Among all the signs of autumn in Japan, momiji or maple leaves are probably the most beloved. Before the koyo (autumn leaves) viewing time, you will come across many advertisements about Momiji Matsuri (Maple Festival), inviting not only Japanese but also international travelers to enjoy their vivid shades of red and vermilion from mid- to late-November.
Most tourists flock to Kansai, especially Kyoto, but if you are looking for a more local but no less stunning momiji viewing spot, there are around 4,000 maple trees at Korankei Gorge near Nagoya. Situated in Asuke Town in Toyota City (yes, the birthplace of the cars of the same name), Korankei Gorge is actually nationally acclaimed and boasts breathtaking scenery day and night. Furthermore, you don’t have to worry about facing suffocating crowds like in Kansai… if you visit Korankei Gorge on a weekday.
My friends and I actually just went to Korankei Gorge last Saturday (since we are living in Nagoya and Okazaki as students, traveling on a weekday is unfortunately out of the question). Despite some personal frustrations, which I will elaborate later, Korankei Gorge is the most beautiful autumn leaves spot I have been to yet. And though it wasn’t my first fall foliage viewing trip in Japan, it was the first one with friends. You see, I am so impressed by the overall experience that I have to write this post right away.
Starting from either Higashi-Okazaki Station or Toyotashi Station, a bus ride to Korankei Gorge is only about 45 minutes to one hour and 15 minutes. If you take the first or second bus of the day to Korankei Gorge, you probably won’t have to get stuck in the traffic jam for almost two hours like we did.
Since we arrived after 11am, we decided to have lunch before exploring Korankei Gorge. We randomly picked a restaurant close to the bus stop, but turned out they serve one of the best don (rice topped with any kind of meat) we have had in the eight months that we have been living in Japan.
The four of us agreed that sometimes Japanese rice dishes can be a bit salty, but at this restaurant, everything tastes just right and the prices are very reasonable too. My tendon (rice topped with shrimp tempura) cost 750 yen and I didn’t expect the egg topping, but they went so well together. If you don’t want to have rice, the restaurant serves up noodles too. And… I hate to say this, but I am sorry I forgot to jot down the name of the restaurant… I will try to locate it and come back to edit this post later if I find it on Google Maps.
Then it was finally time to admire the fiery maple leaves and other fall foliage in Korankei Gorge. I have seen some photos before, but still, nothing could prepare me from seeing the valley beautifully ablaze with colors physically.
It was late-November and the leaves either had reached their peak or were almost at their peak. We walked so slowly because we were distracted by the red leaves and… it was so crowded. Well, I couldn’t blame people for wanting to stop and stare at the view along the Tomoe River with Mount Iimori in the background.
But after getting past the restaurant and food stall zone and crossing the red Taigetsukyo Bridge, we could find a bit more peace.
Red was everywhere, but you will also find a splash of other fall colors (like this ginkgo tree) in between.
We continued along the Tomoe River to the red suspension bridge and the parking lot not too far away.
In Korankei, even a parking lot is easy on the eye.
And then we returned to Kojakuji Temple. Walking up the stairs, we visited the place where the beauty of Korankei Gorge began.
Back in the 17th century, the abbot of Kojakuji Temple named Sanei started planting maple trees in the area.
Centuries later, the locals continued the monk’s work of planting the maple trees and look at the magnificent view that we can see today.
A cute gimmick to make visitors smile. Credit to one of my friends for spotting it.
There is a good thing about arriving in Korankei quite late though. You don’t have to wait too long for the illumination near the Taigetsukyo Bridge. (The sun sets around 5pm.)
But until the sky turned pitch black and we could enjoy the illumination at Korankei Gorge in full swing, we stopped for dinner at the riverside restaurant called Tsubodon. My friend also bought a bag of maple leaf fritters, which unexpectedly tasted sweet. You can get them at a stall that also sells grilled beef on sticks near Tsubodon.
Tsubodon specializes in ayu (sweetfish) menu and I ordered their 950 yen ayu udon.
After our dinner, we went to see the multi-colored lights and glowing maple trees along the Tomoe River.
It was a pity we couldn’t walk further than the area around the Taigetsukyo Bridge because we weren’t sure how it would take to line up for the hour bus back to Higashi Okazaki Station.
And even though we arrived at the bus stop quite early, we still had to wait for more than an hour because of long lines. We also ran into one of my friends’ friends who traveled with the Korankei-Toyota bus. They arrived at the bus stop earlier than us and were still waiting for their bus even after we boarded the Korankei-Higashi Okazaki one…
Sorry for a paragraph of complaints, but I want to give you a heads-up. We took the 6.50pm bus back to Higashi Okazaki Station and the return trip took more than two hours and a half because of a very bad traffic jam. To make it worse, the bus was almost as packed as the Tokyo metro and JR trains during rush hours. It was stifling and we didn’t get to sit and we also encountered a not-so-good driver (not my imagination, my friends thought so)… And since I am already prone to motion sickness, I had to endure one of the worst rides ever in my life.
So… those are the frustrations I mentioned earlier. Transportation to and from Korankei Gorge is limited and the ridiculous amount of visitors on weekends is another thing to watch out for. If possible, go on a weekday. I can assure you that Korankei Gorge is very pleasant on weekdays according to the photos by my other friends and acquaintances who could avoid weekend visits.
You wouldn’t want to miss a scenery like this. If I have a weekday off next year, I definitely don’t mind taking another day trip from Nagoya to Korankei Gorge.
Guide
When to visit: Always accessible, but if you want to see the maple leaves at their most beautiful, around the third or the fourth week of November is probably the best time. Be sure to check the autumn leaves forecast, though.
However, the Korankei Momiji Matsuri (Korankei Maple Festival) starts from November 1-30 and the maple trees are lit up from sunset to around 9pm.
How to get there: Starting from Nagoya is the most convenient option. Take the Meitetsu train to either Higashi Okazaki Station or Toyotashi Station and then take the Korankei bound bus.
From my experience, I think more people travel from and to Toyotashi Station, so Higashi Okazaki Station might lessen the hassle for you. It is also very convenient: the bus ride from Higashi Okazaki Station is only a bit longer, but you don’t have to wait in line for as long as the Toyotashi route.
The schedules of Korankei bound buses from Higashi Okazaki Station and Toyotashi Station are all here on Toyota Tourism Website.
SPACE STORIES BY GIFT 