In Japan, Kyoto is one of the more brilliant, albeit crowded, locations for viewing beautiful cherry blossom scenes in spring. The prefecture’s ancient shrines, temples, and rivers are the oh-so-scenic backdrops to your cherry blossom experience. Here are some of the best spots for hanami (cherry blossoms viewing picnic) in and around Japan’s cultural capital.

Cherry Blossom 2021 Travel Tips

• Use our interactive map on the homepage of GaijinPot Travel for the most up-to-date forecast!
• Festival dates may change to match the blooming of the flowers, so it’s worth double-checking before you go.
• Cherry blossoms are super popular in Japan, so even locations with a lower popularity ranking are likely to attract plenty of people. Visit on weekdays to avoid the worst of the crowds.

Japan’s southern regions, Kyushu and Shikoku, are the first to show signs of spring as the cherry blossoms bloom across Japan like a pink tidal wave. Kyushu’s capital, Fukuoka, is famous for its ramen, but don’t let your taste buds pull you away from Fukuoka’s superb flower viewing locations. Neighboring prefectures such as Kagoshima and Kumamoto, as well as the spectacular sakura views found in Shikoku, will make any trip to Japan’s southern islands this spring an excellent experience.

Cherry Blossom 2021 Travel Tips

• Use our interactive map on the homepage of GaijinPot Travel for the most up-to-date forecast!
• Festival dates may change to match the blooming of the flowers, so it’s worth double-checking before you go.
• Cherry blossoms are super popular in Japan, so even locations with a lower popularity ranking are likely to attract plenty of people. Visit on weekdays to avoid the worst of the crowds.

Hiroshima is in the heart of the Chugoku region on the western side of Japan’s main island of Honshu. Hiroshima and surrounding Chugoku prefectures such as Okayama, Yamaguchi, and Shimane are filled with traditional architecture, lush parks, and long stretches of awe-inspiring natural scenery.

Cherry Blossom 2021 Travel Tips

• Use our interactive map on the homepage of GaijinPot Travel for the most up-to-date forecast!
• Festival dates may change to match the blooming of the flowers, so it’s worth double-checking before you go.
• Cherry blossoms are super popular in Japan, so even locations with a lower popularity ranking are likely to attract plenty of people. Visit on weekdays to avoid the worst of the crowds.

It is not difficult to see why countless visitors flock to the famous “hell” in Nagano Prefecture especially in winter.

The world-famous “Snow Monkey Park” is located in the Valley of Yokoyu River in northern Nagano, where steep cliffs and steaming hot springs in the area resemble harsh hell-like conditions — but in a picturesque kind of way. Hence the park name Jigokudani, which literally means “Hell Valley” in Japanese.

Thanks to the heavy snow that the park receives each year, we are able to watch families of Japanese macaque monkeys happily bathe in roasting hot springs up close.

Hell Valley

Can’t monkeys get a little privacy?

The drive up to Jigokudani through a mountainous forest is quite bendy and narrow. But once you arrive, you will instantly realize the changes in your surrounding landscape. Suddenly, there are only cliffs, rivers and steam coming from small hot springs.

Explore Nagano

The park is open all-year-round and is beautiful in all seasons. Winter, though, is by far the best season to visit as the snow monkeys are most likely to be bathing in the hot springs, which is listed as one of GaijinPot’s Travel’s iconic cultural experiences. Needless to say, the bathing monkeys are cute to watch. Monkey babies napping on their mother’s tummy also makes an adorable scene.

Bathing macaques

The famous snow monkeys of Nagano.

There are over 160 snow monkeys at Jigokudani. Visitors can get close, but make sure you don’t touch or feed them. (There are plenty of staff members checking human behaviors.)

Unfortunately, the outdoor hot bath is only for the monkeys, but there is no need to be jealous. You can take a dip in the ryokan (Japanese style inn) called Jigokudani Onsen Korakukan, which is on your way to the park entrance.

If you’d like more hot spring options, know that you’re in a hot spring town already! Shibu Onsen and Yudanaka Onsen are two other popular destinations in the Yamanouchi area, so make sure you take your time and soak in the Nagano vibes besides adoring fluffy, pink-faced snow monkeys.

While many people may only be familiar with Tokyo, the Kanto region is comprised of six additional prefectures: Kanagawa, Saitama, Gunma, Tochigi, Chiba, and Ibaraki. Peak viewing time for autumn leaves varies. It generally falls between late October and early December. Ibaraki and Tochigi are the first in the region to turn colors.

After a sweltering summer, and being pummeled with rain during typhoon season, everyone is anxiously awaiting cooler fall temperatures. Thankfully, Kanto has loads of scenic spots offering a full array of autumn colors in Tokyo and beyond.

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The Kansai region is seven prefectures: Mie, Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo, and Shiga. Depending on the region’s location, the peak times for Koyo will be slightly different, but most leaves will change throughout November. Many popular tourist spots have a special nighttime illumination, which will enhance the koyo experience. They’re highly worth seeing despite the crowds—especially in Kyoto.

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Japan’s southernmost main island, Kyushu, is one of its most diverse regions. Sunny, tropical vibes radiate across high-rise urban landscapes, emerald rice paddies, and even a fiery, active volcano in the middle of the sea, making it difficult to picture this kaleidoscopic landscape cloaked in the cooler temperatures of fall.

Don’t worry, though, autumn in Kyushu is the real deal, and it’s equally as spectacular as the more well-known northern areas. Leaves here are among the last to fall across the country, which means there’s plenty of time to plan a trip to hit every one of these breathtaking spots. Challenge accepted.

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It’s a journey in itself to get to the remote and rugged northern region of Tohoku, but the quest is full of rewards in the form of atmospheric hot spring resorts, samurai villages, and sky-high temples to name a few.

The region’s prefectures of Akita, Aomori, Iwate, Yamagata, Miyagi, and Fukushima together make up one-fifth of Japan’s total area—one that’s blanketed in a swathe of yellows, burnt oranges, and deep reds from mid-October to mid-November. Since the koyo (autumn leaves) arrived late this year, there are still chances to experience some of Tohoku’s stunning seasonal beauty.

Seek and ye shall find.

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Packed full of hillside landscapes, mountainous terrains, and quiet castle towns, the Chubu region throws visitors right into the heart of Japan’s natural landscapes. This central area of the country is often overlooked by travelers jetting from Tokyo to Osaka on the shinkansen, but that whir of green you see through the train windows is ripe for exploration.

Nine prefectures comprise the Chubu region, including Yamanashi, Aichi, Shizuoka, Gifu, Nagano, Niigata, Fukui, Ishikawa, and Toyama. From the Northern Japan Alps stretching across Toyama and Nagano to the valiant Mount Fuji in Yamanashi, a trip to Chubu will leave you in awe.

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Chugoku is one of the most culturally rich regions of Japan. Almost every iconic aspect of Japanese culture has an embodiment here, from the country’s oldest and most sacred shrine, the Izumo Taisha, to the colorful manga kingdom of Sakaiminato in Tottori to the sobering A-Bomb Dome in Hiroshima. One-of-a-kind destinations, too, include an island reigned by rabbits and majestic ever-changing sand dunes which prove that there’s so much more to Japan than you might expect.

Five prefectures, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi, Shimane, Tottori, and Okayama, make up Chugoku. Here’s our pick of some of the top spots to experience the region in all its autumnal glory.

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