Packing list for Japan and Korea in fall
Kyoto, Tokyo, Osaka and Seoul in October and November: 50°F (10°C) at the temple gate at eight and 72°F (22°C) by lunch, the fall-leaf crowds that fill every hotel for three weeks, floors you cross in socks, a typhoon tail in early October and a Seoul November that already wants a down layer.
On a phone with Waystop installed, the button adds the list to your trip as a bag you can tick off. Otherwise copy it and paste it into Waystop’s Chat with “add this to my packing list”.
Checked October 10, 2026.
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0 of 17 packed
Layers for a 22°F (12°C) swing
0/5Shoes and floors
0/4Money and cards
0/4Crowd kit
0/4What the weather is like
October afternoons average 72 to 75°F (22 to 24°C) in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka with nights of 57 to 61°F (14 to 16°C), and Seoul runs 68°F (20°C) by day and 52°F (11°C) at night. November drops to 63 to 64°F (17 to 18°C) by day and 46 to 50°F (8 to 10°C) at night in the three Japanese cities, while Seoul falls to 54°F (12°C) by day and 37 to 39°F (3 to 4°C) at night with a first frost around October 28. Tokyo's wettest month is October at about 235 mm; November is dry and clear everywhere, with Seoul at around 50 mm.
- A heavy winter coatA light down layer over a sweater covers Seoul in November; the Japanese cities never need more than a jacket and the trains and shops run hot
- Lace-up bootsTen shoes-off thresholds a day; slip-ons with grip handle the leaf-covered steps
- An umbrellaEvery convenience store sells a clear one for about ¥600 or ₩6,000 on the day it rains, and November barely rains at all
- Hand warmersKairo in Japan and hot packs in Korea cost a couple of hundred yen or around a thousand won at any convenience store from late October and last most of a day in a pocket
- Heattech from Uniqlo if Seoul turns coldAround ¥2,000 a piece in Japan and around ₩20,000 in Korea, usually less than at home, and the shops are everywhere.
- A T-money card at Incheon or any Seoul convenience storeA few thousand won for the card, then top up in cash; it works on the metro, buses and taxis and the shop sells it at the till
Worth knowing
- Koyo, the fall leaves, peaks in Kyoto most years in the second half of November and in Seoul in late October to early November, and those weeks are the busiest of the year after cherry blossom. Hotels sell out and the famous temples line from 8 a.m. Go to the big names at opening, save lesser-known temples for 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and check whether the evening illuminations you want now sell timed tickets; several do.
- Early October can still carry a typhoon. If one is forecast, the Shinkansen and KTX stop running, Kansai and Haneda airports cancel flights and the temples close. Ask Waystop's Chat for a rain plan, a second version of the day you can switch to, and keep the original for the day after, which is usually clear and 73°F (23°C).
- Convenience stores fix almost anything you forgot. In Japan 7-Eleven, Lawson and FamilyMart sell socks, umbrellas, Heattech-style base layers, phone cables and hand warmers; in Seoul CU and GS25 sell hot packs, T-money cards and a decent breakfast. Pack light and buy the rest.
Trips to pack this for
Never leave the charger in the hotel again.
Waystop keeps a list for each bag and each person. On the morning you change hotels it walks you through a quick pack-up check, and Chat can suggest items to add when you ask what to bring.