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Komorebi木漏れ日
Golden autumn larches below the rugged Hotaka peaks above the Azusa River, Kamikochi

Journeys · 10 days

Larch gold, maple red, and the first frost on the high valleys.

In October the Japanese Alps turn: larch to gold, maple to red, the rivers a cold clear blue. The post towns of the Kiso Valley smell of woodsmoke and roasting chestnuts.

Ten days from the old Nakasendō to the high valley of Kamikōchi, then down to Kanazawa, a city of gardens that fall shows at its best.

Day by day

  1. Day 1

    Into the hills

    Kiso Valley, Tsumago

    Night at Hinoki-juku
    morning
    Train from Tokyo or Kyoto to Nagoya, then up the valley as the colour deepens.
    afternoon
    Tsumago, the old post town, its eaves hung with persimmons drying in the sun.
    evening
    Dinner by the hearth, chestnut rice and wild mushrooms, then a cypress bath.

  2. Day 2

    Magome to Tsumago

    Kiso Valley

    Night at Hinoki-juku
    morning
    The eight-kilometre walk from Magome, through forest and over the pass, with your bags sent ahead.
    afternoon
    Arrive in Tsumago as the day-trippers leave, the street turning quiet and gold.
    evening
    A sake tasting from the valley’s small breweries, with your host.

  3. Day 3

    Over to Hida

    Takayama

    Night at Kumo-no-yu
    morning
    A slow drive over the mountains to Takayama, the larch forests burning yellow.
    afternoon
    Sanmachi, the old merchant streets, dark wood and sake breweries marked by cedar balls.
    evening
    Hida beef grilled on a magnolia leaf, then on to the onsen inn.

  4. Day 4

    Morning market

    Takayama

    Night at Kumo-no-yu
    morning
    The Miyagawa morning market at 7am, pickles, apples and grandmothers selling chrysanthemums.
    afternoon
    A woodworker’s studio, where Hida carpenters still join wood without a single nail.
    evening
    A long soak in the outdoor bath, steam rising into the cold.

  5. Day 5

    The high valley

    Kamikōchi

    Night at Kumo-no-yu
    morning
    In by the first bus to Kamikōchi, Taishō Pond still and misted, dead trees standing in the water.
    afternoon
    The level walk along the Azusa River to Myōjin Pond, the Hotaka peaks white above the larch.
    evening
    Back to the inn, and a dinner of river fish and mountain vegetables.

  6. Day 6

    Above the treeline

    Shinhotaka

    Night at Kumo-no-yu
    morning
    The Shinhotaka Ropeway to 2,000 metres, the whole range laid out in snow and autumn colour.
    afternoon
    Okuhida’s onsen villages, and a lazy hour in an open-air bath by the river.
    evening
    A farewell to the mountains with sake warmed on the hearth.

  7. Day 7

    Thatch and frost

    Shirakawa-gō to Kanazawa

    Night at Tsuta Machiya
    morning
    Shirakawa-gō at 8am, frost on the steep thatched roofs, before the tour buses arrive.
    afternoon
    Down to Kanazawa and into your machiya in the old teahouse quarter.
    evening
    Dinner of Kaga cuisine, duck stew and the first snow crab, if the season has opened.

  8. Day 8

    A garden in autumn

    Kanazawa

    Night at Tsuta Machiya
    morning
    Kenroku-en at opening, the maples turning and the pine branches being tied for winter snow.
    afternoon
    Higashi Chaya, the teahouse district, and a gold leaf workshop.
    evening
    A walk through the old samurai quarter as the lanterns come on.

  9. Day 9

    Quiet rooms

    Kanazawa

    Night at Tsuta Machiya
    morning
    The D.T. Suzuki Museum, a reflecting pool and a bench, and nothing else asked of you.
    afternoon
    Ōmichō market, then the 21st Century Museum’s glass rooms.
    evening
    A farewell dinner at a counter, autumn fish and Kaga vegetables.

  10. Day 10

    Leaving the mountains

    Kanazawa to Tokyo

    morning
    An early stroll through the canal-side lanes of Nagamachi.
    afternoon
    Shinkansen to Tokyo, bags already sent to the airport.
    evening
    A box of gold-leaf sweets for the flight.

What’s in it

  • Magome to Tsumago in autumn colour
  • Takayama’s morning market at 7am
  • Kamikōchi by the first bus
  • The Shinhotaka Ropeway above the treeline
  • Shirakawa-gō before the tour buses
  • Kenroku-en as the pines are tied for winter

The seasons you’ll travel through

In its best months (Oct · Nov), this journey passes through 13 of the 72 micro-seasons. A few of them:

All 72 seasons

Where you’ll sleep

Every day above can move. Tell us what you’d change.

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