Excursions from Tokyo?
 

I booked my trip for October 25 to Nov 3. I'll be staying at the Intercontinental Yokohama and/ or in downtown TYO.

Any suggestions for excursions for this time period? I am mainly interested in seeing nature, and appreciating the season.

Is there a nice autumn scenery by this time? Would I have to fly all the way to Hokkaido to see that?

2024 foliage season is forecast to be later than usual. In late October you might need to visit Tohoku for the best scenery. "Peak foliage" is expected in Nikko in mid-November, but the leaves may start to change there by early November. That would probably be the most accessible foliage trip from Tokyo in that timeframe.
https://koyo-jp.info/column/38/

If you're not stuck on the idea of seeing red and yellow leaves, Kamakura is always very pretty and is easy to reach from Yokohama.

Hi,

Also liked the Sankeien garden ( just outside yokohama but easily accessible by train then bus or walk or taxi. ) Very large garden

Sankeien Garden - Yokohama Travel (japan-guide.com)

Agree on Kamakura

There is also Hakone and the five lakes area around Mt Fuji
Regards

TBS

Oku-Nikko (by Lake Chuzenji) should have great foliage, although it really rewards an overnight stay and you may be too late to book the nicer options. Two hours train + one hour bus from Tokyo, do not go on a weekend unless you love being stuck in traffic.

I second suggestions of Sankeien and Nikko. Hakone is another popular destination that's not far from Yokohama (I'm pretty sure it's significantly closer than Nikko). I've not gone as a day trip but it should be doable if you plan well. And because it's in the mountains, the leaves *might* have started changing by then. It's also famous for onsen (hot springs).

Also, I'm not sure which Intercontinental you're staying at (Yokohama now has two) but both are quite central. If you like nightlife areas, I recommend checking out the Noge ("no-geh" 野毛) area behind Sakuragicho Station. It goes on for blocks and blocks and blocks, full of pubs and restaurants and such. The building known as Miyakobashi Shotengai (都橋商店街) is particularly cool. It brings back memories of the postwar Showa era.

Enjoy my city!

First time to Japan? And where in PNW do you live. I don't want to suggest something that's just going to look like the nature at home.

See about getting a bus up to Oze National Park to see the fall foliage. The hiking can be as intense as you want it to be. It's pretty flat in the main valley of the plateau, but you can also do a hike up Mt. Shibutsu. Mt. Hiyuchi is a lot steeper but it'll take you up to the highest point of the park.

This is very interesting... I like this idea!!!

I've stayed at Y Grand before and enjoyed it. I would like to try the other IC, but this time around I am taking my parents with me and the Grand might be more convenient for them, and it will also be more cost effective.

I think this will be my fourth or fifth visit. Last visit was in 2023, and prior to that, all others were prior to college.

I live halfway between SEA and YVR, west of tulip town. It is okay to suggest something that might look similar since I haven't even explored my own area. LOL

Use the Tanzawa-Oyama pass to see some temples, hiking, and onsens. Inexpensive pass and doesn’t take much time to get there

The places recommended are all nice places. The situation you will be facing is that you will be visiting Japan during the foliage season. Foliage is mother nature, and it is difficult to predict when the peak of the foliage at certain locations will be this year. But anywhere with foliage will be very busy. If you want to avoid a busy cloud, then the key will be to avoid foliage.

Nikko is one of the top foliage destinations in Japan. You pretty much have to go through the main Nikko area to reach Oku-Nikko. Technically, there is a back entrance to Oku-Nikko without going through the main Nikko area. But from Tokyo that will detour you so much (and pretty much have to drive your own due to lack of public transportation) that from Tokyo you may end up spending more than half a day just getting to Oku-Nikko via the back entrance.

An example of how bad the traffic is at Nikko during the peak foliage season. From Tobu Nikko station to the entrance of the Toshogu temple, it is 1.5 km (0.9 miles) and it is usually a 4 min. local bus ride. During the peak foliage season, the Tobu bus is reporting 40-45 min. journey for this short 1.5 km (0.9 miles) due to the traffic. Going up the Iroha hill to Lake Chuzenji toward Oku-Nikko is the same situation. 16 km (9.9 miles) Iroha Hill is reporting 3 hrs. drive during the peak of foliage season. This is the annual event in the foliage at the Nikko area and the peak foliage season for the Nikko area is from mid-October to the end of November.

Another famous place with a foliage traffic jam is the Kiyomizu temple in Kyoto, which is famous for its Japanese maple trees. Usual 5-10 min. drive around Kiyomizu temple takes 40-50 min. drive due to the traffic. You may think it will be better to walk, but due to the number of tourists in the area, walking around Kiyomizu temple during the foliage season will make the morning rush hour at Shinjuku station look like a day at the beach.

The possible Nikko traffic sounded unpleasant enough on an overnight that I plan spend the time on the shinkansen and go further north instead https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/36333163-post28.html

I remember seeing a few evening light ups in Kyoto foliage season. The crowd was ok when I went to other temples in the area but my last foliage visit was 10+ years ago. The Kyoto main tourist attraction crowds are somewhat infamous now so I'd believe that crowd estimation.

Haha. So true. There is great foliage in Snoqualmie National Forest and around mt baker during autumn :-). I grew up north of the 49 and so I've never really traveled to Japan to see anything like I'd see at home. People have suggested Nikko which is nice but could be packed. Maybe consider Tohoku? There are many places with. 2 hour train. I think yamadera is pushing it for a day trip. Depends how much time you want to spend on the train back and forth.

Is this the row of really small pubs along the river?

A year ago, I stayed at the Yokohama Grand and got a City Unscripted local guide (expensive). He assumed that since I could afford he private tour that I had money. He joked that, in his own words, that the people who frequent that area are usually of "lower quality."

At any rate, that area reminded me of the Netflix series Midnight Diner. I loved that series. And though I don't drink and do nightlife, I want to visit that area just because it reminds me of the show. LOL

You're in Kanagawa?
 

I have to again sound like a broken record; but the prior respondents have played the same cards they seemingly were born with. They all orbit around J. R., even with the J. R. pass now devalued.
Hikouki, since you are staying in Kanagawa, contemplate Keikyu's discount tickets. You can inquire about them @ Haneda Airport..
The one I recommend for this thread is the Miura peninsula Enjoyable ticket. You get a vast area to explore for two days. The price varies depending on where you begin and whether you want a physical ticket, from ¥4,550 to ¥5,150.
If you select this ticket, you will gain insight over an area of metropolitan Japan that few other English-speaking guests have (Because they were in bondage to J. R.).

Keikyu's range from Kanagawa to Tokyo may not be logical as a koyo excursion from Tokyo if OP is already staying in Yokohama in late October. Koyo in that area is probably closer to later November https://miurahantou.jp/autumn-leaves-in-yokosuka-miura/

The Yokosuka Maritime Self Defense Force fall open house is kind of interesting, though. I'll have to add to my wish list for a future year. https://miurahantou.jp/tadodai-bunchousha-autumn/

pudgym29 What other secondary and third rail companies outside Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto do you like or find most memorable?

I know you're well intentioned, but there are two options of trains which are not on Japan Rail here. JR's nation wide pass became a much less attractive option after the price hike last year and some of the regional passes value are also lower than they were a decade ago when non-continuous X of Y days were allowed.

Perhaps it is also a limitation to assume that foreign guests only speak English and I only want to try to optimize my itinerary for reduced English speaking tourism crowds. USA doesn't even make it into Top 3 by numbers of inbound in July 2024 https://www.tourism.jp/en/tourism-da...stats/inbound/ OTOH, the increased language support beyond English makes parts outside the Golden Triangle more accessible to tourists who are able to help JP tourism industry, especially due to the weaker yen & domestic inflation.

Odakyu
Tobu
As for my own, I'm headed to areas which are actually a lot less friendly to non-car options after Covid (partially also due to aging workforce) or infrequent third rail companies. Some aren't on the beaten tourist path, even for Japanese big city dwellers, so it's understandable that locals went to car culture due to depopulation, brain drain, suburban type big box stores, and aging bus drivers/train conductors.