Off-the-beaten-path destinations for viewing autumn leaves in Japan.

In November 2019, the last time I went abroad, the destinations were Nagoya, Kanazawa, and Shirakawa-go. This is a relatively niche route in Japan, although it doesn't have the fame of Kyoto's maple leaves, the scenery is no less impressive. Nagoya: a city in central Japan with domestic flights available. Kanazawa: known as "Little Kyoto", with small and exquisite gardens, it is also a popular spot for autumn maple viewing. It can be reached from Nagoya JR. Shirakawa-go: a small village in central Japan, famous for its gassho-zukuri houses, which are very distinctive and seem like a fairytale world. There are beautiful views throughout the year, with the autumn scene shown in picture one and the snowy landscape being particularly famous. The transportation is not very convenient, so we took a one-day tour by car from Nagoya.