Japans backcountry regions are dotted with small hamlets that go unnoticed and untouched by the masses. Several of these hamlets are home to the legendary scenes of beautiful autumn leaves viewing Japan is famous for! For 15 years I had explored these backcountry hamlets extensively for a renowned Japanese photo company capturing the ideal naturalist scenery. Five years ago I went freelance happily today I continued my photo tour Japan explorations through to these hidden hamlets. This year's annual October-November autumn journey friends of mine from my native Canada hired me for a 12-day private photo tour workshop exploration. The goal was to visually embrace the natural Japanese autumn colors in full vibrant bloom. As you can see in the photo mission accomplished. I choose our route 3-5 hrs drive from Tokyo taking us through several alpine valleys in Nagano, Niigata, and Gunma prefectures. The valleys are spectacular; they are also world famous, being in the 10 snowiest places on earth. So I knew we had a high percentage to witness the most stunningly striking autumn scene with snow in the higher elevations and beautiful autumn colors in the lower elevations. This is an annual occurrence in Japan and to witness this once in a lifetime autumn scene timing and location knowledge is everything. The same valleys in the spring offer a spectacular view of cherry blossoms with snow-capped mountain in the backdrop. Before you embark on a fall or spring trip to Japan, you should always be aware of the autumn or spring forecast.