One of places where to see beautiful red leaves in autumn in Japan is an area around Kawaguchi Lake. This place attracts a lot of tourists visiting in autumn when leave color turns into brilliant red and in spring during Sakura flower season. The North shore of Kawaguchi Lake is where to get the best views of Mt Fuji from the distance and gives you to an opportunity to take picturesque photos of red leaves with Mount Fuji background.
The autumn in Kawaguchi Lake
The mixture between the scarlet of Japanese maples and sky blue makes poetically beautiful landscapes.
Located at the border of Fujikawaguchiko and Minobu towns in the northern Yamanashi prefecture close to Mount Fuji, Kawaguchi Lake is the second largest of the Five Fuji Lakes with regards to surface area and at the lowest elevation of approximately 800 meters.
In Japan, there are many Japanese maples and ginkgo trees. When the autumn is coming, the scarlet and the brilliant red of the Japanese maples and the pale yellow of the ginkgo trees are main fall colors at the Sunrise country. When visiting Kawaguchi Lake in autumn, you would be amazed by brilliant red of maples planted along the lakeshore.
Mount Fuji appears and disappears alternatively from the distance between red maple leaves at Kawaguchi Lake
The autumn in Japan often starts from late September until early December. To see the breathtaking autumn landscapes in Japan, people should read the fall color forecast of each region each year. Fall color vibrancy completely depends on the weather. Therefore, if you want to see spectacular fall leaves in Japan, you should first visit local tourist information centers to get up-to-date fall color information.
Red fall leaves brighten a corner of Kawaguchi Lake
The change of leave colors in Japan is known as kouyou (紅葉) or Momiji when referring to the maples. Kouyou season starts from Hokkaido Island, in the Northern Japan and gradually moves to the southern island Honshu, then to Kyushu Island. Meanwhile, the cherry blossoms first bloom, on the contrary, in Okinawa, the southernmost prefecture of Japan and gradually open across to the islands of Kyushu, Shikoku, Honshu and finally Hokkaido Island.
The first place to welcome the autumn through Japan this year is Mt Asahidake in Hokkaido on 22 September 2021. The fall colors are dazzling there. Mt Asahidake is the highest mountain in Hokkaido Island and is one of the most famous hiking spots in autumn in Japan.
On 28 September, 2021, Kurodake Ropeway that towers over Sounkyo Onsen in central Hokkaido Island is the next place to see spectacular fall foliage color along the way to the upper station of the ropeway at Mt Kurodake.
Red leaves, yellow leaves are typical autumn colors in the sunrise country.
On 20 October, 2021, the hot spring Jozankei Onsen, not far from Sapporo of Hokkaido is one of the best areas in Sapporo to go to stare into the beautiful leaves.
On 24 October, 2021 is the peak fall foliage time in Sapporo city. You can visit Maruyama Park, Nakajima Park, Hokkaido University, Odori Park, Makomanai Park, Asahiyama Memorial Park and Mount Moiwa.
On 20 November, 2021 is peak foliage time in Kyoto. At this moment, leaves change colors into yellow on many streets, creating a poetic landscape.
The pale yellow of the ginkgo on the street is a typical character of Japan autumn.
On 24 November, 2021, you can see the autumn colors in many areas in Tokyo.
This year, you can see fall foliage at Kawaguchi Lake from early November to middle November. Fall leaves at the peak red color in the middle of November is the best time to see the most beautiful fall leaves at the lake.
The changes of fall colors in Japan depend on the weather and the altitude. Trees at altitude will have their leaves changing color before those at sea level.
Kawaguchi Lake have green leaves changing into yellow, orange and red in autumn.
Every year, there is always a fall festival called Fuji-Kawaguchiko momiji matsuri which organized at Maple Corridor at the Northern shore of Kawaguchi Lake. This year, the festival was organized in early November when fall leaves change color.
The places to take beautiful photos are Nashikawa (Nashikawa Maple Corridor), Maple tunnel, Saiko wild bird forest.
How to travel from Tokyo to Kawaguchi Lake
Maple leave colors which completely change into scarlet brighten at Kawaguchi Lake.
The distance from Tokyo to Kawaguchi Lake is around 116 km, around 2 hours by train. Firstly, you go to Shinjuku station, the world’s busiest train station in terms of passenger throughput, serving more than 3.64 million passengers passing through its door every day, located at Shinjuku district and Shibuya district, in Tokyo, choose JR Chuo Line to Otsuki station. Next, you take another Fujikyuko Line to Kawaguchiko station.
After arriving at Kawaguchiko station, you can book Kawaguchiko Station Inn hotel about 80 meters far from the station, around 4 minutes by foot with an affordable price. At Kawaguchiko Station Inn hotel, there is also free Onsen bathing which give a chance for you to experience typical Onsen bathing type of the cherry blossom country. The host of the hotel is very friendly. After check-out of the hotel, the host also gave us some Mount Fuji cards as a souvenir.
You can walk around 800 meters from the hotel to Kawaguchi Lake, not so far. From here, you can easily visit Mount Fuji at Yamanashi Shizuoka prefecture.
The map of taking a train from Tokyo to Mount Fuji or Kawaguchi Lake is as follows:
Shinjuku station, Tokyo – <JR Chuo Line> 60 minutes -> Otsuki station -< Fujikyuko Line> 60 minutes -> Kawaguchiko station
Some beautiful photos of fall foliage at Kawaguchi Lake
Some maple leaves are still green or light yellow in the beginning of autumn. However, the mixture of green leaves and yellow, red ones also create a beautiful fall landscape on the lakeshore.
A corner of Kawaguchi brightened by the scarlet of maples.
A splendid corner with Japan typical autumn color of the yellow and the scarlet
Poetically beautiful road leading to Kawaguchi Lake thanks to splendid autumn colors.
A maple leaves which completely change its color in autumn stand out from afar.
Car parking at Kawaguchi lakeshore is decorated by bright fall red leaves and yellow leaves
