Travel Oku-Nikko autumn leaves seen from the sky

[thomas]

Autumn leaves in Oku-Nikko presented by ANN: as clear blue skies spread across Japan, autumn leaves are at their peak in Oku-Nikko. Red, yellow, green, and coloured maples and beech trees are in full bloom.

With maximum temperatures hovering around 25 degrees in Kanto, the autumn vibes just haven't manifested yet.

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[Majestic]

I've been to Chuzenjiko a few times. It is a very beautiful lake. Its one of those weird places that could actually be a fabulous tourist resort, but the access is horrible and any development would likely kill off the thing that makes it nice. You can't drive around the lake. There are no charming restaurants or quaint mountain towns around it. There are just a few aging hostels and a small strip of 1970's era tourist shops (catering to group tours that are never coming back).
There aren't any amenities there. The one attraction is Kegon falls, which still draws in tourists, I guess. Last time I was there was in the early 2000s (wow, feels like not too long ago, but to a whole lof of people reading this it must sound like a lifetime ago). Anyway, I think of the lakes of Europe and the US where a whole leisure industry gets built up around the lake, and Chuzenji feels abandoned.