Autumn colours in Japan

[shadowblade]

I'm in the middle of planning a landscape trip to Japan and Yunnan (China) in November and am wondering if anyone has some good ideas for where to shoot landscapes with autumn colours in Japan.

Yunnan is basically sorted - I'll be starting in Lijiang and heading up towards Meili Snow Mountain, for some shots of Himalayan peaks. Japan is a different story, though. Most likely I'll be in Japan in the second half of the month, so I presume this will mean the best colours will be around Kyoto and further south. But, not speaking any Japanese, I'm a bit at a loss as to where to shoot and how to get there.

Anyone have any ideas?

[FabienP]

For the best autumn colours (koyo) spot in Japan, I would recommend having a look at this website: Japan Guide

You are right to target the southern part of the country for a trip in the second half of November. I was in Japan at the same time of the year three years ago and focused on temples in Kyoto. I would recommend Tofukuji, Daigoji and Kiyomizudera in particular. The island of Miyajima (next to Hiroshima) is also known for a whole valley of maple trees (momiji) next to Itsukushima Shrine which can be gorgeous at peak koyo time.

Be aware that these places will be packed with people this time of the year and that tripod usage might be forbidden in many places for safety reasons... For the safety of people and the safety of your tripod! Incidentally, Japanese people seem to hate tripods but are in love with selfie sticks. No one is perfect .

As for not speaking Japanese, it will not be a problem as long as you stick to places where foreign visitors are common. Most people have at least passive knowledge of English and will be able to understand you. The rest will be done with signs and some misunderstandings which is half the fun of visiting Japan!

Cheers,

Fabien

[shadowblade]

Unfortunately it looks like I may have left it a bit late this time - seems that all but the most expensive accommodation has been booked out already, especially for Kyoto on Nov 22-24 (where two nights in the only remaining accommodation would buy me a new lens).

Had Miyajima and its famous torii gate on the cards for Nov 21 as well, since high tide will coincide with sunset there that evening.

Also had Fuji and the five lakes area in mind for Nov 18-20, to catch the autumn leaves (although a week earlier may have been better).

Any ideas for the accommodation issue? It's a bit hard staying in cheap dorms while carrying tens of thousands of dollars worth of camera gear... Or do you think I'd be better off making this a separate trip another year, and finding somewhere else to go the second half of November (really only Nov 18-28 available)?

[FabienP]

Unfortunately it looks like I may have left it a bit late this time - seems that all but the most expensive accommodation has been booked out already, especially for Kyoto on Nov 22-24 (where two nights in the only remaining accommodation would buy me a new lens).

Had Miyajima and its famous torii gate on the cards for Nov 21 as well, since high tide will coincide with sunset there that evening.

Also had Fuji and the five lakes area in mind for Nov 18-20, to catch the autumn leaves (although a week earlier may have been better).

Any ideas for the accommodation issue? It's a bit hard staying in cheap dorms while carrying tens of thousands of dollars worth of camera gear... Or do you think I'd be better off making this a separate trip another year, and finding somewhere else to go the second half of November (really only Nov 18-28 available)?

For accomodation in Kyoto, you might find additional options at Booking.com or at Japanican.com. Other possibilities to make a reservation in English should exist, but I am not well acquainted with those. Also, you could look for an accomodation in Osaka and commute from there to Kyoto using the Keihan Line or to, a lesser extent, the Kintetsu Line. Trains will be running late in the night (for timetables, see www.hyperdia.com) so should be OK for sunset shots / night shots with illuminations at temples, since sunsets occur so early in November.

I fear you might be too late for autumn colours in the Five Lake region in the second half of November. When I was there in late October in 2012, the peak time was already behind.

As for postponing your trip to Japan to another year, I cannot really give you a recommendation, since this is heavily dependent on your goals and expectations. The ideal trip for autumn colours would begin in mid-october to see places in the mountain such as Nikko and Okunikko and the Japanese Alps. It could then be extended up to early december in the plains and in Kyushu if you had such interest. A shorter stay is obviously still OK if you will be in Eastern Asia anyway, but you will have to concentrate on a few places only and might want to come back for a second trip to enjoy what you might have missed the first time.

Cheers,

Fabien

[photonico]

I'm also planning a trip to Tokyo & Kyoto to shoot the fall colors.
Dates am looking at are 26 nov to 5 dec with two days in tokyo and the rest in kyoto.
Are the dates ok ?

[FabienP]

I'm also planning a trip to Tokyo & Kyoto to shoot the fall colors.
Dates am looking at are 26 nov to 5 dec with two days in tokyo and the rest in kyoto.
Are the dates ok ?

End of November should be fine around Tokyo and Kyoto. With southern Kyushu, these are the places where autumn colours normally last up to early December.

Cheers,

Fabien

[elliot_n]

Last time I was in Japan (Tokyo, a year ago), I found several good (and very cheap) places to stay using Airb'n'b. They have listings in Kyoto too. 

[shadowblade]

Japan was a total failure (even though I'm still here).

It was a long weekend, so Friday-Monday brought out huge crowds anywhere I wanted to shoot, and the clouds never lifted, making it overcast the whole time. Monday was a public holiday, meaning that many things - even parks - were closed.

In addition, for the whole time I've been/will be in Tokyo, tonight is the only evening forecast to have any chance of a sunset (rain/clouds every other day). Which is unseasonable for this time of the year. Unfortunately, being the day after a long weekend, all the high points I wanted to shoot from are closed (since they normally close on a Monday, which was already a public holiday this week). Even the parks were closed today.

Finally, the autumn leaves came early this year - most of them in every area had already fallen by the time I got there.