Hokkaido

You’ve probably heard of Japan’s cherry blossom front, the wave of pink that sweeps north across the country every spring, tracked obsessively on the news. Autumn has its own version, and honestly, most first-time visitors have no idea it exists. First, a quick vocabulary note, since you’ll see this word everywhere once you start planning: koyo (紅葉) is simply the Japanese word for autumn leaves, the turning of maples, ginkgo, and other trees into red, orange, and gold. You’ll see it on foliage forecast sites, in hotel names, on festival banners. Just think of it as Japan’s word for “peak fall color,” and you’re set. And here’s the part that