampons and I imagine it is hard/expensive to rent gear, so would this mean we should stay below 2000m to stay safe?

I also have, Lonely planet "hiking in Japan" book and was looking at a few of the hikes that seemed to have huts open this time of year. Those were Yari-ga-take, myoko-san and Kita-dake. Are these are too high?

A lot of the websites I have found are only in Japanese so I really appreciate the infromation you are providing here.

Thanks,

Natascha

Natascha,

Kita-dake and Yari-ga-take already have their first dusting of snow, and I can imagine it'll be close to a meter in depth by the end of the month.

The hut at Yari-ga-take is open until the end of October, while the hut at Kita-dake closes on November 4th. Kita-dake generally gets less snow than Yari, but you'd have to check about current weather conditions upon your arrival. If you can find a Japanese speaker, then you could try calling the hut at Kita-dake directly at 090-4606-0068

The huts at Myoko are also open until November 3rd, but I'm not exactly sure about snow conditions up there at present. I know that the nearby resort of Shiga Kogen got their first snowfall this past weekend. Again, you'd have to check upon arrival.

If you'd like a 2-3 hike with great views then you could consider doing the Mt. Kumotori traverse near Tokyo. It's got some amazing views when the weather is good. Plus, there shouldn't be any snow around. Yatsu-ga-take could be another good option if you're interested in getting into Alpine territory. It generally gets less snow than the Kita or Minami Alps and may still be snow-free later this month.

Sorry to be so ambiguous but a lot of it will really depend on the weather. We've had some unusually early snowfalls this year, but there's no telling if the snow will continue, or if there'll be a 'dry spell' until November. The best thing you can possibly do is to check the live webcams every few days.

You can also check this link below for updated reports from the Alps

http://japanhike.wordpress.com...-current-conditions/

Hope that helps

Hi Wes,

probably my last chance to pick your brain for ideas. What are your personal favourites? What is still doable this time of the year with an early snowfall as you said. Probably keenest for your opinion on the multiple day hike options. Steep and exposed is not my cup of tea, so I try to stay away from Daikiretto. ;-)

1) Day walk close to Tokyo: Mitake-San or Takao-San?

2) Multiple day hike in Northern Alps region, leaving from Kamikochu/Hakuba/Omachi:
Yatsu-ga-take, Oku-hotaka-dake, Shirouma-Dake to Ogisawa, or Takama-ga-hara onsen trek

3)Day walk in Kyoto region: Diamonji-Yama, Fushimi Inari, Kurama or Arashiyama

4) Daywalk at Nara: Yama-no-be-no-michi

I don't know if this makes sense to you, but these were options I picked out of the LP and from your suggestions.

Natascha, if you read this, what did you decide?

Katja