Into the mountains first: Tokyo, then up to Nikko
Arrive in Tokyo
This whole trip is built around koyo, Japan's autumn leaves, and the single most important thing to understand is that peak timing shifts year to year and by elevation, so check a current koyo forecast (japan-guide.com publishes weekly reports through the season) before you lock in dates. The logic of the route is elevation: the mountains around Nikko colour first (Lake Chuzenji and the high passes peak from mid-to-late October, the shrine town in early-to-mid November), while Kyoto's temples don't hit their best until mid-to-late November. So you go mountains-first, then south to Kyoto, chasing the colour as it descends. Most long-haul flights from the UK land at Narita or Haneda in the afternoon. Book flights →
Transfer to Nikko
Rather than spend a night in Tokyo, head straight for the hills. The cleanest route is the Tobu Railway from Asakusa: the Limited Express Spacia (and newer Spacia X) reaches Tobu-Nikko in about 1 hour 50 minutes for roughly ¥3,050 (around £16) one way including the base fare, all reserved seats (the newer Spacia X costs a little more). Pick up a rechargeable IC card (Suica or Pasmo) at the airport first, it works on almost every train, bus and convenience store nationwide and saves fumbling for tickets all week.
Check in at Nikko
Base yourself for two nights near Tobu-Nikko station or up in the Chuzenji-onsen area if you'd rather wake beside the lake. Nikko is a small mountain town, so an early night sets you up for tomorrow, during peak foliage the road up to the lake gets clogged, and the traveller who leaves at dawn wins. Search hotels →
First evening in the mountains
Nikko does yuba (tofu skin) as its local speciality, silky, delicate, and everywhere on menus around the station. Ease into a simple dinner, and if your ryokan or hotel has an onsen, this is the night to use it: the mountains are cool by November and the water is the point.
Nikko's autumn: Lake Chuzenji, Kegon Falls and Toshogu
Early bus up the Irohazaka road
Start early, this is not optional advice in peak season. The Irohazaka winding road, 48 hairpin bends named after the old Japanese syllabary, is one of the country's most famous foliage drives, and the bus climb from Tobu-Nikko to Lake Chuzenji normally takes about 50 minutes. During peak koyo (mid-October to mid-November) traffic can stretch that to several hours by late morning, so catch one of the first buses. A guided day tour takes the driving and timing off your hands. Search Nikko autumn tour in Nikko on GetYourGuide →
Kegon Falls and Lake Chuzenji
Kegon Falls drops nearly 100 metres straight off the edge of Lake Chuzenji, framed by forested cliffs that turn scarlet and gold, an observation deck is free, or take the paid lift (around ¥600, about £3.20) to the base platform for the head-on view. The lake itself, formed when Mount Nantai erupted and dammed the valley, sits at 1,269 metres, which is exactly why its colour peaks weeks before Kyoto's. Walk a stretch of the shore while the morning light is on the water.
Back down for lunch in town
Head back down to central Nikko for lunch, go before the afternoon queues build on the Irohazaka descent. The restaurants around the station and the approach to the shrines do soba and more of that local yuba; keep it unhurried, because the afternoon is on foot and flat.
Toshogu Shrine and the Shinkyo Bridge
Nikko Toshogu is the lavishly carved mausoleum of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the shogun who unified Japan, gold leaf, the famous 'see no evil' monkeys, and cedar avenues, all a UNESCO World Heritage site. Entry is around ¥1,600 (about £8.50), or ¥2,400 with the treasure museum; it's open 08:00–17:00 (until 16:00 November to March), last entry 30 minutes before. On the way in, stop at the vermilion Shinkyo Bridge over the Daiya River, against autumn leaves it's the town's signature shot. The World Heritage precinct around the shrines peaks a little later than the lake, so early-to-mid November is your window here.
Evening back at the onsen
The shrines close in late afternoon and the town winds down early. Head back for another soak and an early dinner, tomorrow is a long transfer south, and you'll want the rest before Kyoto's crowds.
South to Kyoto, and a first evening under the maples
Nikko to Kyoto by rail
Retrace the Tobu line to Tokyo (via Asakusa or, with a change, into the JR network), then take the Tokaido Shinkansen west. The fastest bullet trains, the Nozomi, run Tokyo to Kyoto in about 2 hours 15 minutes. One caveat worth knowing: since March 2024 the Japan Rail Pass covers Nozomi trains only with a surcharge (roughly ¥4,960 per leg on this route), the slower Hikari services are fully covered by the pass and take only around half an hour longer, so factor that into whether a pass is worth it for a trip this shape. Reserve a seat with a view of Mount Fuji on the right-hand side.
Check in near Higashiyama
Base yourself in eastern Kyoto, the Higashiyama or Gion districts put you within walking distance of the best temples and evening light-ups, which matters when everyone else is fighting for the same buses. Kyoto's koyo peaks mid-to-late November, so if you've timed it right, the maples should be turning right outside. Search hotels →
Kiyomizu-dera after dark
Kiyomizu-dera, the great wooden temple on stilts above the city, runs a special autumn night viewing when its hillside of maples is floodlit and a single blue beam of light is cast into the sky. The illumination typically runs for a couple of weeks in the back half of November into early December (2025's ran 22 November to 7 December, roughly 17:30–21:30, last entry 21:00), treat those as indicative, confirm the current year's dates, and expect crowds. It's a ticketed evening entry (around ¥500, about £2.70) separate from daytime. Walk up through the lantern-lit lanes of Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka to reach it. Search autumn illumination in Kyoto on GetYourGuide →
Arashiyama's maples, then gold at Kinkaku-ji
Arashiyama bamboo grove at opening
The Sagano bamboo grove is free and never closes, which means the only way to see it without a crush is to be there early, before 08:00 the 400-metre path is quiet and the light filters through beautifully. Arashiyama sits at the western edge of the city and gets mobbed by mid-morning in autumn, so treat the early start as the whole plan. A guided Arashiyama walk adds the context and the quieter side lanes. Search Arashiyama walking tour in Arashiyama on GetYourGuide →
Tenryu-ji garden
Right beside the grove, Tenryu-ji is a Zen temple whose 14th-century pond garden borrows the wooded mountains behind it, a masterpiece of design that turns spectacular when the maples redden against the evergreens. It opens at 08:30; entry to the garden is around ¥500 (about £2.70), with an extra ¥300 for the main hall. Getting here at opening means you have it close to yourself.
Okochi Sanso villa and the Togetsukyo bridge
Slip out the north gate and up to Okochi Sanso, the hillside villa and garden of a 1920s film star, one of the most peaceful spots in Arashiyama, the ¥1,000 (about £5.30) ticket includes a bowl of matcha and a sweet on a terrace with valley views. Then wander down to the Togetsukyo, the wooden 'moon-crossing bridge' over the Katsura River, with the tree-covered slopes of Arashiyama rising behind it in full autumn colour.
Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion
From Arashiyama, cross to the north-west of the city (bus or a train-and-bus hop, roughly 40–50 minutes) to Kinkaku-ji, the gold-leafed pavilion mirrored in its own reflecting pond. It's open 09:00–17:00, entry around ¥500 (about £2.70). It's busy at any time of year, but the gold against a backdrop of turning trees is worth the crowd; the visit is a fixed one-way path and takes under an hour.
A tea ceremony to close the day
Kyoto is the home of the Japanese tea ceremony, and a small-group session, often in a machiya townhouse or a garden tea room, is a calm, hands-on way to understand a ritual you'll have glimpsed all week. Book one in central Kyoto for late afternoon; sessions usually run 45 minutes to an hour. Search tea ceremony in Kyoto on GetYourGuide →
The Philosopher's Path: Ginkaku-ji to Nanzen-ji
Ginkaku-ji, the Silver Pavilion
Start at the north end of eastern Kyoto with Ginkaku-ji, the 'Silver Pavilion', never actually silvered, but set in a moss-and-sand garden that climbs a wooded hillside blazing with maples in November. It opens at 08:30 (entry around ¥1,000, about £5.30 since the 2026 increase); come early before the coach groups arrive. The short climb inside the grounds gives you a view back over the temple roofs and the colour.
Walk the Philosopher's Path
From Ginkaku-ji, follow the Philosopher's Path (Tetsugaku-no-michi), a two-kilometre canal-side walk named for a Kyoto University professor who strolled it daily in meditation. It's famous for cherry blossom in spring but quietly lovely in autumn too, threading past small temples, teahouses and cafes. Allow an hour or two with stops; it leads you gently south towards the Nanzen-ji area.
Lunch along the canal
The path is dotted with small cafes and noodle spots, pick one with a canal view for a light lunch before the afternoon temples. This eastern edge of the city is residential and calm, a good antidote to the crush at the headline sights.
Nanzen-ji and its aqueduct
Nanzen-ji is a sprawling, free-to-wander Zen complex at the foot of the Higashiyama hills, the enormous Sanmon gate, sub-temple gardens (a few charge a small fee), and a photogenic red-brick Meiji-era aqueduct running through the grounds, all set among maples. It's one of the most rewarding spots in the city in late November. A guided temple tour here or across Higashiyama pulls together the history and the etiquette. Search temple tour in Kyoto on GetYourGuide →
Eikan-do autumn illumination
A few minutes' walk from Nanzen-ji, Eikan-do (Zenrin-ji) is arguably Kyoto's finest maple temple, some 3,000 trees, and a pond that mirrors them when the grounds are floodlit for the autumn night viewing. The illumination typically runs mid-November into early December (2025's ran 15 November to 10 December, roughly 17:30–21:00, last entry 20:30, around ¥700 / £3.70), confirm the current year's dates, and go on a weekday if you can, as it draws a queue. Daytime entry in peak autumn is separate and pricier than the rest of the year.
Day trip to Nara: the deer, the Great Buddha, the gardens
Train to Nara
Nara, Japan's capital before Kyoto, is an easy day trip, the Kintetsu limited express from Kyoto reaches Kintetsu-Nara in about 35–45 minutes, and the express is cheaper and nearly as quick. Its 8th-century temples predate almost everything in Kyoto, and the whole core is walkable from the station. A guided day trip handles the trains and timing if you'd rather not plan. Search Nara day trip in Nara on GetYourGuide →
Nara Park and Todai-ji
Nara Park is free and open around the clock, and its 1,000-odd wild sika deer, bold enough to bow for a cracker (sold at stalls for about ¥200), are the reason half of Japan visits. At its heart is Todai-ji, whose Great Buddha Hall is one of the largest wooden buildings on earth and houses a 15-metre bronze Buddha; entry is around ¥800 (about £4.20), open 08:00–17:00 in November. The maples and ginkgo through the park turn beautifully at this time of year.
Lunch near the park
The streets around the park and towards the Naramachi old merchant quarter are full of small restaurants, kakinoha-zushi (persimmon-leaf-wrapped sushi) is the local speciality worth seeking out. Take a proper break before the afternoon's walking.
Kasuga Taisha
A wooded path from the park leads up to Kasuga Taisha, Nara's grand Shinto shrine, famous for the thousands of bronze and stone lanterns that line its approaches and hang from its vermilion eaves. The outer grounds are free to wander; there's a small fee (around ¥700) for the special inner-area worship. The forest around it is a preserved sacred grove, which makes the autumn colour here feel wilder than in the city temples.
Isuien garden, then back to Kyoto
If time allows, Isuien is a classic strolling garden near Todai-ji that borrows the temple's south gate and the hills as backdrop, one of the loveliest in Nara, entry around ¥1,200 (about £6.30). Note it closes on Tuesdays (and briefly in early January and late September), so if you're here on a Tuesday, swap in the neighbouring Yoshikien garden instead. Head back to Kyoto in the late afternoon for a final dinner.
Tofuku-ji at dawn, Fushimi Inari, then home
Tofuku-ji at opening
Save the best maples for last. Tofuku-ji's Tsutenkyo, a covered wooden bridge over a valley packed with some 2,000 maples, is the single most famous koyo view in Kyoto, and in peak season it is genuinely mobbed from early morning, with photography restricted on the bridge itself to keep people moving. Go at opening (during the autumn viewing period, roughly 15 November to early December, the bridge opens at 08:30; autumn entry is around ¥1,000 / £5.30). The Hojo rock-and-moss garden nearby is a calmer, separate ticket. This is the day the trip's whole premise pays off, or, if the forecast slipped, the reminder that koyo keeps its own calendar.
Fushimi Inari's torii gates
A couple of stops down the line, Fushimi Inari Taisha is the shrine of thousands of vermilion torii gates snaking up a wooded mountainside, free, open 24 hours, and best in the morning before the crowds thicken. You don't need to hike the full two-hour loop to the summit; even 20–30 minutes up gives you the tunnels of gates with autumn colour spilling between them. A good, uncrowded final image of Japan.
To the airport, and home
Kansai International Airport (KIX) near Osaka is the natural departure point from Kyoto, the Haruka limited express runs there in about 75–90 minutes, so a mid-to-late-afternoon flight is comfortable from here. Because you flew into Tokyo and out of Osaka, book it as an open-jaw (multi-city) ticket rather than a return; it saves a needless backtrack across the country. Book flights →