Asuke is a small mountain community within Toyota City and is located about 50 kilometers east of Nagoya. It is most famous for the autumn colors of the Korankei Gorge and is highly regarded as one of the most beautiful places to see the fall foliage in the Tokai area.

The town itself is quite old and legend has it that a priest began planting maple trees around the Kojakuji Temple grounds over 300 years ago. Since then, locals have kept up with the tradition resulting in a valley of over 4,000 trees of different varieties of maple.

Getting to Asuke
The town is located just 20 kilometers from Toyota station which can be accessed easily by Meitetsu Rail. From there you can take local buses to Asuke but it is suggested to plan your trips early if you decide to visit the area during peak autumn foliage because of traffic.

My personal preference, however, especially if you’re traveling alone or with a willing companion is to ride up to Asuke by bike from Toyota Station. It’s a pretty straightforward ride that will allow you to appreciate the nature a little bit more, I think. But the biggest reason for me is that you’ll be far less bothered by traffic and parking for bikes is free!

The entire valley is carved out by the ancient Tomoe River that runs along the southern part of Mt. Iimori. Visitors are able to go down to the riverbank to sit, skip stones, and take in the natural charm of this mountain village.

A Festive Town
Every year in celebration of the vibrant colors, Asuke becomes the epicenter of food and drinks in this part of Toyota. Vendors from all around the countryside offer visitors an assortment of locally sourced and seasonally prepared delicacies and handmade crafts.

Specialty stores for pottery, baskets, preserved fruits and vegetables, and even locally brewed sake or Japanese rice wine are available for you to sample, shop, and share in a fun and frenzied fashion.

“Kaki” or persimmon is a local staple and widely loved fall food. There are two main varieties. The ones featured in this picture are best enjoyed dried and preserved to enhance the distinct fall flavor whereas the fresh cousins of this variety are perfectly fine eaten raw after being peeled.

During the momiji season, dozens of quaint tea shops offer warm drinks and good food to customers who want to take a little extra time to warm up and bask in the crisp fall weather while enjoying some traditional Japanese tea and carefully crafted sweets.

If you’d rather eat on the go, the small streets of Asuke are lined with plenty of other food and drink options to satisfy anyone with an array of warm or cold, and sweet or savory dishes including “matsuri-style” favorites like okonomiyaki or Japanese pancakes, grilled meats including beef tongue and wild boar sausages, and even desserts like shortcake, chocolate dipped bananas, and taiyaki (custard or red bean filled cakes).

Taste of Tradition
Unlike the stalls that offer some of the more popular “matsuri” food, the shops and vendors in the square serve more seasonal and local cuisine.

It might be a good idea to walk around the festive space and keep a mental catalogue of the tasty dishes you’d want to eat and share with your companions because there are quite a variety of handmade noodles, dumplings, grilled fish, rice cakes, and even wild boar burgers!

Every time I go I definitely look forward to try the seasonally caught and skewered “ayu” or river fish that’s lightly salted and grilled to savory perfection.

Goheimochi is also a crowd favorite as sticky rice is grilled and lathered with a sweet soy sauce-based glaze. It’s quite popular as a hearty and easy-to-eat snack to keep you going!

No festival is complete without mitarashi dango or grilled rice dumplings finished in a sauce not unlike goheimochi.

Venturing outside of the world of rice cakes, there are also plenty more substantial options such as hand cut noodles in a warm and energizing broth of vegetables and pork or homemade soba and udon noodles served in bamboo bowls. The lines may look long, but they move rather quickly as the all vendors pride themselves on quality and speedy turnaround times for the large volume of orders they get every year.

Although you won’t have to wait long for a hearty bowl of hand-cut noodles, I suggest you have someone in your party save a seating area for your group if you travel with company. And be ready to make some friends because people come for the food and festivities just as much as they do for the fall colors here in Asuke!