5 Amazing Outdoor Experiences for Autumn in Japan | Guidable - Your Guide to a Sustainable, Wellbeing-centred Life in Japan

5 Amazing Outdoor Experiences for Autumn in Japan

By Guidable Writers Nov 13, 2017

This post is also available in: Chinese (Simplified) Italian Chinese (Traditional)

How do you spend the day in autumn? The heat of summer has just eased off recently, it is the best time for people who enjoy lots of activities outside! We have many themes for autumn in Japan, such as autumn for arts (芸術の秋Geijutsu no Aki) and autumn for foods (食欲の秋Shokuyoku no Aki), but let me show you my list of things to do and places to see during Japanese autumn. Please check out below!

 

1.Leaf viewing (Autumn for picnic-行楽の秋Koraku no Aki)

It is said that Japan has one of the most beautiful color leaf all over the world. Leaf peeping is one kind of hiking to see the colored mountain. Besides going on hiking, you can enjoy by driving, from the temple, shrine, restaurant and open-air bath (露天風呂Rotenburo). It also looks different in the morning, daytime and night. Therefore, you should decide what type of views you want to see before heading to the place! Here is another article of mine about leaf peeping that you can get more details!

Link [5 tips for leaf peeping (Kooyoogari) in Japan]: https://guidable.co/blog/5-tips-for-leaf-peeping-kooyoogari-in-japan/

 

2. Camping (行楽の秋Koraku no Aki)

 

Camping is supposed to be the activity of Summer, but actually it is preferred to do in autumn since it isn’t too hot and don’t have to worry about hyperthermia. But, most of the campsites are located on countryside and it should be cold in the morning and night even though it’s still warm in city. Therefore, I recommend you to bring extra outfits like jackets and blankets for cold temperature. In addition, you had better take rain wears as umbrella because it is still easy to be raining. Futhermore, Hokkaido and some area of Tohoku might be so cold like winter already, so I don’t suggest doing there. Also, campsites don’t tend to be so crowded in autumn season. I will give you the website for booking campsites which is only in Japanese but hope it will help you!

Website (Japanese): http://www.campjo.com/

 

3. Sports (Autumn for sports-スポーツの秋Supotsu no Aki)

 

Lots of schools in Japan have sport day in September or October since it is in the good weather and temperature. Do you like playing some sports? There are many places you can do sports in Japan, which is normally good price and sometimes even for free! For example, if you choose to play badminton in sports arena (体育館Taikukan), it costs only 100yen-300yen; which is the normal price you need to pay for each type of sports. Also, some arenas are opened for booking in advance, so just check the availability of the place you want to go. You can try the Japanese website below if you like. In terms of gyms, it’s normally much more expensive than sports arena, that is 1000-2000yen per time. This price includes the fee for all machines there. But, if you pay monthly fee, it could become cheaper. So, if you want to do exercise regularly and prefer doing alone, gyms will be your choice. If you do not like sports as me, just start walking around your house with nice autumn weather and view!

Website(Japanese):https://iko-yo.net/facilities?tags%5B%5D=%E3%82%B9%E3%83%9D%E3%83%BC%E3%83%84%E6%96%BD%E8%A8%AD

 

4. Star watching (Autumn for arts-芸術の秋Geijutsu no Aki)

You can see beautiful stars since the autumn sky is very clear. In order to see the stars, you should go somewhere without any lights as mountains or fields as you know. When you go for star watching in October, you will surely find lots of shooting stars. It is not because you are a super lucky person, but it is ‘Orion meteor shower’. It happens around 20th to 25th of October every year near the Orion in the eastern sky. Also, you can see the great square of Pegasus, which is called the big square of autumn in Japan. Besides, you can find Cassiopeia, Andromeda and Aquarius near Pegasus. Just take a star map with you (you can check the following website!) and enjoy the autumn night sky!

Website(Japanese): http://www.study-style.com/seiza/autumn.html

 

5. Fruit picking (Autumn for foods-食欲の秋Shokuyoku no Aki)

It’s impossible to count the number of autumn foods in Japan since it is the season of harvesting, such as Japanese chestnut, matsutake mushroom, sweet potato and fruits! I think the best way to enjoy the autumn foods is fruit picking that you can pick and eat the fruits outside. However, please check the details of fruits picking events you want to join since the season for fruits picking depends on the place and weather. Normally, it is between August and October for pears and grapes, September to November for apples and October through December for oranges. Some place has all-you-can-eat options where you can eat a several kinds of fruits at the same time, which costs 1000-2000yen on average; you usually pay for each fruit picking. You can make your picking schedule with this website even unfortunately it is again in Japanese. But, it is cheaper way than attending tours!

Website (Japanese): http://www.rurubu.com/season/autumn/mikaku/

 

Is there anything you are interested in for Japanese autumn? Even if you are not outdoors style persons, please try one of them above! I hope that you enjoy your day of autumn somewhere in Japan.

 

MIKU/ JAPAN