Japanese autumn leaves are a world-famous tourist attraction. It starts from mostly October in the northern part of Japan , mainly November to early December in other part of Japan . So if you come to Japan earlier than October, you can’t see them.
But there is a place you can see the colorful autumn leaves from the middle of September! The place is Hokkaido!
The second-largest, northernmost, and least developed of Japan’s four main islands are Hokkaido. Its winters are harsh, with plenty of snow, below-freezing temperatures, and frozen waters, while summers are not as hot and humid as they are in other regions of the country.
Hokkaido draws many outdoor enthusiasts, including skiers and snowboarders in the winter and hikers, cyclists, and campers from June to September, because of its untouched nature, various national parks, and rural landscapes.
The largest national park in Hokkaido is Daisetsuzan. It protects a mountainous area of nearly pristine wilderness the size of some of Japan’s smaller prefectures. It’s a haven for hikers, outdoor enthusiasts, deer, and brown bears, as well as the first site in Japan to witness autumn hues and snow.
Daisetsuzan consists of several charming peaks which draw many hikers and campers.
I and my son went to Hokkaido to see the first autumn leaves in Japan in the middle of September. We went to the several mountains in DAISETSUSAN national park, there are several volcanic peaks and one of them is the tallest mountain in Hokkaido 2291m. This is the way to Mt.KURODAKE 1984m which is famous for its beautiful autumn leaves.
Mt.KURODAKE is accessible by its cable car to the 5th station and can get to the 7th station by lift too.
We can see the colorful autumn leaves from the ropeway and along the trekking road.
We can see the sea of clouds from the 5th station observatory too. We arrived at the 7th station by ropeway and lift.
Then trekked 1 hour to the top of Mt.KURODAKE. These rocks are the 9th station symbol of Mt.KURODAKE, MANEKI-IWA( welcome rocks). They stand out above the autumn colorful leaves.
If you want to feel and enjoy the early autumn and dynamic nature in September Japan, check out here!
I’m Nobu, one heart enjoy together!!!