Japan’s best autumn foliage, Lake Momiji daytime and illuminated!

Japan’s best autumn foliage, Lake Momiji daytime and illuminated!

Hello, this is Ichiro! 😊 I went to Lake Momiji in Minowa Town, Nagano Prefecture, two days in a row! [Day 1] Tuesday, November 11, 2025 On the Chuo Expressway, the Yatsugatake Mountains are visible directly ahead. Ihoku Interchange White clouds in a blue sky! That was the last time I thought, “Today’s weather is perfect!” 😱 It had been cloudy since I arrived at 8:00 AM, but I tried shooting a video during a brief sunny spell. I planned to walk along the walking path from Suehiroshita Parking Lot to Takenoo Parking Lot. I arrived at this parking lot at 8:00 AM, but it was cloudy, so I waited for seven hours. 😅 The person in the red jacket is from Minowa Town Hall. With no smartphone reception and nothing to do, I just sat in my car, wrapped in a blanket, watching the town hall staff and parking lot staff at work. And I learned a few things. 1. Traffic control is incredibly effective, and there’s almost no traffic jams. 2. So there’s no need to come early in the morning to avoid traffic jams. 3. If you follow the directions and park your car at Suehiro Square, you can enjoy a spectacular view of the maple tunnel from your car. So, I gave up on shooting for the day and decided to come back the next day, when the weather forecast predicted clear skies.✌️ Since I’d waited seven hours, I decided to wait another two hours to see the illuminations.✌️ Two areas were lit up: the Maple Tunnel and Takenoo Square. First, the Maple Tunnel (150m). I hadn’t originally planned to see it, but I’m glad I ended up seeing it lit up! ✌️ Originally, like last year, I had planned to go to Takato after Lake Momiji. I’ve come up with a different plan for tomorrow.✌️ Please look forward to the next video.😊 The clouds that were there, they disappeared like a dream.😊 Takenoo Square The town hall staff were directing traffic until this time. They were directing traffic the whole time, and it didn’t look like they were eating lunch. Awesome! 😃 [Day 2] Wednesday, November 12th Due to a change of plans, I left home 30 minutes earlier than yesterday. As planned, I visited another place in the morning before arriving at Lake Momiji. ✌️ There was almost no traffic. 😃 We only had to stop briefly due to alternating traffic. A maple tunnel! The passengers in oncoming cars are all taking photos with their smartphones. ✌️ Lake Momiji has been ranked number one in Japan for five consecutive years as the top recommended autumn foliage spot on the domestic travel booking website “Jalan.net.” Approximately 10,000 maple trees are planted here. This is my second visit, following last year, and my second visit in a row, following yesterday.👍 The walking trail is on the left. I parked my car at Suehiro Square. “I’m here again!” It’s cloudy again today, but I’ll try to capture a brief moment of sunshine to film some video. First of all, I head down to the parking lot where I spent 10 hours yesterday. Now, let’s walk from Suehiroshita Parking Lot to Takenoo Square via the walking course. 😊 Environmental Improvement Contribution Fund 🙏 On weekends, due to restrictions on private cars, you’ll need to use the shuttle bus. Tourists pay a contribution of 1,000 yen for a round-trip shuttle bus ride. As expected, autumn leaves are even more beautiful in the sunlight.👍 Yesterday, I heard people everywhere say, “It would be better if the sun was shining.” On weekdays, there are no restrictions on private cars, so cars pass through here. When cars pass by, town hall staff make announcements to warn pedestrians. I also had a Pomeranian for 15 years. 😃 I filmed this video during a brief moment of sunshine. Someone waved at me. 😃 We leave the road and enter the walking path. From here, the walking path continues on a flat surface. Let’s take a look at the “maple tunnel” we walked through earlier from above! I prioritized filming a video of the local Fuji Five Lakes on one of the few sunny days, so it feels like the peak season has passed. The staff member said, “The leaves have started to fall, but it’s still at its best!” Sure, some trees have lost their leaves, but the carpet of fallen leaves is beautiful! 😊 By the way, the forecast for both yesterday and today was sunny with no cloudy weather. Stairs to Suehiro Square It was cloudy yesterday, so the staff must have been quite cold. As expected, the fallen leaves are beautiful in the sunshine. 😊 These maples were planted about 30 years ago. Local residents planted each maple seedling one by one over the course of 10 years. The maple trees have since grown beautifully, making this the best spot in Japan for viewing autumn leaves. 😃 The maple saplings were donated by residents of a village whose land was submerged due to the construction of a dam. The residents donated the saplings so that the dam would be loved for years to come. In autumn, after photosynthesis is complete, the maple leaves turn a beautiful red before falling. Although the village is now submerged under the dam, the saplings continue to display beautiful autumn foliage every year. After your stroll, let’s go see the dam! 😊 From here on, the trail starts to slope downhill. The gradations of color are truly beautiful! 😊 The fiery autumn leaves! 😃 Local residents planted each maple sapling one by one over the course of 10 years. I can see Takenoo Square, the end of my walk. I’m so glad it’s sunny today! 🙏 Takenoo Square is only 150 meters away. I had lunch at the market in Takenoo Square yesterday. You can get a smartphone signal in some areas of Takenoo Square. ✌️ I tried chestnut rice and the local specialty ramen “romen” from the long-established confectionery shop “Kinboshi,” and both were absolutely delicious. I’ll definitely eat them again next year. ✌️ The dam was built to block this river. Amazing view from the bridge 😊 Takenoo Square The chestnut rice and ramen were absolutely delicious 🙏 Now, let’s head to Lake Momiji Dam! The scenery continues to be spectacular, so enjoy the view from the car window on the way to the dam. Private car restrictions apply on weekends, so no cars come this far. Over the weekend, this square hosted events like hot air balloon rides and monkey shows. Yesterday, a car got stuck on this slope after its tire fell into a ditch. There’s a ditch on the side of the road, so you need to drive carefully. Maple Tunnel Yesterday, I spent 10 hours shivering in the cold in the parking lot, hoping for clear skies. Wow, the autumn leaves on the mountain are so beautiful! 😃 Takenoo Square Thank you so much to everyone at Minowa Town Hall and the traffic control staff! Thanks to you, we were able to see the best autumn leaves this year! ✌️ This channel strives to bring you the best views. For example, when filming locally, if Mt. Fuji is hidden by clouds, I return to the location multiple times until it reappears. But Lake Momiji is 120km from my home, so I almost gave in and said, “It can’t be helped that it’s cloudy.” 😅 But perhaps the reason I came back here again was because I saw the town hall staff directing traffic from morning until night, without even eating lunch. The Lake Momiji Autumn Foliage Festival is a fun event for tourists, but it’s probably the busiest time of year for the Minowa Town Hall staff. The local community donated seedlings so that the dam would be loved for generations to come. Local people planted each sapling over the course of 10 years. Minowa Town Hall staff direct traffic to prevent accidents. All of these factors come together to create the beautiful and comfortable Lake Momiji Autumn Foliage Festival, held every year. I believe it’s all these factors that make Lake Momiji’s autumn foliage the best in Japan. I’m glad I didn’t compromise and say, “It can’t be helped that it’s cloudy.” Lake Momiji’s official name is Minowa Dam. We’re almost to the dam’s parking lot. Minowa Dam Management Office This video ends with Minowa Dam. The dam is 72 meters high and 297.5 meters long. The dam was built due to frequent disasters in the town downstream. The dam provides tap water to 50,000 people. However, one village has been submerged beneath the dam. Before the dam was built, 36 households and 129 residents lived here. The villagers donated maple seedlings so that the dam would continue to be loved in the future. A bird, unaware of this story, swims across the lake. Thank you for watching this video until the end. See you in the next video! 😊

Lake Momiji is located in Minowa Town, Nagano Prefecture, two hours from my home (Lake Kawaguchi).
I visited Lake Momiji for two days, when the autumn leaves were at their peak.

On the first day, the weather cleared up nicely in the evening.
During this blue moment, I walked through the illuminated maple tunnel.
On the second day, when the sun was out, I walked through the maple tunnel again.

Waiting there for a long time taught me a lot.
I hope this information is useful.

00:00 Opening
(Day 1)
00:54 Chuo Expressway – Ihoku IC (View from the car window)
01:30 Started filming during a brief sunny spell – gave up
03:22 Maple Tunnel ★ Lighted up
05:56 Takenoo Square ★ Lighted up
(Day 2)
07:08 Chuo Expressway – Maple Tunnel – Suehiro Square (View from the car window)
10:43 Suehiroshita Parking Lot – Walking Course – Takenoo Square
27:19 Maple Tunnel – Lake Momiji (View from the car window)
36:29 Minowa Dam(Lake Momiji)

Shooting date: November 11th and 12th, 2025

Minowa Town Tourism Association, Official Website: https://www.minowa-town.jp/facilities…

Watch more:
🔴 Lake Momiji and Takato’s Autumn Foliage 2024 https://youtu.be/-k-OQrZPduE

*Google Translate was used for the translation. The translation may not be accurate.
*The information in the video may not be 100% accurate.

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#MomijiLake #MinowaTown #asmr #japan #travel #vlog #japantravelwalk

#momijilake #momijijapan #minowa #asmr #japan #travel #vlog #japantravelwalk