Ultimate Japan autumn photography guide: best spots [Mt. Fuji]

Discover the best spots to take amazing autumn photos in Japan with this photography guide! Learn in-location tips and find out what the secret spots for the best Japan autumn photos are.

Autumn is one of the best moments of the year to take photos. The landscape changes, the weather is neither too cold nor too warm, and colours are everywhere. There are a few places in the world where autumn photography is even more special, and one of them is Japan. In this Japan photography guide, you will find out which are some of the best spots for autumn photos, and tips on how to make the most of them.

Before starting, here are some useful tips to consider when taking photos during autumn in Japan.

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Tips for Japan autumn photography

When is the best time for Japan autumn photography?

There’s no way to know exactly when the perfect colours will be. It’s true that there are forecasts, some of them very accurate, but one rainy day, one windy day or a warm or cold week can make the landscape change a lot. Thus, be flexible. If your main goal is to see the beautiful autumn colours and photograph them, book your accommodations with cancellation options, and make sure to check social media for the most up-to-date reports of the situation in the spots you are interested in.

Will there be amazing colours everywhere?

This is another important thing to consider. One tree might have the most beautiful red and orange tones ever, and one 10 meters from it might still be green or already be without leaves. There are many variables that affect this. From the soil, the hours of sunlight, the wind… Many of the photos you see online are heavily edited, and nowadays it’s so easy to change the colours of any tree with any editing tool.

Be prepared for dealing with only a few trees or with a varied landscape.

What to photograph during autumn?

Don’t focus only on the main photography spots listed in this article. Some of my favourite Japan autumn photos are of details or less common spots. A nice leaf, a contrast of green and red,… photo opportunities will be everywhere. Keep an eye out for them, and try to get unique shots.

Tokyo autumn photography spots

Tokyo, the capital of Japan, is a massive city, but it still has some cool autumn photography spots. While the most famous spots in the country are in Mt Fuji and Kyoto, don’t skip Tokyo when it comes to autumn photography!

Omoide Yokocho, aka Piss Alley

This small street is one of the most well-known photo spots in Tokyo. In this alley, you can find many restaurants, filled with locals and tourists. You might be thinking: why is a restaurant street an autumn photography spot in Tokyo or Japan? Well, because this alley is always decorated with a set of plastic leaves that mimic the colours of the season we are in. During spring, it is decorated with the famous cherry blossom, and during autumn, with a set of red leaves, as you can see below.

The big benefit of this spot is that the colours will always be there. They are plastic leaves, so until they change them for the winter snowy ones, you will be able to take a photo like the one in this guide.

Ueno Park

Among all the Tokyo parks I visited, Ueno Park is my favourite one. It’s true that other Parks or gardens, such as the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, would also be great spots for autumn photography. However, I chose to include Ueno Park because of the photo opportunities from the park towards the city, more specifically, towards the Tokyo Skytree, one of my favourite towers in Tokyo.

When the autumn leaves change colour, Ueno Park gets crowded with people either taking photos or just enjoying the day. As with all spots in this guide, avoid weekends unless you are looking for the crowds for some reason.

Don’t focus only on the view over the Skytree. Another reason to include this park is the pond where people rent small boats and row around the lake. Mixed with the autumn trees, they make for an amazing photo.

Imperial Palace and Tokyo Station

I am listing these two spots into one single point of this list, because one is immediately next to the other. In the Imperial Palace Gardens, there are some nice trees for autumn photography. However, you will not find scenes like the ones in other spots in this guide. However, upon exiting the Palace, go towards Tokyo Station. The long pedestrian avenue that leads to it is guarded by some nice trees. If you are lucky and all of them have changed their colour, the photo from there is really nice and not very common.

Tokyo International Forum

Before closing the Tokyo autumn photography spots and jumping into some other interesting ones in Japan (such as Mt Fuji), I want to briefly mention the Tokyo International Forum. This is a building that is perfect for photography. However, this doesn’t make it an autumn photography spot. What I loved about the Tokyo International Forum is that it’s a glass building surrounded by trees with amazing foliage. You will need to get a bit lucky, but if you do, it’s a spot with a lot of potential.

And while you are there, you can take one of the most amazing reflection photos in Japan 🙂

Are there other Tokyo autumn photography spots?

Yes. In a massive city like Tokyo, there are many other photo spots for autumn. However, one thing to consider is that in many of the gardens and parks, only some of the trees will change colour and have the characteristic orange tones. Usually, the same ones that are good for cherry blossom photography are good for autumn photography. However, like I mentioned above, it could be that they don’t change colour at the same time, or that even if they do, they are surrounded by non-autumn colours.

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Mt Fuji autumn photography spots

Mount Fuji is one of the most visited places in Japan. But it’s during spring and autumn that it’s the most beautiful. I have a complete guide on how to photograph Mt. Fuji in autumn, so here I will cover the main details about the spots. However, if you are planning on taking photos of Mt Fuji in autumn, I strongly recommend you read my Mt Fuji autumn photography guide.

Mt Fuji autumn photo spot

The photo below is the one that made me take a train to the area. It wasn’t my first time there, so I knew my way around. However, taking a photo like this one is a bit tricky, as there aren’t many good trees with autumn colours at the right time. Thus, you will need to share the scene with many other photographers. Trust me, when I say many others, I really mean many others.

Yet, it’s a must-visit autumn photography spot in Japan, and I had to include it in this guide.

Momiji corridor

This place is not that popular among Westerners, but it’s a great place to take some different autumn photos. Located next to Kawaguchi Lake, overlooking Mt Fuji, it’s a long corridor following a stream of water surrounded by autumn trees. I was lucky enough to visit this spot at peak autumn time.

Chureito Pagoda

As you can see, the Mt Fuji spots are all iconic. At a short local train ride from the lake, there’s the Chureito Pagoda. After walking the long set of steps that go to the top of it, you will be rewarded with this amazing view. Famous for its cherry blossom and autumn colours, this is a great example that when the lakeside colours are at their best, other spots might already have had their peak. Still, a must-visit spot regardless of the season of the year.

Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen Shrine

Besides all iconic Mt Fuji spots, there are some other cool autumn spots in the area (see more in my dedicated article). However, I wanted to mention the Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen Shrine, as it is a very underrated and unknown spot in the area. Only some of the trees in the vicinity of the shrine change colour, but when they do, the views and photos are amazing.

Other Mt Fuji autumn photography spots

There are many other Mt Fuji autumn photography spots. Make sure to check my dedicated guide for specific spots and other tips on how to make the most out of your autumn Fuji trip.

Nara Autumn photography spots

The old capital city of Japan had to be listed in this autumn photography spots guide. World-famous for its deer and Nara Park, this old city has history and tradition at every corner. Oh, and also some cool photo spots.

Nara Park is THE spot for autumn photography in Nara. This massive park has everything. In fact, I will divide this spot into 3, as there are different photo opportunities within the park.

Nara Park: nature

Within Nara Park, there are many interesting autumn nature photo spots. The most obvious one for me is the area near the small stream at the heart of the park. While not all trees might be in full bloom, this is a fantastic spot for autumn photography. Besides that, there are many more secluded spots in the Park where tourists don’t arrive, and that can make up for great photos. I recommend walking around and trying to find different routes or less-explored paths.

Nara Park: Deer

Nara Park is famous for its deer. They are everywhere, and any of the photo opportunities I mentioned about Nara Park will be better if you add a deer to it. They are peaceful animals; people give them food (only the one sold by the municipality, please), and they are not bothered by human presence. These are perfect ingredients for great photos. What I really like is that deer have a similar tone to that of autumn trees, so they match perfectly.

Nara Park: Kasugataisha Shrine

There are multiple impressive temples in Nara Park. However, when it comes to autumn photography, most of them don’t have many opportunities, as they don’t have trees that change colour. I include the Kasuga Taisha Shrine for two reasons. First, because of its strong orange colour, which matches perfectly with the autumn ones. Second, because at its gates, it’s possible to take some nice autumn photos. The traditional lamps and the autumn tones make for a good image.

Kyoto autumn photography spots

Besides Mt Fuji, Kyoto is another amazing place for autumn photography in Japan. However, Kyoto has a slight problem when it comes to autumn spots. Some of its most famous areas do not have trees that change leaves. Think Arashiyama Bamboo forest, or the famous Fushimi Inari (see below). However, being the city of temples, many of them have beautiful gardens full of amazing autumn photo spots.

Before deep-diving into the ones I recommend, these are some that might be worth checking out as well:

• Kiyomizu-dera: a very nice autumn photo spot, but one that is always crowded. The opening times of the temple make it difficult to get a nice sunset/sunrise photo with the autumn colours in it. Also, if you get a windy or rainy day before visiting, all the leaves will be gone.
• Nijo Castle: great spot, but with not many autumn trees
• Kinkaku-ji: the world-famous golden pavilion is a great autumn spot, but again, opening hours and crowds (in this case, mostly the latter) made me not include it in the list.

I have visited all the ones above, and I would include them in your list if it’s your first time in Kyoto. However, the spots I recommend for autumn photography in Kyoto, Japan, are:

Fushimi Inari

This is an amazing place. However, it’s a bamboo forest. Then, why am I listing it as an autumn photo spot? Well, because Fushimi Inari goes beyond the first set of torii gates you will find. If you walk all the way up to the top, you will find some areas with trees that have autumn colours. But there’s a second reason why I am listing it. Because the torii gates themselves are orange. I think autumn should not be only about leaves, and this is a clear example. Thus, you can take nice autumn photos with the orange gates, some autumn trees, and hopefully a great sunrise or sunset light.

Unlike the other spots I mentioned above, the Fushimi Inari is open 24/7. Thus, it is possible to get there early in the day or wait until sunset there. You’ll avoid the crowds and get unique photos!

PS: I already mentioned it, but I can’t stress enough how important it is to go up and not visit only the first series of Torii gates. Besides the autumn colours, you will get to see: a pond, some nice local shops, great views over the city, and some unique torii gates.

Kyoto Riverside

Kyoto has many rivers. This spot refers to 2 rivers: the Kamo River and the Katsura River. They are both great autumn photography spots in Kyoto, but for different reasons.

The Kamo River is smaller and more urban. It’s the river next to the most famous spots in Kyoto, and it has some interesting trees. The Katsura River is the biggest one, and the one near the Arashiyama bamboo forest. Of course, the bamboo forest itself is not that interesting for autumn photos, but from there, you can walk upstream and get some amazing autumn photos. It’s not very close to the city centre, but if you are in that area, do not miss it.

Again, not all trees will be orange, but it’s possible to take some great shots there.

Kyoto secret autumn photography spots: Eikandō Temple

Take this spot as an example of what happens when you leave the main touristy route. It wasn’t my first time in Kyoto, so I decided to find non-Western tourist spots. That’s how I ended up visiting Eikandō Temple.

Kyoto has many temples. Really, a lot of them. And almost all of them have autumn colours. But when you look online and search in English, you only find the same ones. Thus, do a quick maps search and find some that are not in the top 10. Maybe in terms of historical importance are not that relevant, but if you are looking for autumn colours, you might find them there.

The bonus point of this is that many are way cheaper than the famous ones. Fewer tourists or more local tourism usually favours this. Eikandō Temple is an amazing place to visit, but I don’t think it’s the only one. While looking online for the exact spot of this one, I found many more, all of them interesting enough to visit. I am a huge fan of slow travel and of not always sticking to the famous spots, and this time, it paid off.

This concludes the best Japan Autumn photography spots guide. If you are planning a Japan autumn (photography) trip and have any extra questions, you can schedule a 30 Q&A session with me!

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