Obara Shikizakura & Korankei Gorge Illumination Day Trip in Nagoya

Most of Japan's cherry blossoms and autumn foliage are separated by half a year, which is what makes Obara's Shikizakura Park unusual: it grows a rare double-blooming cherry variety that flowers again in November, right as the maples around it turn red. This day trip from Nagoya Station takes advantage of that overlap, pairing a visit to Shikizakura Park with an evening stop at Korankei Gorge, one of the Chubu region's most celebrated autumn-illumination spots.

At Shikizakura Park, roughly 10,000 shikizakura trees are planted across the hillsides above Obara, a mountain district northeast of central Nagoya, and in season their pale pink blossoms sit against the same red and gold maple leaves you'd normally expect only in spring or only in autumn, not both. The group spends about 50 minutes here taking in the hillside views before continuing on to Korankei Gorge, a valley along the Tomoe River lined with roughly 4,000 maple trees that has been one of Aichi Prefecture's signature autumn destinations for generations.

As daylight fades, Korankei's maples are lit up for the evening illumination, turning the gorge's stone bridges and riverside paths into a glowing red-gold corridor that draws visitors from across the region. With around two hours built in to walk the gorge at your own pace before dark falls fully, there's time to follow the river trail, cross its arched bridges, and watch the light change as the illumination takes effect, before the group returns to Nagoya Station to close out the trip.