Autumn is one of the most popular seasons for a Japan road trip, as mountains and countryside turn shades of red, orange, and gold. A car gives you the flexibility to chase the best foliage as it moves through different regions and elevations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Foliage in Japan generally moves from higher, northern areas down to lower, southern areas over the course of the season, which means having your own transportation makes it easier to follow the color as it changes without being tied to a fixed train itinerary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mountain areas such as Nagano and the roads around Mt. Fuji and Hakone are known for particularly vivid autumn scenery, with maple and ginkgo trees lining temples, lakes, and mountain passes. Local tourism sites typically publish seasonal foliage forecasts that are worth checking before you travel, since timing can shift somewhat from year to year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Popular foliage viewing spots can get crowded on weekends during peak color, with parking lots filling up and traffic slowing near major sites. Visiting on a weekday or arriving early in the day generally makes for a smoother trip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Temperatures can drop quickly in the mountains during autumn evenings, so layered clothing is worth bringing even if city temperatures during the day feel mild. Early morning starts are common for photographers hoping to catch calm lake reflections or mist in the valleys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many autumn routes overlap with our other guides, including Tokyo to Nagano<\/a> and Tokyo to Hakone<\/a>. If you’re planning around spring instead, see our cherry blossom road trip guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Autumn is one of the most popular seasons for a Japan road trip, as mountains and countryside turn shades of red, orange, and gold. A car gives you the flexibility to chase the best foliage as it moves through different regions and elevations. Why Drive During Autumn Foliage in Japan generally moves from higher, northern […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":39,"template":"","travel_area":[],"travel_type":[17],"travel_season":[22],"class_list":["post-38","mg_travel","type-mg_travel","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","travel_type-scenic-drive","travel_season-autumn"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/monthly-go.com\/en\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/mg_travel\/38","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/monthly-go.com\/en\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/mg_travel"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/monthly-go.com\/en\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/mg_travel"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/monthly-go.com\/en\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/monthly-go.com\/en\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/mg_travel\/38\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":69,"href":"https:\/\/monthly-go.com\/en\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/mg_travel\/38\/revisions\/69"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/monthly-go.com\/en\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/monthly-go.com\/en\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"travel_area","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/monthly-go.com\/en\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/travel_area?post=38"},{"taxonomy":"travel_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/monthly-go.com\/en\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/travel_type?post=38"},{"taxonomy":"travel_season","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/monthly-go.com\/en\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/travel_season?post=38"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}