Seasons
Japan by month: when to go and what's on
Cherry blossoms, summer festivals, autumn leaves and snow: what each month in Japan is really like, where to go and what to pack.
Spring
- Japan in MarchSpring arrives from the south: cherry blossoms open in Fukuoka and Kochi around 22 March and in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka by the last week. Hokkaido is still snowy.
- Japan in AprilCherry blossom month: full bloom in Tokyo and Kyoto in the first days of April, then the blossoms move north through Sendai, Nagano and Aomori. Days are mild at 17–20°C.
- Japan in MayWarm, green and comfortable (Tokyo around 24°C by day) once Golden Week ends on 5 May. Cherry blossoms reach Sapporo in early May, while Okinawa's rainy season begins.
Summer
- Japan in JuneRainy season on the mainland from about 6–7 June: warm (Tokyo around 26°C), humid and often drizzly, but green and quiet. Hokkaido has no rainy season and is at its freshest.
- Japan in JulyFestival month: Kyoto's Gion Matsuri, Fukuoka's Yamakasa and Osaka's Tenjin Matsuri. The rainy season ends around 19 July and real summer heat (30°C+) arrives. Hokkaido's lavender peaks.
- Japan in AugustThe hottest month (Osaka averages 33.7°C) and the peak of summer festivals: Nebuta, Kanto, Tanabata, Yosakoi and Awa Odori. Obon week (around 13–16 August) is crowded, and typhoons are possible.
Autumn
- Japan in SeptemberStill warm (Tokyo around 27°C by day) and the peak of typhoon season, with Tokyo's wettest month of the year. In Hokkaido's mountains, the first autumn colour appears by late September.
- Japan in OctoberOne of the best months: comfortable days (Tokyo around 22°C), autumn colour in Hokkaido, Tohoku and the mountains, and big festivals in Takayama and Kyoto. Typhoon risk fades through the month.
- Japan in NovemberPeak autumn colour for most of the country, moving from Tohoku in mid-November to Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto by the end of the month. Days are clear and dry (Tokyo around 17°C).
Winter
- Japan in DecemberWinter begins: dry, sunny days in Tokyo and Osaka (around 12°C), the first deep snow in Hokkaido, late autumn colour in Kyoto and illuminations everywhere. Many places close from 29 December to 3 January.
- Japan in JanuaryThe coldest month: powder snow in Hokkaido and Tohoku, sunny but cold Tokyo (around 10°C by day), and in Okinawa the first cherry blossoms of the year in mid-January.
- Japan in FebruaryStill winter: the Sapporo Snow Festival in early February, the deepest snow of the year in the north, and the first plum blossoms around Tokyo from mid-month.