The Japanese even have a phrase for it: the autumn of appetite. Grilled sanma, fragrant matsutake, Tamba chestnuts and new-crop rice — what to eat in autumn and the markets in Kyoto and Kanazawa where you'll find it.
Koyo lasts weeks, not days — and rivals the cherry blossoms. How to time it, from Daisetsuzan's mid-September first colour to Kyoto's Tofuku-ji in late November, with the spots worth the trip.
Skip the selfie-stick scrum. From the moat boats of Chidorigafuchi to Hirosaki Castle's petal-filled moat and Kyoto's quiet Kamo River, where to find hanami magic without the queues.