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Autumn Belongs to Dogs: Travelling Once the Asphalt Has Cooled
Anyone who has travelled with a dog in summer knows the tension. The pavement is too hot to walk on during the day. You push the walks to early morning and evening and spend the middle of the day indoors. Even if you pick a stay with access to the sea or a river, the few dozen meters between the car park and the water become the problem. A dog stands lower than your waist, which means it takes the heat radiating off the ground full in the face.
Autumn lifts that constraint wholesale. The same walking route becomes a road you can take at any hour. Humans can stay outside in a single layer too, so the total time spent outdoors with the dog reaches its yearly peak. Travelling with a dog is probably what this season is for.
Choosing by running space: Nagomi Resort Run Yatsugatake
Just six pet-friendly cottages in the broad forests of Hokuto, on the Yatsugatake highlands. Every cottage has its own roughly 130-square-meter dog run leading off the deck, and the grounds include a 2,500-square-meter dog run in full artificial turf, about the area of ten tennis courts. There is an all-weather BBQ space, a cafe for guests only and a ceramic-plate bath, with glamping BBQ featuring Koshu Wine Beef. The value of a private run comes down to being able to unclip the lead at midnight or at dawn.
A lake and pears in autumn: GRAN LAKE TOTTORI
A lakeside glamping resort overlooking Lake Togo in Yurihama, Tottori. All seven domes have free-flowing Togo hot-spring baths and a private dining space, and there is a lakeside barrel sauna, meals featuring local produce such as Manyo beef, and canoeing and pear-picking experiences. Some units come with their own dog run. Tottori pears are an autumn fruit, which makes it easy to add something for the humans to an itinerary built around walking the dog.
Time spent in the forest: Chichibu Bettei Komura
A private resort of four suites in the forests of Chichibu. Each suite has a pool, a sauna, a semi-open-air bath, a BBQ and a free bar, and there is a dog-friendly suite with its own dog run. Sleeps 7. A free pickup from Seibu-Chichibu Station (departing at 15:00, reserved three days ahead) means you can get there with a dog and no car.
One thing to watch on an autumn dog trip
Because the weather is comfortable, dogs do not stop themselves. In summer they find shade and rest; in autumn they keep running. The larger the dog run, the more the decision to call it a day falls to the owner. Bring plenty of water, and break early. Beyond that, mornings and evenings turn sharply cold even on Honshu at this time of year, so pack a layer for short-haired dogs.
On the drive home, the back seat goes quiet. That is usually how you know it was a good day.