Mid Oct
The lake and the top of the road
Lake Chuzenji and the upper Irohazaka turn first, and they turn hard. This is the fortnight the photographs come from, and the road is already busy at weekends.
Autumn
Autumn in Nikko: the two weeks everybody comes for
The colour arrives at the top of the mountain first and works downward over about a month, which means there is no single right week — there is a right week for the lake and a different one for the shrine. Getting that wrong is the commonest autumn mistake in this part of Japan.
Quick answer
Autumn colour reaches Lake Chuzenji and the Irohazaka road first, usually in mid to late October, and the shrine district below around early to mid November. It is the busiest fortnight of the Nikko year: the mountain road queues badly and tours run late. Book weeks ahead and treat the schedule as approximate.
Week by week
When the colour arrives, and where
Altitude decides everything. The lake is at 1,269 metres and the shrine is at about 600.
Late Oct
The whole mountain road
The colour works down the forty-eight bends. Peak traffic, peak photography and the best single view of the year from the top of the ascending route.
Early Nov
The shrine district
The maples around Toshogu and along the cedar avenue turn. The lake is going over by now, so this is the week to come if the shrine is the priority.
Mid Nov
The valley floor
Colour on the river and around the Shinkyo bridge, thinning crowds, and cheaper accommodation. A good compromise week.
Late Nov
Over
The mountains are bare and the first snow can be on the way. Toshogu is still Toshogu, and the lake tours start to get thin.
Autumn in Nikko, at a glance
- Lake colour
- Mid–late Octat 1,269 metres, it goes first
- Irohazaka road
- Late Octand the traffic that comes with it
- Shrine district
- Early–mid Novabout 600 metres, and later
- Peak crowd
- Late Oct – early Novthe busiest fortnight of the year
- Road delays
- Reala 40-minute climb can take twice that
- Book ahead
- 2–3 weeksthe good tours go first
- Tours run late
- Routinelybuild the slack into your evening
- Weekdays
- Much betterthe road is a Kanto weekend outing
- Best photo point
- The ascending roadfrom the upper bends, looking back
- Tours from
- $66and autumn is when they sell out
The trade
Is autumn worth the crowds at Nikko?
The best fortnight of the year, and the worst traffic. Come midweek.
Yes, and you should know exactly what you are buying.
What you get is genuinely the best two weeks of the Japanese year in one of the best places for it: a mountain road switchbacking through maples, a lake ringed with colour at one thousand two hundred metres, and a shrine complex in gold leaf under red trees. It is not oversold.
What you also get is the traffic. The Irohazaka road is the destination for a large share of the Tokyo region on an autumn weekend, and a forty-minute climb can take well over an hour. Coach tours run late in that fortnight as a matter of routine. If your evening in Tokyo has something booked at seven, move it.
Two things help. Come on a weekday rather than a weekend, which halves the road problem. And decide in advance whether you are coming for the lake or the shrine, because they peak two to three weeks apart and trying to hit both is how people end up seeing neither at its best.
The mountain road is the thing autumn is really about, and not every tour goes up it.
The Irohazaka road and the lake→Every trip, current fare
Every tour, and which ones reach the autumn road
Twelve tours, cheapest first. The lake column is the autumn column: the tours that reach Chuzenji are the ones that drive the Irohazaka.
| Tour | Length | Price | Lake Chuzenji | Cost per hour | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Private Tour with English-Speaking GuideA private guide at a coach price | 10 h | $66 | If you want it | $6.60 | 5.0 · 45 |
| World Heritage Sites & Hot Spring Day TripThe World Heritage sites and a hot spring | 10 h | $71 | Not included | $7.10 | 5.0 · 1 |
| Kegon Falls, Lake Chuzenji & ToshoguThe most-reviewed Nikko day, lake included | 10.5 h | $74 | Included | $7.05 | 4.6 · 2,272 |
| Toshogu Shrine and Lake Chuzenji Day TripToshogu and the lake, no waterfall stop | 10 h | $75 | Included | $7.50 | 4.4 · 33 |
| Toshogu Shrine and Kegon Waterfall TourThe shrine and the waterfall, most booked | 10.5 h | $83 | Falls only | $7.90 | 4.5 · 1,506 |
| Guided Day Trip to the World Heritage SitesAll three World Heritage sites | 10 h | $88 | Not included | $8.80 | 4.7 · 75 |
| Private Customizable Day Tour with DriverA driver, a vehicle and your own itinerary | 10 h | $303 | If you want it | $30.30 | 5.0 · 26 |
| Full-Day Personal and Private TourA private day, rated 4.9 | 10 h | $311 | If you want it | $31.10 | 4.9 · 316 |
| World Heritage Site Private Day TripA private car and driver | 10 h | $337 | If you want it | $33.70 | 5.0 · 1 |
| Nikko Day Tour with English DriverAn English-speaking driver, flexible route | 10 h | $342 | Included | $34.20 | 4.8 · 23 |
| Private Tour: Toshogu Shrine & Kegon FallsToshogu, the lake and the falls, privately | 10 h | $397 | Included | $39.70 | 4.4 · 11 |
| World Heritage Site Private Full-Day TripThe most complete private day here | 10–11 h | $458 | If you want it | $43.62 | 5.0 · 436 |
Common questions
Autumn in Nikko, answered
When is autumn colour in Nikko?
At Lake Chuzenji and on the upper Irohazaka road from about mid to late October, and in the shrine district below from early to mid November. Altitude sets the timing, and the difference between the two is two to three weeks.
Is Nikko crowded in autumn?
Very, in late October and early November. The Irohazaka road is a major weekend outing from the Tokyo region and it queues badly. Weekdays are substantially better.
When should you book a Nikko tour for autumn?
Two to three weeks ahead for the peak fortnight. The tours that include the lake sell out first because that is where the colour is.
Do Nikko tours run late in autumn?
Routinely, because of the traffic on the mountain road. Assume a later return to Tokyo than the listing states and do not book anything tight for that evening.
Which is better in autumn, the lake or the shrine?
The lake, if you can time it — the road up is the reason people come. But it turns two to three weeks earlier, so the answer depends entirely on the week you have.
Go deeper
More on Nikko
The shrine
Nikko Toshogu
The mausoleum of Ieyasu, and why it is covered in gold.
The dayA day trip from Tokyo
Ten hours, four of them travelling, and what fits into the rest.
Getting thereTokyo to Nikko
Two railways, two hours, and which pass covers what.
All threeThe shrines and temples
Toshogu, Futarasan and Rinnoji, and what UNESCO listed.
The gateThe Yomeimon gate
508 carvings, no two the same, and one column upside down.
The monkeysThe three wise monkeys
One panel of eight, and the seven nobody photographs.
