Ideas for autumn activities in Japan that don't cost money

One thing I have found helps our household budget a lot is finding activities to do that don't cost money. As most of us know intimately, living is expensive, and anything that cuts down on spending is super helpful.

These are some of my favorite things to do from past years as we head into the autumn season.

Leaf hunting

This is such a good one if you have young kids, but quite frankly there's still fun to be had with it if you're an adult too. We often collect a variety of different leaves for craft activities (there is so much inspiration on sites like Pinterest if you don't know where to start), but sometimes it's nice just appreciating the beauty in the leaves you find, and keeping them where they are for someone else to enjoy.

Cooking with seasonal produce

I don't look at cooking as a "paid" activity because my family has to eat anyway, and it actually saves us a fair bit of money to shop in season and cook at home. I've seen a few recipes for sweet potato-based stews that look promising, and we like making soups with both sweet potato and pumpkin! Since we don't have an oven at our house (only the trusty stovetop and fish grill), things we can cook on the stove are ideal. They also serve the added benefit of warming the house a bit on cooler days ;)

Hiking

Hiking is another thing I've grown to love, and while I don't have any lofty aspirations with it (I have no desire to do a summer Mount Fuji hike, for instance), it's a great way to do a few things: get some exercise, enjoy the colors of the season, and not have to spend any money. We have a number of local hikes that don't require any special shoes, hiking sticks, or anything like that -- just sneakers with decent grip do the job nicely. And of course, if you are a more experienced hiker or looking for something more challenging, there are lots of options for intermediate/advanced hiking routes across the country.

Park picnics

Again, I don't really count bringing food from home as spending money, and often when the weather is nice we like taking time on weekends to enjoy park picnics when the autumn colors are popping. Our closest park, Yairo no Mori, has a variety of trees around a pond, so the entire ambience is quite serene.

Flower festivals

We have a great chrysanthemum festival in our town that usually takes place around late October, and it's free to enjoy. I would definitely recommend checking your local area for flower-focused events featuring the likes of cosmos, chrysanthemum, kochia, begonia, because oftentimes these are free. Some have a small admission cost, but depending on your budget I think they can be well worth the fee.

Do you have any go-to activities or events that are free (or cheap!) during the autumn season?