2026 Full-Day Autumn Leaves Course: The Great Kintaro Maple (Jizodo) (金太郎大もみじ)

Spend a day visiting one magnificent maple tree in the Jizodo area of Minamiashigara, the town where the legend of Kintaro lives on. Standing along Prefectural Road 78 at the fork toward Ashigara Pass, the 'Great Kintaro Maple' (金太郎大もみじ) has a commanding presence, roughly 20 meters tall with a trunk about 1.3 meters thick. According to the city, it typically colors around November, but please check the official autumn-leaves information for the exact best-viewing period. In the morning, head into the mountain village from Daiyuzan Station, the terminus of the Izuhakone Railway, to Yuhi-no-taki Falls (夕日の滝), a 23-meter waterfall said to be where Kintaro took his first bath as a baby. Walking through the mountain village while listening to the stream and the crunch of fallen leaves underfoot is one discovery after another, even for children. In the afternoon, this course lets you savor autumn in the mountains by slowly gazing up at the leaves beneath the great maple.