Golds, russets and reds — the colours of autumn in Japan are mesmerising.
I recently returned from my first visit to this exciting country and what a fabulous introduction it was. I was one of seven bloggers and journalists invited to Shoryudo, the central region of Japan’s main island Honshu, to promote the lesser-known prefectures (counties/states) of Aichi and Gifu.
We discovered mountaintop castles in the clouds, we bathed in hot springs, learnt how to weave and to make sandals, paper, candles and even imitation food out of wax. We ate crab’s brain (not bad), eel’s liver (yuk) and matcha ice cream (yum!). But most memorable of all, we followed in the footsteps of the samurai along the Nakasendō and Tōkaidō pathways.
I took thousands of photos (quite literally) and I have so many things I’d like to write about that it is hard to know where to start. So first off, here’s a roundup of the trip as shared on Instagram by myself and some of my fellow bloggers — a great group of people that I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know. Scroll down to see some of the highlights from our autumn trip to Japan.
Further reading:
In the Footsteps of the Samurai: Walking the Nakasendo Way
33 top tips for first-time visitors to Japan
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Disclosure: My visit to Japan was complimentary but, as always, I kept the right to share with you whatever I like here on Travel With Kat.
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Wonderful photos! I would so much love to visit Japan, especially in autumn. Thanks for sharing 🙂
I looked forward to your post every day in Instagram from this trip Kat. They were just glorious. How nice to share the others traveling with you as well. Everyone always has a different eye behind the lens. What a beautiful time of year to visit Japan.
What fabulous colours! The spring blossoms are so famous in Japan but I think I love these shades even more, and what a wonderful country to explore.
We also saw some winter cherry blossoms but I much preferred photographing the autumn colours.
I’d love to visit this region, it looks so photogenic. Following in the traces of the samurais must be a lot of fun. I’ve recently been to Japan and loved the food, architecture and people
As did the island you visited! The people, architecture and landscapes were superb. The food I have mixed feelings about but it was always interesting!
I remember watching some Clive James documentaries on Japan many years ago, and thinking what a fabulously different place it was to anything I’d known before – that fascination persists today, especially with posts like this making it even more tantalising!
I do hope you get to visit one day, Sara. Japan is fascinating and so very beautiful.
I loved following this trip, and when you put them all together the colours are just stunning! Lovely to see Autumn elsewhere, just a month or two later than us!
Glad you enjoyed it, Anna. We missed the peak of the season and many trees had lost their leaves but, as you can see, the maples and some of the other trees were still wearing their fall finery.