Japan's earliest koyo — red maples roll south from the mountains starting in September.
Hokkaido kicks off Japan's autumn season. While Kyoto's maples don't peak until late November, Daisetsuzan's alpine ridges blaze red in mid-September — making it possible to chase the same koyo wave for two full months across the country.
Start high and move south. Asahidake summit lights up first (mid Sept), then Sounkyo (late Sept), then central plains (early Oct), and finally the coast around Hakodate (late Oct). A one-week itinerary can chase three waves of color.
Autumn is Hokkaido's harvest peak: salmon (akiaji) runs, hairy crab, new-rice sushi, freshly dug potatoes, and the year's first 'jagaimo butter'. Many ryokan switch to a kaiseki menu focused on mountain mushrooms and game.
