Four seasons.
Your right one.
- MARCH TO MAY
Spring
Cherry blossoms open in the south in mid to late March and reach Tokyo and Kyoto from late March to early April. Peak bloom at any one place lasts only a week to ten days. Daytime highs in Tokyo sit between 14 and 24 degrees, and skies are mostly clear. April is the busiest month of the year. During Golden Week from late April to early May, ryokan and shinkansen fill to capacity, and accommodation and guides are best booked eight to twelve months ahead.
PAIRS WITHGolden Route or Classic Japan → - JUNE TO AUGUST
Summer
Hot and humid, with the tsuyu rainy season from early June to mid-July. In return, it is the season of the great festivals, from the Gion Matsuri in Kyoto in July to the Tohoku festivals and O-bon in August. In August, Tokyo regularly reaches 31 degrees or more, so early morning programmes and air-conditioned ryokan help. Hokkaido stays cool, and Okinawa has its beach season from June.
PAIRS WITHGolden Route → - SEPTEMBER TO NOVEMBER
Autumn
For many, the finest time for Japan. September is still typhoon season, and from October it turns mild and dry. The foliage moves from north to south, starting in early October in Hokkaido and Tohoku and reaching Kyoto and Nara in mid to late November. The weeks of late October and the first half of November are the best moment, with colour, cooler air and slightly fewer crowds than at cherry blossom time.
PAIRS WITHDeep Japan or Classic Japan → - DECEMBER TO FEBRUARY
Winter
Crisp, cold days and stillness. Temperatures in Tokyo and Kyoto sit between 2 and 12 degrees, and snow is rare but striking on temple rooftops. Sights are noticeably quieter from mid-December and in January, and ryokan with outdoor onsen are at their best. Hokkaido and the mountains of Nagano hold powder snow, and the Snow Festival takes place in Sapporo in February.
PAIRS WITHGolden Route →
Best Time to Visit Japan
A Complete Season and Month-by-Month Guide
Read the full season guide →