Late last month, the Japan Meteorological Agency released a weather forecast stating that temperatures in Japan will still run high until October. This means we could also be looking at a delayed autumn. And according to the first autumn leaves forecast just released by the Japan Meteorological Corporation, this looks to be the case.
With higher than normal temperatures, the autumn leaves are predicted to arrive a few days to more than a week later than usual. However, it’s important to note that this could very well change depending on weather conditions. This is just the first forecast. We can expect the next update in early October.
Red momiji leaves forecast
The leaves in Hokkaido will be the earliest to turn, with Sapporo projected to see red momiji at their most vibrant around November 8. That’s about 11 days later than usual. The best time to see red leaves in Nagano is around November 23 and Kanazawa around November 30.
You can expect to see momiji turn full red in Tokyo sometime around December 1, Osaka December 4 and Kyoto December 12. Further south in Kyushu, the momiji leaves are predicted to turn red only around December 10 in Fukuoka and December 14 in Kagoshima.
Yellow ginkgo leaves forecast
For yellow ginkgo trees, you might want to be in Sapporo around November 6, Kanazawa around November 12 and Nagano around November 15.
In Tokyo and Osaka, the ginkgo trees are expected to turn sunny yellow around the same time: Osaka around November 25 and Tokyo a day later (November 26). For now, it looks like Kyoto, Fukuoka and Kagoshima will be seeing yellow on November 28.
So now’s a good time to start planning your autumn trip to Japan, especially since Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto are now trending as some of the world's most desired autumn destinations. If you need some inspiration, check out our list of Japan’s most beautiful autumn destinations.
More from Time Out Tokyo
The new Nintendo Museum in Kyoto is finally opening this October
Netflix is releasing special canned cola cocktails in Japan
Kyoto's oldest Zen temple is now open for a surreal night visit
Hello Kitty is opening a café in Tokyo for her 50th anniversary
teamLab is opening a new permanent exhibition at a rice terrace in Ibaraki
Want to be the first to know what’s cool in Tokyo? Sign up to our newsletter for the latest updates from Tokyo and Japan.