Japan’s Trending Destinations for October 2026

Japan in October is among the country's finest seasonal offerings — the summer heat has lifted, and the first waves of autumn color begin to sweep across the mountains and temple grounds from north to south. There are also events such as lantern processions, harvest celebrations, and hot air balloon spectacles drawing visitors to corners of the country that may not be featured on a first-time itinerary. Rakuten Travel’s booking trends across five markets — South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, and the United States — for October 2026 reveal where travelers are heading this autumn. 

For October 2026, five Japanese prefectures are emerging as standout destinations for South Korean travelers: Mie, Ibaraki, Tokushima, Shiga, and Miyagi. Ibaraki's rise may partly reflect the resumption of the direct Seoul–Ibaraki route in late 2025, which opened a more convenient gateway to a region previously underserved by direct connections from Korea (temporarily suspended until October 23, 2026 as of writing), with Hitachi Seaside Park's iconic autumn kochia fields giving travelers a compelling reason to time a visit in October. It's a great time to visit all five, as Japan's autumn foliage season begins painting the landscape in shades of crimson and gold.

In Mie Prefecture, October 1 marks the official opening of Ise-ebi (Ise lobster) season, making it the ideal time to pair a pilgrimage to the sacred Ise Grand Shrine with a seafood feast along the Shima Peninsula coastline. From around mid-October, the autumn leaves at Gozaisho Ropeway area start to change color, and the stunning illuminations at Nabana no Sato are also planned to run from October 17, 2026 to May 31, 2027.

2. Ibaraki

Aero K launched direct flights between Seoul and Ibaraki in late 2025, making the prefecture more accessible (service temporarily suspended from August 3 to October 23, 2026). Ibaraki's Hitachi Seaside Park hits peak crimson kochia color around mid-October — nearby Mito's Kairakuen Garden offers a quieter complement for those wanting to linger. At Kasama Inari Shrine, the annual Kasama Chrysanthemum Festival takes place from late October to November.

3. Tokushima

In Tokushima Prefecture, the sheer-walled Oboke Gorge and the mist-draped Iya Valley deliver some of Japan's most dramatic mountain scenery, with the Naruto Whirlpools providing a coastal spectacle on the way in or out. October is the peak month to view the foliage around Mount Tsurugi.

4. Shiga

Shiga rewards visitors with Hikone Castle — one of Japan's few original surviving keeps — set against the broad expanse of Lake Biwa, while the historic merchant town of Nagahama is ideal for a relaxed afternoon stroll. Fall foliage begins at places like Enryaku-ji Temple and Mount Hiei. Otsu Festival, a designated Intangible Folk Cultural Property, takes place in Otsu, where magnificent floats with karakuri mechanical dolls are paraded through town.

5. Miyagi

Rounding out the list, Miyagi Prefecture offers the pine-clad islands of Matsushima Bay, one of the Three Scenic Views of Japan, as well as Zao's volcanic Okama Crater Lake, where the surrounding hills begin to turn in October, and places like Tenshukaku Nature Park starting their fall illuminations. With temperatures starting to cool, stop by Akiu Onsen for a rejuvenating soak in the hot springs.

These five Japanese prefectures are emerging as trending destinations for Hong Kong travelers: Gunma, Kanagawa, Ishikawa, Okayama, and Okinawa. In terms of accessibility, Okinawa gained an additional option in July 2026 when Greater Bay Airlines launched a new seasonal daily service from Hong Kong, adding capacity to a route already operated by other airlines. October is a great time to visit, with fall foliage starting in some of the prefectures — while Okinawa's subtropical climate keeps temperatures comfortably warm well into the month. 

In Gunma Prefecture, with temperatures starting to cool, October is a great time to take a dip in the onsen (hot springs). Kusatsu — one of Japan's three most celebrated hot spring resorts — is particularly inviting as the mountain air begins to cool, and the charming stone-stepped streets of Ikaho Onsen make for a picturesque stroll as the surrounding hillsides begin to turn in late October. The broader highlands also put on an autumn display, with the forested slopes around Mount Akagi and Takatsudo Gorge adding to the seasonal scenery. UNESCO World Heritage Site Tomioka Silk Mill adds a cultural dimension for those looking to go beyond the hot springs.

2. Kanagawa

Kanagawa is one of Japan’s most rewarding destinations, combining iconic scenery with effortless access from Tokyo. In October, Hakone's Sengokuhara plateau reaches peak season for its sweeping silver pampas grass fields, and the surrounding areas such as Lake Ashi offer stunning views of Mount Fuji at their crispest on clear autumn days. 

Kamakura's ancient temples and bamboo groves offer a quieter counterpoint, while Yokohama's harbor front and Chinatown make for one of Japan's most comfortable urban bases.

3. Ishikawa

Ishikawa Prefecture has steadily re-emerged as a must-visit following the 2024 Noto earthquake. Key attractions include Kanazawa's Kenrokuen Garden, the preserved samurai and geisha districts, and Omicho Market for fresh seafood and other local delicacies. Autumn is one of the finest seasons to visit, as places like Hakusan Shirakawa-go White Road start their autumn colors. The prefecture was also selected as one of BBC’s 20 places to travel in 2026.

Okayama sits conveniently between Kyoto and Hiroshima on the shinkansen line, making it an easy addition to a wider western Japan itinerary. October foliage draws visitors to scenic gorges such as Okutsukei Valley and Akawase Valley, while Kurashiki's Bikan historical quarter, with its white-walled warehouses lining a willow-draped canal, is atmospheric in the soft autumn light.

5. Okinawa

Okinawa offers a very different kind of October escape. With temperatures still hovering around 78°F (26°C), the islands remain beach-ready long after the Japanese mainland has turned to autumn. The Naha Great Tug-of-War typically takes place in October and draws enormous crowds to the capital's main boulevard — one of the most energetic cultural spectacles here.

For October 2026, these five Japanese prefectures are drawing growing attention from Taiwanese travelers: Kanagawa, Saga, Chiba, Niigata, and Ishikawa. One connectivity development worth noting is for Chiba: Starlux Airlines launched its first direct service between Taichung and Narita Airport in Chiba Prefecture from March 2026, opening the region to travelers from central Taiwan without the need to transit through Taipei. October is when Japan's autumn foliage season starts to transform the landscape, while Saga's skies take center stage with one of Asia's most spectacular hot air balloon events. 

Kanagawa Prefecture offers some of Japan's most rewarding autumn scenery within easy reach of Tokyo. Hakone's Sengokuhara is particularly striking in October, when the plateau's vast pampas grass fields turn silver and gold across the hillside. Yokohama's waterfront and Chinatown — one of Japan's largest — add an urban dimension, while Kamakura's Zen temples and bamboo groves are atmospheric as the season shifts.

2. Saga

Flights between Saga and Taipei increased from two to three times a week from April 2025, improving accessibility and capacity to the Kyushu region. The prefecture is known internationally for hosting the Saga International Balloon Fiesta, one of Asia's largest hot air balloon competitions. Eva Air is one of its sponsors and has, in past years, had a balloon bearing its logo. The 2026 event is scheduled to take place from October 28 to November 3 — with colorful balloons rising over the surrounding landscape and glowing against the night sky during evening events. 

Beyond the festival, Yutoku Inari Shrine — one of Japan's three great Inari shrines — and the celebrated ceramic towns of Arita offer a rich cultural itinerary, while Ureshino Onsen provides a relaxing close to the day with hot springs.

3. Chiba

Chiba offers far more than its role as the gateway through Narita Airport. October is an excellent time to explore the historic Edo-era waterways of Sawara, where traditional floats parade through the streets during the autumn edition of the Sawara Grand Festival. 

Along the Boso Peninsula, the terraced rice fields at Oyama Senmaida — one of Japan's 100 best terraced landscapes — create a striking evening spectacle with its annual illumination event, which usually takes place from late October to early January. At Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea, their annual Halloween event is scheduled from September 16 to October 31, 2026.

4. Niigata

Niigata Prefecture attracted attention among Taiwanese travelers on social media this year with posts featuring the dazzling Nagaoka Fireworks Festival, which took place on August 2 and 3. Niigata is easily accessible via Shinkansen from Tokyo, and is also known for its ski resorts, but October offers Niigata’s autumn highlights such as the Wara Art Festival, scheduled to run from August 29 to October 31, filling Uwasekigata Park with giant straw sculptures crafted from the leftover rice harvest — a uniquely local and photogenic autumn tradition. It’s also a great time to start enjoying the autumn leaves by driving on the Osado Skyline or taking a ride on the gondola at Naeba. 

5. Ishikawa

Ishikawa Prefecture is expected to be more accessible from Kaohsiung with Tigerair Taiwan scheduled to start direct flights to Komatsu Airport in September 2026. Several events take place in October, including the Kanazawa Marathon and the Yuwaku Bonbori Festival, where softly glowing paper lanterns or bonbori are lit from around July to October, creating a beautiful nostalgic atmosphere. One of the unique points of this festival is that it originally started when locals and fans turned a fictional bonbori festival featured in an anime into a real event. 

For Singapore travelers, these five Japanese prefectures are emerging as standout destinations for October 2026: Kochi, Fukushima, Kagawa, Tokushima, and Shizuoka. Scoot's new direct Singapore–Tokyo Haneda service, launched in early 2026, has added a budget-friendly option to an already well-connected corridor, potentially making Japan's more offbeat regional destinations easier to fold into an itinerary. Not only is October a rewarding month to view the autumn color peaks across some of the cooler prefectures, but also a great time to view Mount Fuji as the first seasonal snow usually appears on its summit around this time.

In Kochi Prefecture, fall foliage starts in places such as Setogawa Gorge and Tengu Kogen. Other attractions in Kochi include Kochi Castle, one of just twelve original castles remaining in Japan. For nature lovers, places like Yasui Gorge and Nikobuchi Waterfall are known for the “Niyodo Blue,” the beautiful photogenic cobalt blue waters, and for foodies, Hirome Market offers different types of food in a nostalgic yatai food stall style. 

2. Fukushima

Fukushima, located in the Tohoku region, offers amazing fall landscapes as the leaves start changing colors in many places in October. Enjoy a colorful drive on the Bandai Azuma Skyline, an 18-mile (29 kilometers) road selected as one of Japan’s Best 100 Roads, or take a train ride on the Tadami Line, which connects Fukushima and Niigata prefectures, with several highlights along the way, including the scenic view from the train window along the Tadami River. 

For events, the Nihonmatsu Lantern Festival — one of Japan's top three lantern festivals — takes place in early October each year, when seven enormous floats, each rising 36 feet (11 meters) and draped in approximately 3,000 glowing red paper lanterns lit by real candles, are hauled through the city in a tradition stretching back over 350 years. 

3. Kagawa

Kagawa is best experienced slowly, island by island across the Seto Inland Sea. Naoshima — the art island at the heart of the Benesse Art Site — is home to world-class works by artists including James Turrell and Walter De Maria, housed in Tadao Ando-designed buildings, and draws a globally minded cultural crowd year-round. 

Seasonal attractions include autumn leaves starting around late October at Okubo Temple, as well as the kochia and cosmos fields at Sanuki Manno Park. The Sanuki Toyohama Chosa Festival takes place annually in October, where large floats luxuriously decorated with gold-thread embroidery are paraded through town.

4. Tokushima

Tokushima Prefecture is the spiritual starting point of the Shikoku 88-Temple Pilgrimage — one of the world's great walking routes — and the cultural home of the Awa Odori, one of Japan's most exuberant traditional dance festivals. While the summer festival itself takes place in August, the dance's legacy permeates the city year-round, and the Awa Odori Kaikan museum lets visitors learn and even try the steps. From August to October is said to be sudachi season — the small, aromatic citrus with the largest produce share in Tokushima — which can simply be enjoyed squeezed over grilled Pacific saury at local restaurants. For those venturing inland, Oboke Gorge and Iya Valley are great places to check out for nature lovers.

5. Shizuoka

Shizuoka Prefecture is one of the two prefectures that border Mount Fuji. October usually brings the first seasonal snowcap to Mount Fuji's summit, making it arguably one of the finest months to photograph the mountain. Other seasonal highlights include viewing the fall foliage from the thrilling suspension bridge at Sumatakyo Valley, and taking in the breathtaking views around the Oigawa Railway. The Izu Peninsula — a UNESCO Global Geopark — offers a completely different character: dramatic volcanic coastline, crystalline waters, and hot spring towns that spill down toward the sea. 

These five Japanese prefectures are emerging as standout destinations for American travelers: Okinawa, Iwate, Yamagata, Miyagi, and Tokushima. Three of the five — Iwate, Yamagata, and Miyagi — sit within the Tohoku region, which has seen renewed international attention, with Yamagata being selected as one of the best places in the world to travel to in 2026 by National Geographic. Closer to the tropics, Okinawa has warm October temperatures that set it apart from the mainland's autumn palette. 

Okinawa offers a distinctly different kind of Japan — one shaped by the ancient Ryukyu Kingdom with its own language, cuisine, and architecture. October is an ideal time to visit: the summer heat has softened, yet the sea remains warm enough for swimming and snorkeling around the coral reefs at areas like Kerama Islands, a short ferry ride from Naha. Junglia Okinawa, a theme park located in the northern part of Okinawa’s main island, opened a new ride called Yanbaru Tornado, adding it to the list of thrilling attractions at the park.  

2. Iwate

In Iwate, the UNESCO World Heritage sites of Hiraizumi are some of the headline attractions — Chuson-ji Temple's gilded Golden Hall and Motsu-ji Temple's vast garden, which is one of Japan's finest surviving examples of Heian-era (794-1185) landscape design. 

The wild Geibikei Gorge, where flat-bottomed boats drift between soaring rock walls draped in autumn color, provides a more rugged counterpoint, and if conditions are right, unkai, or sea of clouds, appear in Tono City from around October to November. In Takata, the Takata Matsubara Fireworks are scheduled to take place on October 11, and a special exhibition for the manga Jujutsu Kaisen is planned from September 12 to November 8 at the Iwate Museum of Art in Morioka. 

3. Yamagata

Yamagata has been drawing growing international notice — including a spotlight as one of National Geographic's Best of the World picks for 2026 — as a destination with cultural depth not part of Japan’s “golden route.” 

The mountain temple of Yamadera, where stone steps wind through ancient cryptomeria forest to a clifftop viewpoint over a valley, is one of Tohoku's most memorable sights. The Zao Ropeway lifts visitors above a landscape of turning maples and oaks, while cruises run along the Mogami River for a view of the foliage from the river. Hike at Mount Gassan for spectacular foliage, drive the Chokai Blue Line, or take a dip in the hot springs at Ginzan Onsen as the surrounding area starts to change from the lush greenery to warmer autumn colors. 

4. Miyagi

In Miyagi, like the other Tohoku prefectures, October is a great time to visit, with the fall foliage starting in many areas, such as Naruko Valley, Matsushima Bay, and Entsu-in Temple. At Entsu-in Temple, the fall foliage illumination event is scheduled to take place from October 24 to November 23, 2026, allowing guests to admire beautiful fall scenery different from the daytime.

5. Tokushima

Tokushima rewards visitors willing to venture off the well-worn trail. Iya Valley, one of Japan's truly remote mountain landscapes, is known for its vine bridges that sway above steep gorges — scenery that feels entirely removed from the modern world. On the coast, the Naruto Whirlpools, among the largest tidal whirlpools in the world, can be viewed up close from glass-bottomed boats as powerful currents collide — one of the country's most dramatic natural spectacles.