Many leaves on trees get yellow and red in autumn, and many people go to see them.
There is a word, ‘momiji-gari’, in Japanese.
‘Momiji’ means autumn leaves, and ‘gari(kari)’ means hunting.
Although it means hunting, it is used as a different meaning these days.
For example, when we go to pick grapes up, we call it grapes hunting.
Because of this custom, it is said the word ‘momiji-gari’ was born.
Therefore, this Japanese word shows how much Japanese people love to enjoy going around to see he beautiful scenery of autumn leaves.
There are so many spots where you are able to enjoy its scenery in Japan.
This article introduces 4 recommended spots among them.

1. Mt. Takaosan

It is the mountain whose height is 599m located in Tokyo.
You are able to access there taking about 1 hour from the central of Tokyo.
There is a great nature, and many people visit there all year round.
Especially, it is very crowded in autumn by lots of people who visit there to see autumn leaves, so autumn is the most crowded season in a year.
The great point is that you are able to enjoy the beautiful scenery in the whole mountain from the bottom to the top.
You are able to enjoy it from the middle of November to the beginning of December every year.
If you are able to arrive at the top, you are able to see Mt. Fuji as well from an observation deck.
Even if you feel it is difficult to climb by yourself, please do not worry because there is a ropeway as well which takes you from the bottom to the middle of the mountain taking about 6 minutes.

2. Arashiyama

It is one of the best sightseeing spots in Kyoto, and you are able to visit there taking about 30 minutes by train from the central of Kyoto.
In autumn, so many people visit there to enjoy seeing autumn leaves.
The great point is that there is a trolley train, and you are able to enjoy the scenery from the train.
Although there are some courses to enjoy sightseeing, I recommend you of taking the train for about 25 minutes and getting off at Kameoka station.
After that, you need to take a bus for about 15 minutes, and you are able to experience Hozu River Rafting.
It is great because you can come back to Arashiyama again by rafting with enjoying the autumn leaves, and the scenery from there is totally different from what you have seen from the trolley train!

3. Kiyomizu Temple

It is one of the most famous temple in Kyoto, and the leaves of trees inside there turns beautifully yellow in autumn.
To see the beautiful scenery, illumination is held in the night from the middle of November to the beginning of December.
So many people visit there during the term, as well as people from all over the world.
Among all trees, especially maple tree is the most beautiful, and you will be amazed to see the autumn leaves turned red.
It is great to see illuminated autumn leaves with temple behind in the night.
Illumination is held 3 times there in a year, and it is in spring, summer, and autumn.
In spring, many people visit there to see beautiful cherry blossoms, and spring and autumn are the best seasons when there are crowded by a lot of people from all over Japan and the world.
Around Kiyomizu temple, there are so many souvenir shops, so you are able to get various kinds of Japanese traditional goods and foods there.
There are a lot of Japanese restaurants as well.

4. Mt. Kurikoma

It is one of the most famous mountains as beautiful autumn leaves in Tohoku (Northeastern) area in Japan.
You will be very moved to see the leaves totally turned red spread as far as your eye can reach.
The different point from other mountains is that the leaves there starts to turn red and yellow in the end of September.
It is very early because usually other ones start to turn around the middle of November.
Although it is not so much high mountain, there are so many climbing courses prepared you can take adjusting to your schedule.
After enjoying the great scenery, it is recommended to go to Sukawa hot spring where is close from the bottom of the mountain.

Now, do you feel like visiting these places to enjoy the scenery of autumn leaves in Japan?
Although there are so many spots where you are able to see it in Japan, these 4 spots are very famous and the best among them.
To see the beautiful scenery, many people from all over the world visit Japan in this season.
To see it with Japanese traditional temples behind is very beautiful, and it is also recommended to enjoy it with different situations such as trolley train and rafting!

Aika Kaise / Japan