Summer Info
When I visited on 9/23 (Wed., holiday), I predicted that the early start to this year’s fall colors would probably mean an early finish as well. However, I was surprised to see just how beautiful the foliage still looked this morning. The fall colors in the Tsugaike Nature Park are clearly lasting longer than expected this year! With the season’s first subzero temperatures also recorded in the Kanto-Koshin region, many hikers were bundled up in heavier jackets and down coats early this morning.
[Watasuge Marsh]
After about an hour’s walk from the Visitor Center, I reached the Yase-One ridge (pictured), my destination for the day. I met two visitors from Aichi and Nagano prefectures who told me, “We always read your reports. The ticket counter and gondola station were incredibly crowded, but we’re so glad we came today. Yase-One is just so beautiful!”
[Yase-One]
Around Yase-One, the real star of the show was not the maples or nanakamado, but the brilliant red sarasa-dodan (pictured). It clearly has some devoted fans as well. One man carrying a large camera arrived saying, “Here it is, here it is. Wow, the colors are beautiful again this year. I’m so glad,” before eagerly taking photos.
[Yase-One]
The fall scenery around the Karimata Pond (pictured), as viewed from Yase-One, was equally impressive. One passing hiker remarked, “The pond looks like a heart from here.” A staff member at the Visitor Center also told me, “The colors began changing in mid-September this year, and peak viewing conditions have lasted unusually long. For the three-day weekend beginning the day after tomorrow, Yase-One is definitely our top recommendation. We hope you’ll come and see it.” (Continued in Pt. 2)
[Yase-One]
[Tsugaike Nature Park – Opening Details]
*Period … June 6 – Oct 25, 2026
*Hours … Tsugaike Ropeway opens at 8:00 a.m.; 7:00 a.m. on October 10 – 12
*Fees … Tsugaike Ropeway round trip + park entrance / Adults ¥4,000, elementary school children ¥2,200, one preschool child free per accompanying adult → Adults ¥3,500, children ¥1,950 with early-discount tickets! (No need to exchange at the ticket counter—bring it directly to the gondola gate!)
