Hoshino Resorts, a leading Japan-based hospitality brand with a contemporary take on the traditional Japanese ryokan (inn), offers myriad opportunities for avid leaf (koyo) peepers this autumn across Japan, where the autumn leaf-peeping season comes slightly later than in Europe.
Referring to a traditional Japanese custom of travelling to the valleys, forests and countryside around Japan to admire the autumn foliage, the Japanese word ‘momijigari’ is a combination of the words momiji – which means ‘red leaves’ or ‘maple tree’ – and gari – which means ‘hunting’. Around 70% of Japan is covered in forests, and the difference in temperature from summer to fall creates the perfect environment for leaves to turn kaleidoscopic shades of reds, oranges, yellows and golds.
There is even an annual autumn leaf forecast from the Japan Meteorological Corporation, which this year predicts that Japan’s Northern regions will be the first to expect the Red Momoji (Maple) with Sapporo expecting to flourish around 6 November, around 29 November in Tokyo, and around 3 December in Osaka. The Yellow Gingko meanwhile, with a slightly different season, are expected to peak in Osaka on 24 November and in Tokyo around 26 November.
Searching for colourful leaves (an activity known as momijigari) has been a popular pastime in Japan since the Heian period (794-1195) and, for Buddhists, is an important spiritual metaphor symbolising the ephemeral nature of life. Leaf hunting features heavily in classical poetry and literature – and maple leaf design is found on pottery, kimonos and cakes, with the leaves themselves eaten as tempura accompanied by Japanese tea. Autumn leaf fall has had such a huge influence on Japanese culture that there are various leaf-based expressions in common parlance, such as “like maple leaves and a deer” – meaning two things that together work well – and “scatter autumn leaves” – meaning to be red-faced with embarrassment.
Hoshino Resorts offers a wealth of options for viewing the changing leaves across the country, from bathing in an onsen with views of vibrantly-hued trees and enjoying a terrace breakfast with a view of red and orange carpeted mountains, to eating maple-flavoured confectionery and drinking apple-flavoured tea.
KAI Tsugaru, Owani Hot Springs, Aomori Prefecture
Fall is the season for apples in Aomori, Japan’s top producer of apples. In autumn, an apple tea party is held, where guests can taste apple sweets while admiring autumn leaves colored red and yellow in the water garden. The apple sweets come in an original “Tsugaru-nuri,” a traditional handicraft sweets box.
KAI Tsugaru, a luxurious hot spring ryokan in the Owani hot springs area, offers a variety of autumnal and apple themed experiences in celebration of this season. Witness autumn foliage from the cypress-wood bathhouse, where apples float on the hot spring waters and bathing is accompanied by the aroma of apples. Enjoy views from the terrace over the Tsugaru Seasonal Water Garden, where Tsugaru-nuri apples grow. Taste apple-flavoured confectionery and cakes. Listen to traditional Ringobushi folk music in the lobby every evening. Finally, retire to one of the hotel’s signature Japanese-style rooms decorated with beautiful local Tsugaru needlework pieces.
Located three hours by bullet train from Tokyo or 50 minutes by train from Aomori Airport. Stay at KAI Tsugaru from £270 per room per night (two sharing; dinner and breakfast included). To book: https://hoshinoresorts.com/en/hotels/kaitsugaru/.
HOSHINOYA Kyoto, Arashiyama, Kyoto
HOSHINOYA Kyoto is a hybrid ryokan-hotel in Kyoto, Japan, nestled in the peaceful Arashi Gorge on the banks of the beautiful Ôigawa River. A series of low buildings inspired by traditional Japanese houses cling to the river bank in the temple-rich Arashiyama district. Access/arrival is via a boat ride in a hinoki (Japanese cedar) vessel, taking in the exquisite autumnal colours at this time of year. The contemporary Japanese ryokan has 25 elegant pavilion-style bedrooms, all with river views which showcase the breath-taking colours in autumn, a renowned restaurant serving seasonal Japanese cuisine and a range of complimentary activities including early morning stretching/breathing exercises, introductory tea-drinking ceremonies and incense burning appreciation.
Enjoy a once in a lifetime Autumn Breakfast Boat Experience: Charter the private boat “Hisui”, and enjoy the autumn leaves of the valley glistening in the morning sun while tasting a breakfast rich in autumnal delicacies. You may spend an elegant time in a landscape like a silk brocade in the quiet morning hours, feeling the autumn with your whole body. From £334 per couple.
An overnight stay costs from £809 (¥136,000) per room per night (two sharing; room only). Contact HOSHINOYA Kyoto(www.hoshinoya.com/kyoto/en).
KAI Sengokuhara, near Hakone, Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park
Two hours by train from Tokyo, in the vast natural setting of Hakone, the world’s first art-themed hot spring ryokan, KAI Sengokuhara, is surrounded by rolling forested hills which, in autumn, glow in a blaze of fiery colours. Hakone is a mountainous town known for its hot springs resorts (onsen) and views of the iconic volcano Mount Fuji. Take in panoramic views from the bedroom’s terrace (or even from a private in-room onsen) and enjoy seasonally-inspired artwork created by local artists which adorns the hotel’s hallways and rooms. Nearby, explore the excellent sculpture gardens and botanical parks displaying the autumn colours in all their glory.
Stay at KAI Sengokuhara from £454 per room per night (two sharing; dinner and breakfast included). To book: https://hoshinoresorts.com/en/hotels/kaisengokuhara/.
KAI Kinugawa, Kinugawa Onsen, Tochigi Prefecture
Get back to nature at KAI Kinugawa, a luxury hilltop ryokan overlooking the Kinugawa River, with onsen fed by the famous Kinugawa Hot Spring. The region is host to several autumn festivals which thank the gods for a good harvest, such as the Kanuma Buttsuke Autumn Festival, recognised for its parade of colourful floats, and the Nasuno Makigari Festival, which re-enacts a Kamakura shogunate-era hunting ceremony from the 12th century by serving a traditional wild boar and miso pot dish to hungry spectators.
The hotel’s 48 bedrooms have been designed to allow guests to fully enjoy the surrounding natural world, with terraces constructed from local Oya stone showcasing a lavishly forested panorama. Inside, huge windows from the ryokan’s dining room offer scenic forest views from indoors, vividly reflecting the autumn colours outside, and encouraging guests to explore the grounds. Both indoor and outdoor hot spring baths offer expansive views of the forests and gardens. Seasonality is also reflected in the restaurant’s menu of Tochigi cuisine.
Two hours by train from Tokyo, stay at KAI Kinugawa from £244 per room per night (two sharing; dinner and breakfast included). To book: https://hoshinoresorts.com/en/hotels/kaikinugawa/.
KAI Nikko, Chuzenji Onsen, Tochigi Prefecture
Three hours by train from Tokyo, the hot spring ryokan KAI Nikko is situated alongside serene Lake Chuzenji. Semi-private dining booths and cedar-lined baths are among the comforts that guests enjoy at this palatial ryokan. Many of the 33 traditional Japanese rooms offer breath-taking views of the lake and of Mount Nantai, which showcases fiery autumnal colours during this spectacular season. In the mountainous Togichi region, maple and ash leaves turn red and yellow, starting from the mountain peaks, and spreading slowly down the slopes. Centuries-old gingko trees stand in beautiful contrast to ancient temples, and around 50 magnificent waterfalls provide a beautiful backdrop to the fall foliage. Many of these temples and waterfalls are within easy reach of KAI Nikko.
Stay at KAI Nikko from £410 per room per night (two sharing; dinner and breakfast included). To book: https://hoshinoresorts.com/en/hotels/kainikko/.
KAI Alps, Nagano, Hakuba Valley
A three-hour bullet train journey from Tokyo, in Japan’s Hakuba Valley, the luxurious hot spring ryokan KAI Alps greets guests with magnificent mountain views. The Shinsu autumn is a magnificent time to view the fall foliage in and around KAI Alps and around the Shinshu countryside, with stunning landscapes of mountain maple, gingko, flowing streams and rivers. The hotel’s 48 bedrooms are designed in beautiful Japanese style, with glowing paper lanterns adorning bedsides, and mountain-inspired woodwork and local materials used throughout. Take a restorative soak in the outdoor onsen, with views of the Alps and the glowing autumnal larch forest before dining on a traditional Japanese meal and enjoying sake and games around the rural sunken hearth (iori). Nearby, explore the iconic Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route through the Northern Japan Alps via cable car, trolley bus and ropeway, showcasing stunning views of the Tateyama Mountain Range and Chubu Sangaku National Park in all their autumnal glory.
Stay at KAI Alps from £328 per room per night (two sharing; dinner and breakfast included). To book: https://hoshinoresorts.com/en/hotels/kaialps/.
KAI Kawaji, Nikko, Tochigi prefecture
Reset to the pace of a rural village at KAI Kawaji, a riverside hot spring ryokan just two-and-a-half hours by train from Tokyo. The ryokan pays homage to pastoral Japanese scenery, with traditional row-house architecture and an on-site watermill. The hotel’s huge windows offer views of scenic hillsides covered with hues of red, yellow and orange, while the outdoor onsen baths look out to the river flowing past. Each of the 54 bedrooms features a custom-built sofa inviting guests to lie back and enjoy the autumnal views which fill their windows much like a private art display. In the evening, traditional multi-course kaiseki meals using seasonal produce are served in the hotel’s semi-private dining booths. Spacious indoor bath halls and two riverside outdoor baths fed by Kawaji Hot Spring – known for its waters’ skin healing effects – provide the perfect location to comfortably enjoy the vibrant surrounding scenery, glowing golden reds, oranges and yellows during the autumn.
Stay at KAI Kawaji from £293 per room per night (two sharing; dinner and breakfast included). To book: https://hoshinoresorts.com/en/hotels/kaikawaji/.