Autumn Holidays
Autumn Long Weekends With Kids: Silver Week and the October and November Holidays
Skip the crowds and traffic with hotels where short travel and on-site or nearby fun are enough. Four ways to spend it: highlands, hot springs, the sea, or a large resort
26 areas ยท 1284 hotels (total listings across these areas)
Silver Week and the Respect for the Aged Day holiday in September, Sports Day in October, and the Culture Day and Labor Thanksgiving Day holiday in November. Japan's autumn long weekends bring lovely weather and are prime time for family travel, which is exactly why the popular sightseeing spots get busy and highway traffic becomes anyone's guess. What works best with kids is a plan that keeps travel short and gets everything done at the hotel and close by. Decide first among four ways to spend the weekend (outdoor play in the highlands, unwinding at a hot spring, a southern island where you can still swim, or a large resort with a full day's worth of fun on site), and the area and the hotel narrow down quickly.
This collection lists, for each of those four ways to spend the weekend, the areas where kid-friendly hotels are clustered. On each area page you can narrow the list by features such as an outdoor play area, a kids' playroom, a kids' buffet, Japanese-style and Japanese-Western rooms, and a private bath you can reserve for your family. Naps and mealtimes slip easily over a long weekend, so a hotel with in-room dining or a private bath, where you can keep to your family's own pace, makes for a calmer stay.
Hotels for long weekends start filling up one to two months ahead, and last-minute rates climb. Once your dates are set, lock a room in early, and check the cancellation policy along with road conditions over the holiday.
Features to look for in this collection
Outdoor play in the highlands and by the lakes (the autumn classic, comfortable during the day)
The season when outdoor play areas, farms, and hiking feel best. Reachable by car or Shinkansen from the Tokyo and Kansai areas.
Nasu Highlands
A highland with zoos, farms, and hands-on attractions clustered together, and large resorts with plenty to do indoors
Yatsugatake
Kiyosato and Nobeyama. A high chance of clear skies, and many hotels with outdoor play areas
Karuizawa
Reachable by Shinkansen. Combine strolling the town with highland activities
Kita-Karuizawa
A quiet highland at the foot of Mount Asama, with some hotels where kids can meet animals
Fuji Five Lakes
With Mount Fuji in view. Lots of outdoor play areas and cottages, and an easy drive from the Tokyo area
Lake Biwa
Wide lakeside parks and resorts. Close to Kansai
Nagano
Search the prefecture's highland and outdoor-play hotels together
Gunma
Search the prefecture's highland and hot-spring hotels together
Unwinding at a hot spring (with short travel)
Hot-spring towns you can reach by Shinkansen or limited express, where the day works out entirely inside the hotel.
Hakone
A hot-spring area close to central Tokyo. Book early for long weekends and travel outside peak hours
Izu
Hot springs and the sea, with everything from large resorts to inns with a reservable private bath
Kusatsu Onsen
The hot-spring town around the Yubatake hot-water field. Autumn here overlaps with the first fall colors
Kinugawa Onsen
A hot-spring town with large ryokan lined up along the gorge. Use the features filter to find the hotels with a kids' playroom
Arima Onsen
A celebrated hot spring close to Kobe and Osaka. Short travel makes it good with babies and toddlers
Gero Onsen
A limited express ride from Nagoya. A hot-spring town along the Hida River
Beppu Onsen
Kyushu's big hot-spring destination. Close to the city center and easy to get around
Southern islands where you can still swim (September to October)
The tail end of beach season. Keep an eye on typhoon tracks and leave slack in your itinerary.
Okinawa's Main Island
Resorts on the main island. In September there are still plenty of days warm enough to swim
Miyako Island
The famous Miyako blue sea and whole-house rental villas
Ishigaki Island
A base for hopping around the outer islands. Even in October some days are good for the sea
Okinawa
Search family-friendly hotels across the whole prefecture together
Large resorts with a full day of fun on site (weatherproof)
Meals included, a pool, and a kids' playroom all in one place, so a rainy day is less likely to wreck the plan.
Minami-Boso
A drive from central Tokyo, with many large meal-inclusive resorts
Ise-Shima and Toba
A seaside resort area with a cluster of all-inclusive hotels
Awaji Island
An island close to Kansai, with resort hotels that have pools
Atami
Reachable by Shinkansen. Large hotels with a kids' buffet
Hokkaido
At a large resort you can spend the whole day on site. Autumn mornings and evenings turn chilly, so save farm experiences for the daytime
Shizuoka
Compare large resorts across the whole prefecture in one list, not just Atami and Izu
Chiba Prefecture
Search the whole prefecture for large hotels with pools and kids' playrooms, from the Tokyo Bay coast to the outer Boso coast
Tips for traveling with kids
- checkHighway traffic on a long weekend peaks on the first morning and the last afternoon. Staying the night before, leaving on the afternoon of day one, or heading home on the last morning makes it far easier
- checkPick one destination and get everything done at the hotel and nearby. Cram sightseeing into a long weekend and your children will run out of steam first
- checkA hotel with in-room dining, a private bath, or a kids' playroom lets you keep to your family's pace even when the building is busy
- checkLong-weekend hotels start filling one to two months ahead. Book as soon as your dates are set and check the cancellation policy
- checkOn the southern islands in September and October, a typhoon track can ground flights. Build a spare day into the itinerary and check insurance and change terms
Recommended hotels in this collection (52)
Selected automatically from the top-ranked hotels in each area.
Grand Mercure Nasu Highlands Resort & Spa
Hotel Epinard Nasu
Kids Pension Maple
Grand Mercure Yatsugatake Resort & Spa
Dormy Club Karuizawa
Karuizawa Prince Hotel West
Hotel Green Plaza Karuizawa
Karuizawa Club Hotel Karuizawa 1130 / Hewitt Resort
Mars Garden Wood Gotemba
Fujilake Hotel
See all hotels in this collection (52)expand_more
- Grand Mercure Nasu Highlands Resort & Spa
- Hotel Epinard Nasu
- Kids Pension Maple
- Grand Mercure Yatsugatake Resort & Spa
- Dormy Club Karuizawa
- Karuizawa Prince Hotel West
- Hotel Green Plaza Karuizawa
- Karuizawa Club Hotel Karuizawa 1130 / Hewitt Resort
- Mars Garden Wood Gotemba
- Fujilake Hotel
- GLAMP ELEMENT
- Kyukamura Omihachiman
- Shirakaba Resort Ikenotaira Hotel
- Hotel Cypress Karuizawa
- Ooedo Onsen Monogatari Premium Matsunoi
- Hotel Matsumotoro
- Sengokuhara Shinanoki Ichinoyu
- Hakone Hotel Kowakien
- Pleasure Resort Izu Akasawa Onsen (Akasawa Onsen Hotel)
- Izu Kogen Hanairotei
- Hotel Sakurai
- Kusatsu Onsen Kusatsu Now Resort Hotel
- Kinugawa Onsen Hotel
- Kinugawa Onsen Asaya
- Arima Onsen Hyoe Koyokaku
- Arima Onsen Arima Grand Hotel
- Gero Onsen Fugaku
- Gero Onsen Ogawaya
- Beppu Onsen Shinhorii
- Suginoi Hotel
- PGM Hotel Resort Okinawa
- Fukugi Terrace
- Hotel Shigira Mirage
- Hotel Breezebay Marina
- Fusaki Beach Resort Hotel & Villas
- ANA InterContinental Ishigaki Resort
- Vessel Hotel Campana Okinawa
- Okinawa Prince Hotel Ocean View Ginowan
- Kisui no Yado Monya
- Grand Mercure Minamiboso Resort & Spa
- Todaya
- Toba View Hotel Hanashinju
- Yumekaiyu Awajishima
- Awaji Sumoto Onsen Kaigetsukan
- Kamenoi Hotel Atami
- Hotel New Akao
- Hotel Naturwald Furano
- Kitayuzawa Mori no Soraniwa
- Hotel Wellseason Hamanako
- Lucy Kiki
- Kameyama Onsen Hotel
- Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay Hotel
Frequently Asked Questions
When should we book a hotel for an autumn long weekend?
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Silver Week and the October and November long weekends start filling up one to two months ahead, and last-minute rates climb. The room types that suit families are limited in number, so book as soon as your dates are set and check the cancellation policy for peace of mind.
Any tricks for avoiding long-weekend traffic?
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The first morning and the last afternoon are the worst. Leaving the night before and staying over, setting out on the afternoon of day one, or driving home on the last morning all help. Choosing a hot-spring or highland area you can reach by Shinkansen or limited express is another option.
Where do you recommend for an autumn long weekend with a baby?
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Areas with short travel where the whole day works out inside the hotel suit you best. Hot-spring towns close to the cities, such as Hakone, Atami, and Arima Onsen, or the large resorts of Minamiboso and Ise-Shima, are less affected by weather, which makes it easier to keep naps and feedings on rhythm.
Can you still swim in Okinawa in September and October?
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In September there are plenty of days warm enough for the sea, and October has swimmable days too. That said, a typhoon track can ground flights and ferries, so build a spare day into your itinerary and check the change and cancellation terms before you book.
Are the autumn highlands too cold for kids?
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September days are comfortable, but from late October into November the mornings and evenings turn chilly. Pack an extra layer, keep outdoor play to the middle of the day, and plan to spend mornings and evenings in the hot spring or inside the hotel.