Japan
Alps
November 2024 • The Japanese Alps (christened thus by a 19th-century European explorer) are a series of mountain ranges that bisect the main island of Honshu. Easily accessed from Tokyo, they also touch the edges of Matsumoto, Nagano, and Kanazawa. Foliage + looming winter closure make the Alps a popular target in autumn, and early November weather this year was cooperative. Leaf color was at various stages of wow, but the main takeaway will always be the system of road tunnels that burrow into these mountains and allow passage for all types of vehicle. Some of the tunnels are miles long—an incredible feat of engineering in a region, and country, that’s forever at the mercy of Mother Nature.
