The autumn front moves the opposite way to the cherry blossom: from the Daisetsuzan mountains of Hokkaido in late September, south and downhill, reaching Tōhoku in October, the Japanese Alps in late October, Kyoto and Tokyo in the second half of November and Kyushu into early December.
Kyoto's temple gardens in late November — Tōfuku-ji, Eikan-dō, Kiyomizu-dera lit at night — are the most heavily visited two weeks in the Japanese year after Golden Week.
No attendance figure applies.
As with hanami, the peak is forecast rather than set, and shifts by up to three weeks with the autumn temperature. A warm November pushes Kyoto's colour into December and empties the hotels that were booked for the fourth week of November a year earlier.
PlanningA forecast season, not a date. It starts in the Hokkaido mountains in late September and reaches Kyoto in late November.
Dates
Season
Computed from the recurrence rule we record for this entry, not copied from a listing. A date marked ~ comes from a calendar conversion and the observance may fall a day or two either side.
ConditionalPeak dates are forecast, not scheduled, and shift by up to three weeks with the autumn temperature.