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 1258 hotels (total listings across these areas)
Silver Week in September, Sports Day in October, Culture Day 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 (the autumn classic, neither hot nor cold)
The season when outdoor play areas, farms, and hiking feel best. Reachable by car or Shinkansen from the Tokyo and Kansai areas.
Nasu Kogen
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 hotels offering farms and animal encounters
the 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
Large ryokan along the gorge. Many have plenty for kids to do on site
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
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 mean neither rain nor traffic can 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
Autumn in Hokkaido is wonderfully comfortable. Large resorts and farm experiences
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
- Hakone Hotel Kowakien
- Hotel Okada
- Lucy Kiki
- Izu Kogen Hanairotei
- Hotel Sakurai
- Kusatsu Onsen Kusatsu Now Resort Hotel
- Kinugawa Onsen Hotel
- Nikko Kinugawa Hotel Mikazuki
- Kobe Arima Onsen Motoyu Ryusenkaku
- Arima Onsen Arima Grand Hotel
- Gero Onsen Ogawaya
- Gero Onsen Fugaku
- Beppu Daiichi Hotel
- Suginoi Hotel
- Fukugi Terrace
- Vessel Hotel Campana Okinawa
- Hotel Shigira Mirage
- Hotel Breezebay Marina
- Fusaki Beach Resort Hotel & Villas
- Grandvrio Resort Ishigakijima Ocean's Wing & Villa Garden
- Okinawa Prince Hotel Ocean View Ginowan
- Kanucha Bay Hotel & Villas
- Grand Mercure Minamiboso Resort & Spa
- Kamogawa Grand Hotel
- Todaya
- Toba View Hotel Hanashinju
- Awaji Sumoto Onsen Kaigetsukan
- Yumekaiyu Awajishima
- Kamenoi Hotel Atami
- Hotel New Akao
- Toyako Manseikaku Hotel Lakeside Terrace
- Hotel Naturwald Furano
- Hotel Wellseason Hamanako
- Hotel & Spa Anda Resort Izukogen
- Kameyama Onsen Hotel
- Kisui no Yado Monya
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 far less affected by traffic and 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.