Japan in September: What's at Its Best and What's Closed

14 places are at their best in September; 9 are closed all month and 7 partly closed.

Plan your September trip Map: what's a day trip from where you stay

At its best in September

Tokyo & Yokohama 1

• Mukojima-Hyakkaen GardensTokyoA 30 m tunnel of bush clover (hagi) blooms in September

Nara 1

• Shoju-in TempleKyotoWind Chime Festival with over 2,000 chimes, July-September

Kyushu 4

• Hakozakigu ShrineFukuokaHojoya festival, September 12–18
• Sakamoto Rice Terraces (Sakatani)MiyazakiGolden rice and red spider lilies in mid-September
• Tsuzura Rice TerracesFukuokaAbout 500,000 red spider lilies and the Higanbana festival in late September
• Warabino Rice TerracesSagaRed spider lilies and rice harvest in late September; rice planting in late May

Hokkaido 2

• Sounkyo OnsenHokkaidoIce Fall Festival (Hyobaku Matsuri) in winter; Gorge Fire Festival late Jul to mid-Aug; autumn leaves come down from the peaks to the town by mid-Oct
• Mt. Asahidake Ropeway (Daisetsuzan)HokkaidoAutumn colours, mid to late September

Okinawa 1

• Aharen Beach (Tokashiki)OkinawaA representative beach of Tokashiki Island, with white sand stretching about 800 m. Known as a snorkeling spot with coral reef and fish, with plenty of marine activities.

More in Tohoku 1

• Kosode Coast (Northernmost Ama Divers)IwateAma diving demonstrations, July to September; free on the Ama Festival (first Sunday of August)

More in Kanto 2

• Kinchakuda Manjushage ParkSaitamaA purse-shaped river flat on the Koma River in Hidaka where red spider lilies turn the woods crimson in late September.
• Gongendo Park (Gongendo Cherry Embankment)SaitamaSatte Cherry Blossom Festival (late March to early April) and Red Spider Lily Festival (mid-September to early October)

More in Chubu 2

• Nozawa OnsenNaganoDosojin Fire Festival, Jan 15 every year; lantern festival Sep 8–9
• Senjojiki CirqueNaganoAutumn colours, late September to early October

Open as usual — well-known places

• Sensoji TempleTokyoTokyo's oldest temple, entered through a giant red lantern and a long shopping street.
• Fushimi Inari TaishaKyotoThousands of orange torii gates form tunnels up a forested mountain. Open all day and night.
• Kiyomizu-dera TempleKyotoA wooden temple stage built out over a hillside, with views across Kyoto.
• Itsukushima Shrine (Miyajima)HiroshimaA red shrine and giant torii gate that seem to float on the sea at high tide. Deer roam the island.
• Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion)KyotoA pavilion whose upper two floors are covered in gold leaf, reflected in a still pond.
• Shibuya Scramble CrossingTokyoTokyo's famous intersection in front of Shibuya Station, where over a thousand people can cross at once from every direction.
• Mt. Fuji 5th Station (Fuji Subaru Line)YamanashiTrailhead of the Yoshida Trail at about 2,300 m. No climb needed: enjoy the views, Komitake Shrine and short walks.
• Todaiji TempleNaraA giant bronze Buddha inside one of the world's largest wooden buildings.
• Himeji CastleHyogoOften called Japan's most beautiful original castle — the 'White Heron', for its white walls.
• Arashiyama Bamboo GroveKyotoA path through towering green bamboo, near the famous Togetsukyo Bridge.
• DotonboriOsakaOsaka's neon-lit canal street of giant signs and street food — takoyaki, okonomiyaki and more.
• Shirakawa-goGifuJapan's best-known village of steep thatched 'praying hands' farmhouses, in a snowy mountain valley.
• Arakurayama Sengen Park (Chureito Pagoda)YamanashiThe famous postcard view: a five-story pagoda with Mt. Fuji behind it, after climbing 398 steps.
• Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park & Atomic Bomb DomeHiroshimaThe ruined dome left as it stood after the 1945 atomic bombing, and a museum that tells the story.
• Meiji Jingu ShrineTokyoA quiet shrine in a deep forest, right next to busy Harajuku.
• Gion & HanamikojiKyotoKyoto's geisha district around Yasaka Shrine, with teahouse-lined lanes south of Shijo and the willow-lined Shirakawa canal.
• Tokyo SkytreeTokyoA 634 m tower with views over all of Tokyo — and Mt. Fuji on clear days.
• Nara ParkNaraOver 1,500 free-roaming deer that bow for rice crackers, among ancient temples and shrines.
• Osaka CastleOsakaA white-and-gold castle tower on huge stone walls, inside a large park with moats.
• Great Buddha of KamakuraKanagawaA bronze Buddha over 11 m tall that has sat in the open air since storms and a tsunami destroyed its hall centuries ago.

Closed all month

• Ashigakubo Icicles Saitama
• Ushijima Wisteria (Tokaen) Saitama
  Open only from about mid-April to early May; closed the rest of the year
• Mizushima Island Fukui
• Kyorinbo Temple Shiga
• Rurikoin Temple Kyoto
• Osaka Museum of Housing and Living Osaka
• Kawachi Fujien Wisteria Garden Fukuoka
• Kunen-an Saga
• Izumi Crane Observation Center Kagoshima
  Open Nov 1 to the 2nd Sunday of March only

Partly closed or seasonal limits

• Mt. Moriyoshi (Ani Gondola) Akita
• Tove Jansson Akebono Children's Forest Park Saitama
• Maruoka Castle Fukui
• Biwako Terrace (Biwako Valley) Shiga
• Isuien Garden Nara
• Nagata Inakahama Beach (Yakushima) Kagoshima
• Sefa Utaki Okinawa
  Repair works: parts closed 1 Jul – 1 Nov 2026; from 2 Nov 2026 to 5 Jan 2027 only up to the Ujoguchi gate (entry free)

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