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Q.When and where should you see the autumn leaves in Nara?

Published 2026-06-19

Answer

In central Nara, the peak is typically mid-to-late November as a rough guide. In Nara Park the ginkgo and cherry trees start turning from late October, with maples peaking from mid-November onward. Tanzan Shrine, Shoryakuji, Hasedera and Muroji all run roughly mid-November to early December. By contrast, the high country turns earlier — around mid-October at Odaigahara and early-to-mid November at Mitarai Gorge (2025; Nara Prefecture official tourism site and others).

Start with Nara Park, from mid-November

Nara Park, the natural starting point for any Nara trip, has an unusually wide window — roughly late October to early December — because different trees turn at different times. Ginkgo and cherry lead the way from late October, while the star maples peak from mid-November on. Set against the deer, Todaiji and Kasuga Taisha, autumn color here comes with the city right at hand. Because the park stays colorful for so long, it is an easy bet even in years when the timing is hard to read (2025; Nara Prefecture official tourism site).

late Oct – early DecNara Park overall window

from mid-Novmaple peak

from late Octginkgo & cherry turn

Lining up the famous spots

Venture a little beyond the city and the temple-and-shrine spots hit their peak. Tanzan Shrine (Sakurai, Tonomine), Shoryakuji (Nara, Bodaisancho), Hasedera (Sakurai, Hatsuse) and Muroji (Uda) all run roughly mid-November to early December. Shoryakuji is especially famed: more than 3,000 maples on its grounds, joined by over 1,000 nandina shrubs, have earned it the old nickname 'Village of Brocade.' With several big names peaking together, mid-to-late November is Nara's richest stretch for autumn color (2025; Nara Prefecture official tourism site and temple/shrine sites).

SpotLocationTypical peak
Nara ParkNara Citylate Oct – early Dec
Tanzan ShrineSakurai, Tonominemid Nov – early Dec
ShoryakujiNara, Bodaisanchomid Nov – early Dec
HasederaSakurai, Hatsusemid Nov – early Dec
MurojiUda Citymid Nov – early Dec

The higher the mountain, the earlier the peak

In Nara, altitude shifts the timing. Earliest is Odaigahara (around 1,500 m class), peaking about mid-October. Mitarai Gorge follows at roughly early-to-mid November, Yoshinoyama at about early November to early December, and the city spots (mid-to-late November) come last. Chase the high country in October and the city temples in November, and you can go leaf-viewing several times in a single autumn. Letting the elevation work for you is the same Nara trick that makes Yoshino's cherry season last a month (2025; Nara Prefecture official tourism site).

mid-OctOdaigahara peak

early–mid NovMitarai Gorge peak

early Nov – early DecYoshinoyama window

Evening light-ups and special openings

Pinning down evening events and special openings makes planning easier. In 2025, Tanzan Shrine held its autumn-leaves festival from October 1 to December 7, with light-ups in the evenings from November 14 to December 7. Shoryakuji's autumn special opening ran November 3 to December 7. Both line up closely with the maple peak in mid-to-late November. Dates shift year to year, so check the official site for the year you plan to visit before setting out (2025; temple/shrine official sites).

Oct 1 – Dec 7Tanzan autumn festival (2025)

Nov 14 – Dec 7Tanzan light-up (2025)

Nov 3 – Dec 7Shoryakuji special opening (2025)

Datasets behind this article

Sources