Introduction
Japan was the site of these Dessert Correspondents’ very first solo dessert travel way back in 2015, and just over ten years later, we still love it. From Tokyo to Kyoto and back again, we have hunted down the most beautiful sakura cherry blossom wagashi in both cities (see here and here), Tokyo’s best sakura cherry blossom high teas, and Kyoto’s most evocative traditional tea house, ryokan tea experience, prettiest flower desserts and cherry blossom spots, and most Instagrammable character-themed dessert cafes. In this volume of our Japan dessert adventures, during the autumn season, we ventured back to Kyoto where we interpersed our hunt for fall foliage hunting with traditional Japanese wagashi autumn desserts.
The best autumn foliage spots in Kyoto worth visiting
When spring blooms in Kyoto, it feels like every corner is awashed in delicate pink flowers. The same could be said for the city during the autumn season, where fiery reds, brilliant yellows and coppery orange hues blaze across the city like a striking sunset descended onto earth. Of all the spots we checked out in Kyoto, the following were the most memorable. Some spots also illuminate their grounds at night, however compared to the evening illumination of sakura which felt like an ethereal fairyland, the evening illumination of autumn leaves felt a little spooky to us. The autumnal colours are muted, and together with bare branches, it looked more haunting than magical. We think that fall foliage viewing is best by day, particularly around the 9-10am or 2-4pm hour when sunlight glows upon the leaves. Note that with the exception of the two asterisked spots below, all charge an entrance fee, and being Japan, you will need to bring cash (credit card not readily accepted).
- Eastern and Southern Higashiyama District –
- The most iconic (and crowded) fall foliage spots are undoubtedly: Start at Tofuku-ji, and then head north to Kiyomizu-dera, Kōdai-ji Temple, Eikando-ji Temple and Nanzen-ji. Note that crowd control is close to non-existent, so be prepared to be physically compressed by the hoards.
- For slightly off-the-beaten path, and much less crowded: Philosopher’s Path*, Ginjaku-ji Temple, Honen-in, Okazaki Rabbit Temple*.
- For haunting evening illumination: Kiyomizu-dera, Kōdai-ji Temple, Eikando-ji Temple.
- If autumn arrives earlier than expect, as it did on our visit, we recommend the following spots where the fall colours appear a bit later than other spots.
- Gion District – Kennin-ji Temple.
- Kitano District -Ryoan-ji Temple, Kitano Tenmangu.
- Further afield – don’t forget Arashiyama, which is our favourite area of Kyoto. See previous fall foliage and dessert travel guide here.
Where to find Kyoto’s best autumn wagashi desserts
Long-term readers of this dessert travel blog may recall our guide to Tokyo’s best sakura cherry blossom wagashi. When in Kyoto, make sure to check out Kameya Kiyonaga in the Gion District where you can make your own wagashi and also buy them off counter, and just across the river, the depachika basement level food halls of Daimaru and Takashimaya for a dizzying range of traditional Japanese wagashi concession stores from the most famous wagashi makers. For the autumn season, roasted chestnut, persimmon, sweet potato and red bean featured heavily in the wagashi desserts that we saw. Below, we bought boxes of pretty trompe l’oeil momiji nerikiri mochi, whole chestnut kurimaro wrapped in white mochi, slabs of yokan jelly layered with fallen maple leaves, dry higashi confectionery embossed with more maple leaves, biscuits filled with caramelized apple, castella cakes infused with chestnut and cinnamon, and many types of dried fall fruits. Often delicately wrapped in traditional Japanese washi paper, they make for wonderful souvenirs and gifts.
Dessert adventure checklist
- ☑ Dessert destination: Kyoto, Japan.
- ☑ Budget: $$-$$$.
- ☑ Sweet irresistibles: Traditional Japanese wagashi desserts.
- ☑ Travel notes:
- How long? Kyoto is a compact historic city. If you are a first-time visitor, plan for a minimum of 3 days. Each time that we have been to Kyoto, we have stayed for a week — for both desserts and landscape photography.
- When to visit? We visited during the last week of November 2025 and first week of December, and it was peak fall. We did not find Japanese Tourism Bureau’s forecast for peak autumn particularly helpful – it predicted peak fall several weeks too late. We strongly recommend monitoring the autumn leaf forecasts on the Chinese app, Xiao Hong Shu, instead; there are live updates. This also applies for the cherry blossom season too.
- How to get there? Getting to Kyoto is not convenient — there is no international airport nearby, you have to train to and from Osaka airport. The alternative is that you can arrive by Shinkansen, but we are not great fans of this train system, especially compared to the far more straightforward booking convenience and greater operational smoothness of China’s high-speed rail system.
- Where to stay? With the Japanese Yen’s value still very low, travelling within Japan is much more accessible now than it was many years ago. However, the hotels are still eyewateringly expensive compared to the rest of Asia. For a first-time visitors to Kyoto, or those who want a central location, we recommend staying in the Gion or Southern Higashiyama area. From a decade ago to now, we really like the Hyatt Regency in this area. Further afield in Arashiyama, we will never forget Hoshinoya Kyoto (see previous review here), but since rooms are exceptionally limited during the peak cherry blossom and autumn leaf seasons and require very advanced bookings, we can also recommend the Suiran.
