Japan’s first fall color forecast for 2026 is here!

Maps and predicated peak color dates to help you plan your autumn journey to see Japan’s natural beauty .

There are a lot of reasons why fall is a great time of year to travel in Japan, such as sunny weather, not-too-hot, not-too-cold temperatures, and smaller crowds.

The absolute best reason for an autumn trip, though, is to see the beautiful fall colors .

In particular, Japan’s maple and ginkgo trees, or kaede and icho if you’re using their Japanese names, are what turn many of the country’s forests, gardens, and temples into a patchwork of vivid reds and yellows every autumn.

Of course, there’s a timing element involved in seeing fall foliage .

Head out to see it too early, and the leaves will still be in their summer-green state, but go too late, and you run the risk of the leaves being brown and withered, or maybe even having fallen off, leaving you looking at bunches of barren branches.

So to help travelers coordinate their travel plans with Mother Nature’s, Japan Meteorological Corporation has prepared a fall foliage forecast .

Generally speaking, the fall colors sweep across Japan in the opposite direction that the cherry blossoms do, starting in the north, where cooler weather sets in earlier, and then moving down to east Japan, followed by the western part of the country.

There’s an additional wrinkle, though, in that high-altitude areas, typically further inland from the coastline, also tend to see their leaves change color earlier than lower-lying areas.

First, let’s take a look at the forecast maps showing when the leaves are predicted to be at their most breathtakingly bright shades of red and yellow. ▼ Peak maple color forecast map showing Sapporo (札幌), Sendai (仙台), Tokyo (東京), Nagoya (名古屋), Osaka (大阪), and Fukuoka (福岡) ▼ Peak ginkgo color forecast, also with Sapporo (札幌), Sendai (仙台), Tokyo (東京), Nagoya (名古屋), Osaka (大阪), and Fukuoka (福岡) Compared to an average year, JMC is predicting that east Japan will turn crimson later than usual, and northern Japan’s yellow leaves will be arriving later as well.

In addition to the above maps, they’ve also put together a list of the peak color dates by city .