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Kyoto · Japan
A vermillion hall and arched bridge reflected in a still pond among autumn maples at Daigo-ji, Kyoto
Kyoto · Japan
Autumn at Daigo-ji, the vermilion hall among the maples.

editorial journal

The
Japan Edition

Considered writing on Japan’s seasons, regions, experiences, and the quiet craft of planning a journey here. Written by those whose days are spent in the country itself.

89
articles
editor’s choice
Red maple leaves over a mountain stream in central Japan at autumn peakseasons

The Foliage Front: How Japan's Autumn Moves

Autumn in Japan is not a season so much as a line that migrates from the mountains of Hokkaidō to the temples of Kyoto over roughly twelve weeks. Understanding the geography of its passage puts a traveller in the right place in the right week.

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89 articles
latest articles
The great wooden hall and stage of Kiyomizu-dera on its hillside, red and orange maples below it and in the foreground, a low sun at the left over the city of KyotoplanningA Japan Itinerary for 10 Days, from Tokyo to OsakaTen days and nine nights in four places: Tokyo, Kyoto with a day in Nara, two nights at the onsen town of Kinosaki and a last night in Osaka. The hotel, the train and the sights for every day.the full articleA sunlit path running between tall green bamboo stems, low fences of woven brushwood along both sides, the sun breaking through the stems on the leftplanningOne Week in Japan: A 7-Day Itinerary for Tokyo, Kyoto and OsakaSeven days, two hotels and one fast train: three nights in Tokyo, three in Kyoto with a day in Nara, and Osaka on the way to the airport. The hotel, the train and the sights for each day of a week in Japan.the full articleA host in a pale grey-blue kimono kneels on tatami and lifts a bamboo ladle of hot water from a black iron kettle; in the foreground a tea bowl holds green tea beside a bamboo whiskexperiencesA Tea Ceremony in Kyoto: What Happens and What It MeansThe roji, the low door, the scroll, the kettle, the thick tea and the thin: a Japanese tea ceremony step by step, the three Sen schools of Kyoto, the tea rooms a visitor can see, and why a private ceremony is the one worth having.the full articleA row of lit white paper lanterns, each with a black flower crest and a red band at the foot, hanging beneath small wooden roofs on posts, one of them lettered with the name Gion HigashicultureAn Evening with Geiko in Kyoto: The Private Geisha DinnerThe ozashiki is where the arts of Kyoto's geiko and maiko were made to be seen: a tatami room, a dinner, dance, music and conversation at one table. What happens there, what such an evening charges, and how a visitor without an introduction is received.the full articleA dry garden of raked white gravel with low clipped azaleas and islands of moss set with rocks, seen from beside a wooden temple veranda, a temple building and pine trees beyondcultureThe Japanese Gardens of Kyoto, and How to Read ThemKatsura, Saiho-ji, Ryoan-ji and eleven more: the great gardens of Kyoto in order, with the one fact that matters for each, the five kinds of Japanese garden, and how to sit with one.the full articleA steel ladle pouring a stream of clear golden dashi back into a steel stockpot, steam rising from the surface against a dark backgroundexperiencesJapan Food Tour: A Culinary Journey, Region by RegionSushi in Tokyo, kaiseki in Kyoto, the counters of Osaka, snow crab on the Sea of Japan, wagyu, the sake country and the northern table of Hokkaido: Japan as a serious eater would route it, with dashi as the thread.the full articleA stone open-air onsen at sunrise, steam drifting off the water and a forested slope, with ridges of mountains fading into the haze beyondexperiencesThe Best Luxury Ryokan in Japan, Region by RegionTwenty great ryokan, from the birch forest of Niseko to the thatched farmhouses of Kirishima: their springs, their rooms and their kitchens, and which of them is the most luxurious in Japan.the full articleThe gold-leafed Kinkaku-ji pavilion reflected in its still pond, pines on the near shore and wooded hills under a grey skyplanningA Luxury Japan Itinerary: 14 Days from Tokyo to OsakaFourteen days in five places, two of the nights beneath Mount Fuji: Tokyo, Lake Kawaguchi, Kyoto with a day in Nara, the onsen town of Kinosaki and Osaka. The hotel, the train and the sights for every day of a fortnight in Japan.the full articleA gravel path running between two rows of cherry trees in full bloom beside a still pond, fallen petals pink on the ground and black chain posts along the edgeseasonsThe Best Time to Visit Japan, Season by SeasonTwo windows in the year are the classic answer: late March to mid-April for the blossom, and mid-October to late November for the maples. Every other season has its own case, and the weather, the holidays and Hokkaido's separate calendar decide the rest.the full article

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