Japan Nov 2025 - Autumn Trip Suggestions

[billmurray]

Hi Brainstrust,

Planning a approx 12-14 day trip to Japan approx 7th November - 20th November this year, travelling with a 1 year old. We've been to Japan a bunch of times for skiing only, so it'll be our first trip outside of the ski season or seeing Japan without snow. Figured since we will have 1 year old who really enjoys going out for walks, we will go to Japan to check out the autumn colours. Looking for suggestions on areas to visit with the following criterias;

a) Spend approx 3-4 days in each location to keep the little man happy without jumping around to much, so we are not constantly packing/unpacking.
b) When transitting, travel up to 3ish hours a day to again keep little man in check.
c) Avoid massively touristy areas
d) Mt Fuji is a must - finally time to get up close to this beast.
e) Ive always wanted to check out Shirakawago (or maybe its better in winter when covered in snow?).
f) Arashiyama & Miyajima looks cool.

Im thinking about flying into cough and starting down that south island and working our way up to Nagoya over the course of the trip to fly home. Will book J CX rewards flight (SYD - HKG - cough or HND) then return with SQ J (cough or NGO - SYD), this is the only confirmed way to get in/out of Japan in J at the moment, obivously if availablity to book ANA J direct we will.

If anyone can provide suggestions or tips would be greatly appreciated.

 

[sudoer]

c) Avoid massively touristy areas

Mt Fuji

Arashiyama

Miyajima

Hate to say it, but if you want to avoid tourists you should skip all of these.

Shirakawa-go is also pretty touristy but going in the off season is a good idea. Combine it with Takayama.

If you absolutely had to do Mt Fuji, I'd land in Haneda, rent a car and slowly make your way towards Osaka. (A car is crucial to getting away from tourists)

Gifu and Mie have some excellent kouyou spots, Ise / Iseshima is relatively undiscovered by foreign tourists but has excellent infrastructure as a popular destination for domestic travellers.

Kyushu is not a bad option but I don't know what the kouyou situation is down there.

 

[billmurray]

Hate to say it, but if you want to avoid tourists you should skip all of these.

Yep, Mt Fuji is expected. I was more thinking of Tokyo as an example, avoid Asakusa and Shibuya as an example. Been there but nothing overtly great about those areas (im sure it's different if you live there and know the secret spots)

 

[kpc]

In October last year, we chased the Autumn colours by going to Northern Honshu Island: Morioka, Akita (+ Lake Tazawa), Hirosaki (and hired a car here to go around and stay at Lake Towada), and Aomori. Caught the JR East Shinkansen mainly but there is a scenic train along the coast from Akita to Hirosaki. Hardly a Western tourist in sight, lots of Japanese menus requiring google translate etc. We had a ball in a week! Really felt we were in Japan...probably for seasoned Japan travellers only which you seem to be.

 

[Drakecula]

We did Japanese autumn colours last November/December and while we got our fill of autumn colours and temples in Kyoto it was packed with people. For a more off the beaten path option, we quite liked Kanazawa. There's a fantastic garden there and some areas with some older architecture.

 

[elanshin]

Yep, Mt Fuji is expected. I was more thinking of Tokyo as an example, avoid Asakusa and Shibuya as an example. Been there but nothing overtly great about those areas (im sure it's different if you live there and know the secret spots)

Tokyo is. Busy period. Doesn't matter the season just that if you go to the touristy spots, its foreigners. If you go elsewhere, there's lots of Japanese and rush hour trains are jammed.

Honestly, go to Nagoya for a wander if you want a bit more of a chill but still full blown Japanese city experience. There's just very little in the way of big tourist attractions (except the toyota museum ans legoland now).

Also give you a nice base to set up day trips out to Gifu, Takayama and Shirakawago.

 

[billmurray]

Also give you a nice base to set up day trips out to Gifu, Takayama and Shirakawago.

Ok cool, could stay there at the end of the trip for like 4/5 days and maybe hire a car to go to the various areas?

 

[elanshin]

Ok cool, could stay there at the end of the trip for like 4/5 days and maybe hire a car to go to the various areas?

Depends on the itinerary. If you're going to spend consecutive days up in the Takayama and Gifu region then no its better just to go to the region but if you're going to just day trip there to Shirakawago, then it might be a solid choice.

You could also day trip towards Shizuoka/Fuji although might be easier to just move yourself in thag general direction.

 

[Himeno]

Honestly, go to Nagoya for a wander if you want a bit more of a chill but still full blown Japanese city experience. There's just very little in the way of big tourist attractions (except the toyota museum ans legoland now).

You could go to Nagoya Castle and avoid the crowds at Osaka Castle.

 

[billmurray]

Alright, we are all booked in with CX J rewards to HND and SQ J rewards out of Fukuoka.

Ill compile a short list itinerary and post in a few days for input and helpful suggestions.

 

[billmurray]

Slight amendement to the original idea, im going to plan our trip in the HOPE that we can secure ANA J rewards HND - SYD. We have SQ J cough - SIN - SYD currently booked. Therefore i will base ourselves in Osaka or Kyoto at the end of the trip so that we are only approx 2.5 - 3 hrs to cough or back to HND if we get lucky.

What are peoples suggestions on the below itenitary, noting we are staying a fewer areas for longer to avoid lots of check in/out/packing etc with a toddler.

DAY 1 (transit day) - land 9pm, stay at Mercure Haneda overnight.
DAY 2 (transit day/half day) - travel to Mt Fuji region, stay in the 5 lakes area?
DAY 3 (full day) - Mt Fuji Region
DAY 4 (transit day/half day) - travel to Nagoya as a base
DAY 5 (full day) - Nagoya as a base + day trips to nearby regions (Gifu, Takayama etc)
DAY 6 (full day) - Nagoya as a base + day trips to nearby regions (Gifu, Takayama etc)
DAY 7 (full day) - Nagoya as a base + day trips to nearby regions (Gifu, Takayama etc)
DAY 8 (transit/half day) - Kyoto or Osaka (suggestions?) as a base + day trips to nearby region
DAY 9 - 12 - Kyoto or Osaka (suggestions?) as a base + day trips to nearby region
Day 12/Day 13 - transit to cough or HND that night to base ourselves for our flight home the next morning.

 

[sudoer]

This looks good, how are you travelling between cities? I would highly recommend picking up a car at HND and taking it all the way to day 9-12 with a one way fee. Make sure you add an ETC card to your booking.

This will be WAY easier with a toddler, and there will be no need to base yourself in Nagoya for day trips (just stay in Takayama overnight)

If you're flying out of cough, return to car at Osaka and take the bullet train or fly.

 

[Seat0B]

Nagoya is a great place to base yourself, and a worthy destination in itself.

 

[billmurray]

Thanks for the comments so far;

I looked at car hire, a lot of Japanese places wont show pricing in November just yet.

When i looked quickly at Kayak etc, and for a small SUV size (lose room for car seat and a few bags/pram etc), was going to cost ~2.5-3k AUD, which seems quite expensive.

Though i need to compare what its going to cost us on the shinkansen, but assumed approx $100-150per adult each way, so approx ~1k for bullet trains?

My gut is saying to base ourselves in Kyoto - assume cant go wrong either way?

Also, anyone have experience with AirBnb in Japan - we thinking for the longer stays to use one (so we can get 2 bedrooms) so we have a separate room for our toddler for his daytime naps, so we dont need to skulk around and be quiet during the day.

EDIT:
Just checked Nippon Car Rental, and can hire a Subaru Levorg for approx $1.8k which seems much more reasonable.

 

[Seat0B]

Re Kyoto/Osaka. It’s a very short and cheap train ride between the two places, so both are reasonable options. But the feel of these two cities is very different. So you can see both, no matter where you stay. I’d choose based on how you think you will spend your time. In my experience:

Osaka is a bustling port city, with a big theme park and lots of street life/night life and grit. It also has World Expo, but this will be finished by your dates.

Kyoto is an historic city, with zillions of shrines and temples, opportunity for cultural activities, and beautiful natural features. Maybe more crowded than Osaka. Maybe more expensive than Osaka.

 

[Seat0B]

Also, anyone have experience with AirBnb in Japan - we thinking for the longer stays to use one (so we can get 2 bedrooms) so we have a separate room for our toddler for his daytime naps, so we dont need to skulk around and be quiet during the day.

Funnily enough, we stayed in an Airbnb in Osaka in Namba area a few years back and it was great.

Other experiences with Airbnb (in Tokyo) were less than good, with the last 2 clearly breaking either building rules of local govt rules - “only enter by the side doors. Do not go through the foyer. Do not use the laundry room. If anyone asks how you know me, we met in Melbourne when I was at uni.” Since those experiences, I have preferred hotels - but I no longer have to deal with small children.

 

[sudoer]

I looked at car hire, a lot of Japanese places wont show pricing in November just yet.

Yes, most open 3 months out but the pricing is usually consistent year round so just search for 3 months from now for indicative pricing. It'll be more expensive than trains once you factor in tolls, but infinitely more convenient with a little one - especially around areas less serviced by public transport, like Fuji and Takayama.

My preference is Toyota Rent a Car, if you sign up as a member and book via their JP site (which works well with Google Translate) it's 10-20% cheaper than the English site. They have locations everywhere and are well setup to deal with non Japanese speakers.

Instead of Airbnb, I'd recommend looking at chains like Tokyu Stay for serviced apartments with dedicated living areas, kitchenettes, in-room laundry, etc. I've found room rates usually quite reasonable and more competitive for shorter stays, and you have the benefit of a manned front desk.

Tokyu Stay (Official) | Hotels with washer-dryers in every room.

Tokyu Stay are hotels located in the heart of Tokyo and expanding throughout the nation. Each room is equipped with a washer-dryer and kitchenette, making them ideal for medium- and long-term stays. Same-day reservations and a close proximity to stations makes these hotels perfect for business...

www.tokyustay.co.jp

 

[Himeno]

Also, anyone have experience with AirBnb in Japan - we thinking for the longer stays to use one (so we can get 2 bedrooms) so we have a separate room for our toddler for his daytime naps, so we dont need to skulk around and be quiet during the day.

Japan regulated airbnb a few years ago. A lot of building managers and neighbours didn't like having random people staying in apartments for random periods of time, often not respecting the other people in the building.

Some of the rules imposed on airbnb owners was a limited amount of time each year they could rent out the apartments, they had to have permission from the building manager and they had to have hotel level safety devices installed. The owners also had to get a license to operate the rental.

The result of this was that many airbnb listing in Japan were removed and a lot of what is still there is used as another sales platform for normal hotels.