Autumn is one of Japan’s peak tourist periods. Not only international visitors, locals also take advantage of this time. Even the Japanese have a separate term for autumn leaf viewing: Momijigari (meaning “hunting red leaves”). Momijigari has been popular for centuries, including many activities such as trekking in the mountains, picnicking in the forest, scenic driving, cycling along rivers or camping…
This year, autumn in Japan comes later than Korea, from early October to early December. Accordingly, the leaf color change of each region is also different, depending on temperature and altitude. and latitude. The earliest is the northernmost island of Hokkaido (mid-October), Gunma (late October), Tochigi (late October), Yamanashi (mid-November), Tokyo (late November), Kyoto (mid-to-late October). 11). Finally, the two southern islands include Shikoku and Kyushu (December).
The period of peak leaves in each area usually lasts from two weeks to about a month, depending on the weather. While many places the leaves peak in October, some areas are just starting to turn color. Therefore, visitors should stick to the calendar of each region to arrange a reasonable schedule.
Autumn leaves in Japan are divided into two shades of koyo and momiji. Koyo depicts red and yellow foliage. And momiji refers to the bright red maple leaves – typical autumn of the country of the rising sun. During this season, maple leaves are also used as tempura – deep fried dough rolls – often enjoyed with a cup of green tea.
Japan opened its doors to fully self-sufficient tourists from October 11. Vietnamese people entering the country do not need to apply epidemic prevention measures such as isolation or testing, if they have had all three doses of the Covid-19 vaccine.
