Crimson Comes South: Top Spots to Enjoy the Autumn Leaves in Southern Tōhoku

The Ōfukasawa Bridge spans the autumn foliage of the Naruko Gorge. (Photo courtesy Ōsaki City)

All four of the temple gardens are splashed with autumn colors. (Photo courtesy of Entsūin)

Sankeiden, Mitsumune’s mausoleum, wrapped in the bright colors of autumn. (Photo courtesy of Entsūin)

The waterfall Fudōtaki surrounded by fall colors, viewed from the Takimidai platform. (Photo courtesy of Zaō Town Office, Agriculture Forestry and Tourism Division)

Driving through the glorious colors of the Zaō mountain range. (Photo courtesy of Zaō Town Office, Agriculture Forestry and Tourism Division)

Autumn foliage cascades down onto the famed temple Risshakuji, better known as simply Yamadera (the mountain temple). (Photo courtesy of the Yamadera Tourism Association)

The commanding view from the Godaidō. (Photo curtesy of the Yamadera Tourism Association)

The autumn foliage can be enjoyed from boats plying the river at the bottom of the gorge. (Photo courtesy of the Tozawa Village Tourism and Products Association)

Red leaves add an elegant touch to the illuminated Tsuruga Castle. (Photo courtesy of the Aizu-Wakamatsu City Tourism Bureau)

Mount Adatara’s autumn foliage viewed from the Yakushidake Panorama Park. (Photo courtesy of Nihonmatsu City Tourist Department)