When do the leaves change in Hokkaidō?

Japan's northernmost island turns first each year, with Daisetsuzan's high peaks catching color in early September and koyo sweeping south through Niseko and Shiretoko by October.

Autumn foliage at Daisetsuzan (Asahidake)
📍 Daisetsuzan (Asahidake), Hokkaidō· Photo: pakku / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0

Forecast coming soon

Weather data for Hokkaidō lands with the next model run. Meanwhile, explore the map.

Known for

  • Daisetsuzan first-in-Japan color
  • Niseko mountain forests
  • Shiretoko Peninsula

Things to do in fall in Hokkaidō

1 iconic stop — scenic drives, farms, haunts, and the views locals plan their October around.

Daisetsuzan (Asahidake)

National park

Japan's fall color starts here: alpine shrubs on Asahidake, Hokkaido's highest peak, turn scarlet in early-to-mid September, weeks ahead of anywhere else in the country. The ropeway lifts hikers to the Sugatami trail's crater views.

Don’t miss: Asahidake Ropeway · Sugatami walking trail · Sounkyo Gorge nearby

Understand the season in Hokkaidō

Short explainers on why and when the color arrives here.

A full harvest moon above silvery pampas grass for Tsukimi moon-viewing

Traditions Around the World

Tsukimi: Japan's Autumn Moon-Viewing Tradition

Tsukimi is Japan's autumn tradition of watching the harvest moon, marked with rice dumplings, pampas grass, and a lunar calendar that shifts the date every year.

2026-07-18 · 5 min read

Fiery red Japanese maples framing a temple in Kyoto in autumn

Traditions Around the World

Momijigari: Japan's Thousand-Year Art of Leaf Hunting

Momijigari is Japan's centuries-old custom of autumn leaf viewing, from Heian court poetry to modern forecast maps and Kyoto's temple gardens.

2026-07-17 · 7 min read

See it on the map

Nearby & similar

Tōhoku — Northern HonshūJapanese Alps — ChūbuAll of Japan →