Fall Colors Decorate Mt. Kurodake; Japan’s 1st Autumn Foliage Appears on Hokkaido Mountain

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:48 JST, September 23, 2025

The leaves of Japanese whitebeam and other trees are turning color on Mt. Kurodake (1,984 meters) in the Daisetsuzan mountain range, creating a striking landscape of contrasting red and yellow.

Autumn colors are said to arrive on Mt. Kurodake before anywhere else in Japan. According to Rinyu Corp., which operates ropeways on the mountain, the foliage began changing in late August this year and has now progressed to the trees around the 5th station. The colors are expected to reach their greatest extent near the Sounkyo Onsen hot springs at the mountain’s base around early October.