Where to travel in November: 38 festivals

Festivals and seasonal sights in 64 cities in November: Busan Fireworks Festival (Busan), Tori-no-ichi (Tokyo), Gion Odori (Kyoto), Autumn leaves on…

Top 10

Busan Fireworks Festival — An hour-long show. Claim free sand early in the afternoon or book a paid seat (R ₩100,000, S ₩70,000). Expect long subway lines afterward.
Autumn Leaves — Early to mid November: Beomeosa's ginkgo and the maples on the approach to Tongdosa. Taejongdae may close some trails for fire season from November.

Tori-no-ichi — Held on November's 'days of the rooster': stalls sell lucky bamboo rakes and every sale ends in a round of rhythmic clapping, deep into the night.
Autumn leaves and the Rikugien light-up — Rikugien lights its maples after dark and the pond doubles them. The Gaien ginkgo avenue becomes a yellow tunnel; weekend mornings are the calmer time.

Gion Odori — The only maiko dance season held in autumn, and easier to get tickets for than spring.
Autumn Foliage and Night Openings — Busier than cherry season. Hit Tofuku-ji's Tsutenkyo bridge right at the 8:30 opening; at night, Kodai-ji's maples reflected in the pond.

Autumn leaves on Rokko and in Arima — The summit turns first; Zuihoji Park in Arima peaks mid-November. The botanical garden's maple walk runs 31 October – 6 December 2026, and the Rokko cable car has 20–30 minute queues on foliage weekends.
Kobe Marathon — Coastal roads close on Sunday morning, so buses to Harborland and Suma stop or detour. Stick to the mountain side or trains that day.
Kobe Christmas Market at the Herb Gardens — A Christmas market you reach by gondola. No evening discount during this period, but every area is lit after dark. Mulled wine in hand, city lights below.

Hakone Daimyo Gyoretsu — Around 170 people in Edo-era dress recreate a feudal lord's procession through Yumoto. Claim a roadside spot in the morning; Route 1 is closed for the day.
Autumn Leaves — Starts early November at Sengokuhara and the lake, reaches Gora mid-month and Yumoto by the end. Red maples over moss at the Hakone Museum of Art are the pick.

Autumn Leaves, the Best Weeks to Come — Mid-October to the second week of November: clear, cool days and ginkgo leaves piling along the palace wall. Hotels cost more and Secret Garden slots fill fastest.

Minoh autumn leaves — A 3 km tunnel of maples from the station to the falls. Eat the fried maple leaves as you walk. The Hankyu Minoo line packs out on weekends.

Autumn colour in Retiro — Plane trees and chestnuts turn yellow and the paths fill with leaves. El Capricho opens weekends only and stays quiet.

Autumn leaves at Tokugawaen — Colour starts around Ryusen Lake and spreads east. Night openings and lighting during peak leaf season.

Autumn leaves and night openings — Tamukeyama Hachimangu and the lane below Nigatsudo turn first; at Hasedera the covered stairway becomes a tunnel of maples. In autumn 2026 five World Heritage temples and shrines open specially at night.

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