2. Japan
With its borders largely closed to tourism since 2020, Japan is once again beginning to welcome back international visitors. Having reopened to tourists on guided package tours in June, the country started allowing arrivals on non-guided package tours from 7 September in a move that rolled back some of the world’s strictest Covid-19 border controls. From 11 September, travellers will once again be able to visit the country independently and without a visa.
And if there’s ever a season for travel to Japan, autumn is arguably prime time. Rivalling spring’s cherry blossom season, October is when parks, gardens and mountains across the central islands and Alps are ablaze with colourful trees. This is a time for momijigari (‘red leaf hunting’) tours, with train rides in and around Kyoto a popular way to take in rural landscapes.
Sustainable travel tip: Walk Japan specialises in on-foot exploration across some of Japan’s most beautiful rural and cultural destinations. Its low-impact tours, guided and self-guided, go off-the-beaten-track, often from village to village, staying in local guesthouses. These include tours that visit its community project in Kunisaki Peninsula in Kyushu.
