Last November 1st, the Japan Meteorological Corporation (JMC) released its most recent forecast for the Autumn Foliage 2022. This forecast covers around 700 locations across Japan, from Hokkaido down to Kagoshima Prefecture in Kyushu Island, where you can see the best viewing dates/time of the red (maple) and yellow leaves (ginkgo) trees. It also predicts the foliage in around 2000 mountains. So if you are coming this October to early November, here’s the forecast chart map: 

Forecast for red leaves (maple trees) viewing

Forecast for yellow leaves (ginkgo trees) viewing

If you are visiting from mid to late October, you might not see a lot of foliage yet in popular tourist centers such as Kyoto, Osaka and Tokyo. However, you can check out the surrounding mountain locations where autumn foliage usually appears earlier. For those who have yet to secure their tickets, you may consider this forecast to plan the most perfect time to come and visit your desired locations in Japan.

2022 forecast of autumn foliage for each area

Of course the autumn foliage is sought after for its colors, a perfect backdrop to any Japan souvenir picture, worthy of posting to social media. So be sure to have your perfect fashion finds ready or something that`s comfortably warm and doesn’t blend with your autumn foliage  colors (No pressure).

Lastly, in case you`re wondering how they make foliage forecasts, well, JMC is a foremost weather company that forecast autumn foliage and cherry blossoming for several years now. They use original tools and data based on previous research on periods that reference trees such as maple and ginkgo`s leaves change their color. In order to forecast the dates, they also follow the observation standards of the sample trees of the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) to estimate the day in which most parts of the trees` leaves turn red or yellow. [TBC]