Photographs and trip notes by Evan Pike. Travel: November 2025.

Before our November 2025 trip, I sent the group an update: the autumn leaves seemed to be running a little late. We already had a route in place, with time around Fuji, on Miyajima, and in Kyoto. We also had flower arranging, tea, and a swordsmith visit to look forward to.

I wanted the schedule to leave room for the people traveling. Some days would be about the views; on others, we would spend time with someone who could introduce us to a different part of Japan.

Autumn leaves around Mount Fuji

By November 17, we had red and orange leaves framing Fuji across Lake Kawaguchi. The mountain was clear, with snow at the top and blue sky behind it. Whatever my concerns had been before departure, there was plenty of autumn color here that morning.

Fuji gets most of the attention, understandably, but the maple branches made this view. They reached in from both sides of the lakefront, leaving an opening toward the mountain.

Snow-capped Mount Fuji across a lake, framed by red and orange maple branches.
Mount Fuji framed by autumn leaves at Lake Kawaguchi, November 17.

Staying for the evening on Miyajima

Two days later, we were beside the water on Miyajima as the sun dropped behind the mountains. Orange light spread across the bay, and the torii stood just offshore.

We had included nights on the island in the itinerary. For a trip like this, I think that time matters. It gives the evening a place in the day, instead of making sunset something you might squeeze in before leaving. On November 19, we had a beautiful stretch of light along the shore.

A curving beach and small red torii beneath dark mountain slopes, with orange sunset reflected across the water.
The shoreline and evening light on Miyajima, November 19.

Flower arranging and autumn gardens in Kyoto

Our first afternoon in Kyoto included a flower-arranging lesson. Soon the table was covered with stems and branches, and everyone had something to work on. An instructor helped with the placement as the arrangements took shape.

I like including experiences where there is time to work alongside someone. You can visit a garden and admire the care that has gone into it, then spend an afternoon concentrating on the position of a single branch yourself.

An instructor helping a participant place branches in a shallow flower-arranging container.
Working on a flower arrangement in Kyoto, November 20.

The next morning brought us to Kinkaku-ji, with the Golden Pavilion reflected in the pond. Later, we found red leaves above moss-covered stones and autumn color reflected in the water.

There was plenty to photograph at both scales: the whole pavilion and its surroundings, then the much smaller details at the water’s edge. The green moss made the reds stand out especially well.

Kinkaku-ji reflected in still water, with trees and a blue sky around it.
The Golden Pavilion reflected in the pond on November 21.
Red maple leaves above mossy stones and a stream reflecting orange and green.
Autumn color on the branches and in the water.

That afternoon, we sat down for a tea experience before trying Samurai Kenbu. Within a few hours, the group went from following the host’s movements around the tea utensils to practicing with swords.

This is where a trip starts to feel more personal. The places provide the setting, but everyone has their own way of taking part. I want there to be time for that, along with the familiar Kyoto sights.

A participant kneeling near tea utensils while a host demonstrates in a tatami room.
Taking part in the tea experience that afternoon.
Three participants holding swords in front of a yellow folding screen.
Practicing during the Kyoto sword experience.

Visiting a working swordsmith’s forge

On November 22, we visited a swordsmith’s workshop in Tomika. After the previous day’s sword activity, this brought us closer to the work behind the object itself.

Inside were tools, machinery, brickwork, and the glow of the forge. One of the group knelt beside the fire, taking part under the workshop’s guidance. It was a very different setting from the gardens we had been photographing the day before.

These experiences were an important part of the autumn trip. We saw Fuji through the maples and had lovely light on Miyajima, but we also sat around a table arranging flowers and spent time inside a working forge. That is the kind of variety I like to build into a journey.

A participant kneeling beside a glowing forge, surrounded by workshop machinery and tools.
At the forge in Tomika, November 22.

Planning a November trip to Japan

I would plan a November trip around more than the leaves. Before departure, I was watching the timing of the autumn color, but the flower-arranging lesson, tea experience, and forge visit already gave us plenty to look forward to. Staying on Miyajima also made room for the evening. Those choices gave the trip variety alongside the seasonal views.

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