Chasing Autumn: When and Where to See Leaves in Hiroshima

(Last updated: 10.14.2026)

Want to know the where to view autumn foliage in Hiroshima and when the leaves will be at their peak?

Grab your camera, a backpack and a good pair of walking shoes. Autumn is right around the corner with vibrant autumn foliage in both natural and crafted settings across Hiroshima. We’ve assembled 16 of Hiroshima Prefecture’s most famous and lesser-known places to see autumn leaves. Depending on when you are visiting, we organized them below according to when you are most likely to see the foliage at peak brilliance. 

The region is especially notable for maple leaves — a symbol of the prefecture. Here you can find a diversity of species such as iroha-kaede, o-momiji and urihada-kaede, each with distinct coloration and leaf shapes. The prefecture also has hidden ginkgo gems including giant trees older than the colonization of the Americas. 

Please note, however, that Hiroshima Prefecture does not change uniformly. It has a diverse geography ranging from towering mountains in the north to coastal islands in the south. Typically the higher elevations change first with low-lying coastal areas changing last.

This year, the autumn leaf season is predicted to start in late October to early November. By mid to late November, the cascade of colors will reach Hiroshima City and the southern islands. 

Even if you miss the November window, however, you may still have a chance to enjoy Japan’s autumn leaves in Hiroshima. Unseasonably warm weather pushed the Japanese Meteorological Corporation’s annual forecast far later than in previous years’ forecasts. As a result, many locations are expected to still have color into December. 

Autumn Foliage: Early to Mid-November

Mount Noro: Early Color

At 839 meters high, Mount Noro is the second tallest mountain in Setonaikai National Park. It is peppered with historical shrines and temples to explore, and its slopes and observation decks feature sweeping views of the island-dotted Seto Inland Sea. It is around 5 degrees cooler at the summit, causing the leaves at the top to change color before the trees at the bottom. Because of this, it is a great spot for early leaf viewing in the area. 

Getting There:

There are three trails. The most accessible are the Kawajiri Course and the Yasuura Course. Both can be reached from Hiroshima Station via the JR Kure Line. The Kawajiri Course starts at Aki-Kawajiri Station (安芸川尻駅), while the Yasuura Course starts from Ato Station (安登駅). In both cases, you have to pass through the local town to get to the trailhead. This map from Noro Kogen Lodge and this map from the prefectural government are in Japanese but provide useful information for finding your way.

Read more about Mount Noro

Ondaki and Mendaki Falls:  Autumn Views For Couples

This romantic getaway high in the mountains of Shobara, Hiroshima Prefecture translates to “Male and Female Waterfalls.” These two waterfalls are fed by the same water source. The male waterfall plunges straight down 21 meters into a deep pool that local tradition claims is home to a dragon. Meanwhile, the female waterfall diverts less water but transports it further away. The falls drop about 15 meters then meander over gentle slopes until the waters collect at the waterfall’s bottom situated a little in front of the base of the male waterfall. In autumn, these waterfalls are framed in red by Japanese maples and wax trees.

Getting There:

The falls are deep off the beaten path. You will need to rent a car or take a taxi to get there.

Taishaku Gorge: A National Place of Scenic Beauty

Located between Shobara City and Jinsekikogen Town, this limestone karst ravine is a formally designated National Place of Scenic Beauty from the Japanese government. In autumn, this 18-kilometer gorge is lined with vibrant wax trees and iroha-kaede, a Japanese variety of maple tree. Discover a natural limestone bridge 90-meters long and 40-meter-high, a 200-meter deep limestone cave and boat tours of Lake Shinryu as it reflects the orange and red trees along its banks. 

Getting There:

Take the Taishaku Gorge Liner bus from Hiroshima Station. Round trip is ¥5,400 and includes a voucher for the sightseeing boat.

Read more about Taishaku Gorge

Yano Onsen Park Shiki no Sato: The Vermilion Garden

There are 15 hectares of Japanese nature and a maple leaf haven to explore at Yano Onsen Park Shiki no Sato. Nestled in the mountains of Fuchu City in Hiroshima Prefecture, in autumn, people travel to Yano Onsen Park to surround themselves with maple leaves. On the grounds is a specially designed Japanese garden featuring both momiji and kaede varieties of Japanese maples plus beech trees. The trees are paired with dodan-tsutsuji azalea bushes which turn fiery red along with the maples. When you’re done, visit nearby Soba Dokoro Shiki to enjoy handmade soba, or, if you make a reservation, you can make it yourself.

Getting There:

From Hiroshima Station, take the JR Kabe Line or a combination of JR Geibi and Fukuzen Lines to Bingo-Yano Station. From there, hail a taxi or walk the remaining three kilometers to the park.

Sandankyo Gorge: Seasonal Standby

(Joy Photo / Michael Farrell)

This 16-kilometer gorge is considered one of the most beautiful places in Hiroshima Prefecture along with Miyajima Island. Easy hiking paths cut along hillsides glowing with the crimson leaves of uonome-kaede and iroha-kaede maples as well as native beech trees and oaks. Below you in the valley, rapids cascade down waterfalls and collect in deep, emerald streams. This natural collision of dramatic stone faces, rushing waters and brilliant autumn leaves is among the reasons why Sandankyo has the rare title, a “Special Place of Scenic Beauty” — a title currently held by only 23 sites across the nation including Miyajima and Kyoto’s Kinkakuji. 

Getting There:

From Hiroshima Bus Center, take Hiroden Bus 74 to Sandankyo Shomen-guchi (三段峡正面口). It takes 60 to 90 minutes and ¥1,670 for a one-way fare.

Read more about Sandankyo Gorge

Tenman Shrine: The Ancient Ginko that Helps Nursing Mothers

This nearly 1,300-year-old shrine is guardian of one of the oldest ginkgo trees in Japan: the Chichisagari Giant Ginkgo Tree of Kamitakano Mountain. At least 1,000 years old, this tree is the oldest of its kind in Hiroshima Prefecture and potentially much older. According to the shrine’s records, the ginkgo was planted in the year 729 A.D., making it only two centuries younger than the oldest in Japan. The massive trunk is 9.6 meters in circumference, big enough for six to seven average-sized adults to hug it hand to hand. And because of its great age, it has hanging aerial roots. These pendulous appendages reminded the locals of human breasts, thus inspiring the name “Chichisagari” — sagging breasts. In former days, women who had trouble with nursing would pray to the tree for help. Today, people are more likely to bask in the glory of its many golden leaves in autumn. 

Getting There:

Without a car, getting to Tenman Shrine is a three to four hour journey from Hiroshima Station on public transportation. We prefer the slower but more comfortable and scenic 9 a.m. JR Geibi Line train to Miyoshi Station before taking the Shinichi Shako (下高野線) destined bus to the end of the line. The walk to the shrine takes about 10 minutes.

Autumn Foliage: Mid to Late-November

Tsutsuga Huge Ginkgo: The Thanksgiving Tree

In Akiota Town, on the opposite side of Hiroshima Prefecture, stands a similarly ancient and revered ginkgo. Otoshi Shrine’s Tsutsuga Huge Ginkgo is estimated to be 1,100 years old. When this tree was in its 30s, the Vikings were ravaging the North Atlantic. When it was around 250 years old, local tradition says that a man by the name of Ikeda Saemon cultivated a rice field near the tree feeling guided to the spot by a crane. The field produced a good harvest, so Saemon built a shrine under the tree out of thanksgiving. Today the tree stands at 48 meters tall and 8.2 meters in circumference. In autumn it creates a thick, golden carpet of leaves over the shrine grounds, creating a particularly striking combination of ancient tree, traditional architecture and autumn color.

Getting There:

From Hiroshima Station, take the Iwami Kotsu bus bound for Iwami Kotsu Honsha-mae (広島～益田：六日市経由) and get off at Tsutsuga Parking Area (筒賀 パーキングエリア). Next, walk 1.4 kilometers (about 20 minutes) to Otoshi Shrine. 

Mount Gokurakuji: When Miyajima is too Crowded

On Mount Gokurakuji, you can avoid the crowds of Miyajima without avoiding the depth of history and the autumn scenery. Located right across from Miyajima Island in Hatsukaichi City, at 693-meters-high, Gokurakuji provides sweeping views of Miyajima and the surrounding islands. On the summit lies Gokurakuji Temple, one of the oldest Buddhist temples in Hiroshima Prefecture. While the main hall dates to a 1562 reconstruction, local tradition holds that the temple was founded in 731 by the Buddhist saint Gyoki. The temple grounds turn red in autumn with 30 yama-momiji trees while the steep hike passes primeval fir trees and akagashi oaks. Though the oaks are broadleaf evergreens and so remain green year-round, the temple preserves an enormous 300-year-old akagashi in front of the main hall. At 20-meters tall, it is the largest akagashi in the prefecture. The base, moreover, has a hollow large enough for several people to step into it.

Getting There:

Take the JR Sanyo Line from Hiroshima Station to Hatsukaichi Station. From there you need to hike an hour north through the town until you get to the trailhead for the Yashiro Course (屋代). The entrance is outside the western tip of Miyajima Country Club. There is a quiet road that passes just alongside the country club that locals take to reach the trail.

Josei Falls: A Japan Top 100 Waterfall

Vermilion, gold and emerald leaves outline Josei Falls in autumn, a site formally recognized as one of Japan’s top 100 waterfalls. Visitors come from around the country to meditate on the beauty of the 126-meter drop organized poetically into three stages: Aranami (rough wave) at the top followed by Shiraito (white thread) and culminating at Tamamizu (beautiful water), at the bottom. 

Getting There:

There are a variety of routes there by bus and JR train. Most lead to Miyoshi Station and from there by bus on to Sakugi Shisho-mae bus stop (作木支所前). The whole trip takes about three hours, but the falls are only a ten-minute walk away from Sakugi Shiso-mae.

Lake Yachiyo: Cycle Under the Changing Leaves

Formed by Haji Dam in Akitakata, Hiroshima Prefecture, Lake Yachiyo is a reservoir bounded by maple trees reflecting autumn colors off the waters. Visitors can rent a variety of bicycles, including tandem bikes, to enjoy the colors while cycling around the lake. Haji Dam Cycling Terminal, which rents the bikes, also offers canoe lessons by reservation and has a 250-meter pedal-powered train course. 

Getting There:

The closest public transportation stop to Haji Dam is Katsuta bus stop (勝田) on National Route 54.  Depending on the time of day, a variety of train and bus combinations will get you there from Hiroshima Station. From there to the dam itself is a 20-minute walk. The safest walking route forward is to cross the dam and past the County Government Office. Continue ten minutes up the road and turn left. You’ll find a footpath that leads around the eastern side of the lake. The distance from the dam to the cycling terminal along this route covers 5 km and takes about an hour to walk.

Momijidani Park: Nationally Famed Autumn Views

(Joy Photo / Michael Farrell)

At the foot of Mt. Misen, a 10-minute walk from Itsukushima Shrine lies a park filled with around 700 maple trees. A variety of maples — including the wide-leafed urihada-kaede, the saw-toothed yama-momiji and the classic iroha-kaede — line the mountain valley. The path through the park follows a stream up the mountainside, over traditional wooden bridges, past a Ghibli-esque ryokan and near chaya restaurants where you can enjoy the local fare outdoors amid the foliage.  “Maple Valley” in English, Momijidani’s trees were first planted in the Edo period, but underwent significant repairs in the late 1940s after it was destroyed by a typhoon. Today it is one of the most famous destinations for autumn leaf viewing in Hiroshima Prefecture.

Getting There:

Take the JR Sanyo Line to Miyajimaguchi Station. Take the nearby ferry to Miyajima and then follow the crowds westward along the coast around the back of Itsukushima Shrine. A road on the backside of the shrine points away from the shrine to the mountains. This road takes you to Momijidani Park.

Read more about Momijidani Park.

Autumn Foliage: Late-November to Early-December

Mitakidera Temple: Hiroshima City Locals’ Autumn Oasis

(Joy Photo / Michael Farrell)

“Three Waterfalls Temple” in English, Mitakidera rises up the side of Mt. Mitaki weaving a meandering stairway around calming forest depths, mountain streams, mossy statues of Buddhist saints and historical Buddhist buildings. One of the few temples that survived the atomic bombing, Mitakidera is a popular leaf-viewing location for Hiroshima City locals — a quiet stop when Shukkeien Garden is overflowing with tourists. The temple site is said to have been founded in 809 by the monk Kukai. The oldest original buildings remaining date to the Edo and Meiji periods, with the remainder being rebuilt after the atomic bombing. Curiously, the very oldest building, the Tahoto pagoda, was originally built in Wakayama during the late Muromachi period (1336 to 1573). It was donated to Mitakidera in 1951 as a memorial to the atomic bomb victims. 

Getting There:

Take the JR Kabe Line from Hiroshima Station to Mitaki Station. The temple is a fifteen-minute walk through residential communities on the lower slopes of the mountain.

Read more about Mitakidera Temple

Shukkeien Garden: Autumn Leaf Shows After Dark

This 400-year-old daimyo garden is one of Hiroshima City’s most celebrated spots to enjoy autumn scenery. It was designed to compress the varied landscapes of the region — mountains, sea, rivers and islands — into one miniature representation. The result is a picturesque landscape lined with winding dirt paths, stepping-stone crossings, rolling hills, unique bridges, sheltered pavilions and little tea houses amid a wide variety of manicured trees, bushes and flowers. In autumn, the garden’s many trees — including maples and a 200-year-old ginkgo that survived the atomic bombing — exhibit a range of fiery hues which take on a new intensity during Shukkeien’s annual autumn foliage illuminations after sunset. As of September 16, Shukkeien had not yet released its 2026 autumn foliage illumination schedule.

Getting There:

Shukkeien Garden is about a 12-minute walk from Hiroshima Station’s southern exit. The best walking route is north along the Kyobashi River then over Sakae Bridge. Follow the road and take your first right. Shukkeien is about a minute’s walk further.

Read more about Shukkeien Garden

Buttsuji Temple: Autumn Leaves at a Famous Temple

(Joy Photo / Michael Farrell)

Tucked away in a Mihara mountain valley amid dense cedar trees is a Buddhist temple that was one of the region’s largest and most influential temples in medieval Japan. Buttsuji (pronounced “Bu-tsu-ji” with a hard stop after the “Bu”), once held 88 subtemples on its grounds and led a network of 3,000 temples spread across Japan from the Kanto region to Kyushu. Today, though far humbler, Buttsuji draws November admirers of the temple ground’s autumn transformation. While their website tentatively sets the autumn foliage viewing period this year from November 7 to the 29th, the Japan Meteorological Corporation’s preliminary report predicts peak foliage at Buttsuji toward the later end of that time period. Both organizations may revise their estimates as autumn gets closer.  

Getting There:

Take the JR Sanyo Line to Mihara Station. From there take the Geiyo Bus Mihara-Hongo Line (三原～本郷線) to Hakubabashi (白馬橋). Buttsuji Temple is a ten-minute walk away.

Kosanji Temple: Fall Colors Amid Stunning Temple Architecture

While the other temples on this list are ancient complexes set amid nature, Kosanji Temple is a carefully orchestrated 20th-century Buddhist compound whose landscape and architecture were designed as a unified whole. The autumn foliage here is part of the temple’s crafted image — an image that intentionally reproduces or reinterprets elements of Japan’s most celebrated religious sites. Among these are reproductions of the Phoenix Hall of Kyoto’s Byodo-in Temple and the brilliantly ornate Yomeimon Gate from Nikko Toshogu Shrine’s in Tochigi Prefecture. What inspired the meeting of Japan’s most iconic religious structures on Ikuchi island in the Seto Inland Sea? A son’s love for his mother. In 1934, the Osaka welding industrialist Kanemoto Fukumatsu lost his mother. He was 42. In response to her death, he entered the Buddhist priesthood, took the religious name Kozo and began the temple’s more than 30-years of construction in her honor. 

Getting There:

You can get to Kosanji by ferry from Mihara City, but our favorite route is by bicycle rental in Onomichi City, a little further up the coast. The famous island-hopping route known as the Shimanami Kaido takes two to three hours at a pace that lets you enjoy the ocean views and stop in at little shops to enjoy fresh-squeezed local oranges and hassaku daifuku.

Read more about Kosanji Temple

Mount Shirataki: Autumn Leaves with an Ocean View

In autumn, the summit of Shirataki Mountain on the island of Innoshima bursts red and orange between roughly 700 stone statues. The statues exhibit a wide range of emotions, and vary in size from half a meter to two meters. Called the “Five Hundred Rakan” — despite there being more than 500 statues — these stone statues of Buddha’s disciples and others were carved in the 1800s by the followers of Kashiwabara Denroku, a wealthy merchant who ended up founding a new religious movement. In addition to autumn leaves amid monumental stone figures, the 227-meter high mountain provides sweeping views of the surrounding Seto Inland Sea.  

Getting There:

Consider stopping to hike Mount Shirataki while on your way to Kousanji Temple, mentioned above. They are along the same cycling route, and the hike to the summit takes no more than 90 minutes.

Read more about Mt. Shirataki and Innoshima