Autumn leaves photoshoot
Maples at their peak, wherever the colour is that week: mid-October to early November in Nikko, late November in Tokyo, mid-November to early December in Kyoto. Timed for backlight, when the sun shines through the leaves rather than onto them.
- Starting from
- $260
- Duration
- 30 min
- You receive
- 15 edited photos
- Delivery
- within 3 days
Only-in-Japan shoots
What’s included
- 15 edited photos
- Spot chosen on the colour reports for your week
- Start in the low-sun hours, morning or late afternoon
- Private online gallery within 3 days
Add to the booking
Bought with this shoot, never on their own. Fixed prices in US dollars.
Kimono rental & dressing
+$55
Hair & make-up artist
+$100
Extra hour
+$150
Reel add-on
+$120
Drone add-on
+$235
Express 24 h delivery
+$80
Mandarin-speaking assistant
+$70
Inspiration
Autumn leaves photoshoot: ideas for your shoot
Frames by photographers on Unsplash, credited below — the mood to plan your own shoot against, not our portfolio.
Photos: Micah Bratt, Cole Keister, Jay, Diana Lisunova, Na visky on Unsplash
Where to book it
Book Autumn leaves photoshoot where you are staying
Bookable in 19 places across Japan; the 5 below have a page of their own. Choose the one nearest your hotel — travel within it is included.
Plan around the place
Autumn leaves photoshoot: where it works best, and what to read first
Place guides
About this shoot
Following the colour south
- Starting from
- $260
- Duration
- 30 min
- Edited photos
- 15
- Places
- 19
Momiji moves down the country over two months. Hokkaido turns from late September through October; Nikko’s Irohazaka road peaks in mid to late October and the town in early November; Tokyo and Kyoto follow from mid-November to early December. The exact week shifts with the year’s temperatures, so we hold a window and confirm the date about a week ahead.
Kyoto in late November is the most crowded city in Japan. Hotels price at their peak and the famous temples fill from opening time, so sessions start at dawn or in less-visited corners of Arashiyama and the eastern hills. At Tofukuji, photography on the Tsutenkyo bridge is not allowed during the autumn peak, so we photograph the valley from elsewhere, and many temples forbid tripods; we confirm the venue’s rules when booking.
Tokyo has its own season. The ginkgo avenue at Jingu Gaien turns yellow in late November and early December, and Rikugien and Koishikawa Korakuen gardens hold red maples until early December. Warm layers in rust, cream or deep green sit well against the colour.
You receive 15 edited photos in a private online gallery within 3 days.
Before you book
Frequently asked questions: Autumn leaves photoshoot
Can we shoot at Tofukuji’s Tsutenkyo bridge?
Not on the bridge itself: Tofukuji bans photography there during the autumn peak because the crowds stop moving. Kyoto has quieter maples — the Arashiyama riverbank, Shinnyo-do, the approach to Eikan-do outside opening hours — and we choose by the week’s colour.
What if the leaves are not red yet?
We go where it is red. Colour moves downhill and south over about six weeks, so something is always at its best. In early November that means Nikko town or the hills above Kyoto; in late November, Tokyo’s ginkgo avenues turn gold. We tell you a week ahead where your date stands.
Next step
Plan your Autumn leaves photoshoot
We reply within 2 hours, 9:00–21:00 Japan time. No deposit required to enquire.