- Best overall
- Late March–May, October–November
- Cherry blossom (Tokyo/Kyoto)
- Late March–early April
- Autumn colour (Tokyo/Kyoto)
- Late November–early December
- Quietest
- January–February (outside ski resorts)
The seasons at a glance
| Season | Why go | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| Spring (Mar–May) | Cherry blossom, mild days, fresh green from late April | Peak prices and crowds in blossom weeks; Golden Week in early May |
| Summer (Jun–Aug) | Festivals and fireworks, Hokkaido at its best, mountain hiking, Mt Fuji climbing season | Rainy season in June–July, then heat over 30°C and high humidity |
| Autumn (Sep–Nov) | Clear skies, comfortable temperatures, spectacular leaves | Typhoons in September; Kyoto packed on November weekends |
| Winter (Dec–Feb) | Crisp, sunny days on the Pacific side, the best powder snow on earth, onsen weather, low prices in cities | Cold in the north and the Alps; closures over New Year |
Month by month
Temperatures are Tokyo's average daily high and low (Japan Meteorological Agency, 1991–2020). Kyoto and Osaka are similar but a touch hotter in summer and colder in winter; Hokkaido is much colder, Okinawa much warmer.
January Quiet
10° / 1°C · dry and sunny
Clear skies and Fuji views. Cities are calm after the New Year holiday; ski season is in full swing in Hokkaido and Nagano.
February Quiet
11° / 2°C · dry
The Sapporo Snow Festival, plum blossom from mid-month, the best powder snow. Good hotel rates in Tokyo and Kyoto.
March Peak late
14° / 5°C
Cherry blossom arrives in the last week or so in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. Japanese school holidays start; prices climb.
April Peak
19° / 10°C
Blossom lingers into the first week of April, then moves north. Lovely weather; very busy until mid-month, then easing.
May
24° / 15°C
Fresh green, warm and settled — one of the best months. Avoid Golden Week at the start of the month; Tokyo's big shrine festivals mid-month.
June
26° / 19°C · rainy season
The rainy season (tsuyu) starts in early June everywhere but Hokkaido. Showers rather than storms; hydrangeas in bloom; fewer tourists.
July Festivals
30° / 22°C · humid
Rain clears around mid-July and the heat sets in. Kyoto's Gion Matsuri all month; Mt Fuji opens to climbers; Hokkaido lavender.
August Hot
31° / 24°C · hot, humid
The hottest month, with fireworks and summer festivals everywhere. Obon week mid-month brings domestic crowds and high prices.
September
28° / 20°C · typhoons
Still warm, with the peak of the typhoon season. Crowds thin out; a good-value month if you keep plans flexible.
October
22° / 15°C
Comfortable and often clear. Autumn colour starts in Hokkaido and the mountains; Takayama's autumn festival and Kyoto's Jidai Matsuri.
November Peak late
17° / 9°C · dry
Crisp and sunny. Leaves peak in Tokyo, Hakone and Kanazawa in the second half of the month; Kyoto books out on weekends.
December
12° / 4°C · dry
Kyoto's leaves can last into early December. Winter illuminations in the cities; ski resorts open. Many places close from 29 December to 3 January.
Cherry blossom dates
The blossom front moves from south-west to north-east. Trees stay at their best for about a week after full bloom — rain or wind can cut that short. Blooms have been arriving a few days earlier than the long-term averages in recent years.
| City | Average first bloom → full bloom | 2026 first bloom |
|---|---|---|
| Tokyo | 24 March → 31 March | 19 March |
| Kyoto | 26 March → 4 April | 23 March |
| Osaka | 27 March → 4 April | 26 March |
| Hiroshima | 25 March → early April | 19 March |
| Sapporo | 1 May → 6 May | 18 April |
| Okinawa (Naha) | 16 January → 4 February (a different, early-flowering species) | — |
The first forecasts for 2027 appear around the turn of the year. If your dates are fixed, aim for the last week of March to the first few days of April for Tokyo and Kyoto, and build in a day or two of slack.
Autumn leaves
The colour moves the other way, from Hokkaido and the mountains in October down to the cities in late November and December. Forecast peaks for red maples in 2026 (long-term average in brackets):
| Place | 2026 forecast peak |
|---|---|
| Sapporo | 7 November (28 October) |
| Kamikochi, Japanese Alps | Mid-October |
| Hakone | Around 17 November |
| Tokyo | 29 November (28 November) |
| Kanazawa | 30 November (24 November) |
| Osaka | 4 December (1 December) |
| Kyoto city | 11 December (5 December); Arashiyama earlier, mid to late November |
Rainy season and typhoons
- Rainy season: roughly 10 May–21 June in Okinawa, and 6–7 June to about 19 July in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. Hokkaido doesn't get one, which is part of why it's popular in summer.
- Typhoons: about 25 form each year and three make landfall on average. August sees the most storms, September the most landfalls; Okinawa is the most exposed. A typhoon usually means a day or so of cancelled trains and flights rather than a ruined trip — travel insurance and flexible bookings help.
Japanese holidays to plan around
Domestic travel surges on these dates: trains fill, hotel prices jump, and some places close.
- New Year: 29 December 2026 to 3 January 2027. Many museums, shops and small restaurants close; shrines are packed; every Nozomi seat is reserved-only from 25 December to 5 January.
- Golden Week 2027: Thursday 29 April, then Monday 3 to Wednesday 5 May.
- Obon 2027: around 13–16 August; 11–16 August is the busiest travel week.
- Long weekends through the year — including 21–23 November 2026, 9–11 January and 20–22 March 2027.
Ski season
Japan's resorts are famous for light, dry powder. The season runs from late November or December to April; the deepest powder is from mid-January to mid-February.
- Niseko (Hokkaido) 2026–27: opens 28 November 2026; peak season 24 December–28 February; Grand Hirafu and Annupuri stay open until 5 May.
- Hakuba (Nagano): Goryu opens 21 November 2026, most other areas in mid-December. This is the last full winter for the old "Adam" gondola at Happo-One, due to be replaced in December 2027.
More in our guides to Hokkaido and the Japanese Alps.
Festivals and events, 2026–27
| Dates | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 9–10 Oct 2026 | Takayama Autumn Festival — ornate floats, lantern-lit night parade on the 9th | Takayama |
| 22 Oct 2026 | Jidai Matsuri — a costumed procession through 1,000 years of history; the Kurama Fire Festival is the same night | Kyoto |
| 12 Nov 2026 – 14 Feb 2027 | Marunouchi winter illumination | Tokyo |
| 20 Nov 2026 – 14 Mar 2027 | Sapporo White Illumination | Sapporo |
| 21–30 Nov 2026 | Kiyomizu-dera autumn night viewing | Kyoto |
| 23 Nov 2026 | Rebuilt main hall of Shuri Castle reopens | Okinawa |
| 4–11 Feb 2027 | Sapporo Snow Festival — giant snow and ice sculptures, free | Sapporo |
| 19 Mar – 26 Sep 2027 | GREEN×EXPO 2027, the international horticultural expo (tickets and timed booking required) | Yokohama |
| 14–15 Apr 2027 | Takayama Spring Festival | Takayama |
| Mid-May 2027 (dates TBC) | Kanda Matsuri (a main-festival year) and Sanja Matsuri | Tokyo |
| All of July 2027 | Gion Matsuri; the great float parades are on 17 and 24 July | Kyoto |
| 24–25 Jul 2027 | Tenjin Matsuri — river procession and fireworks on the 25th | Osaka |
| Late Jul 2027 (TBC) | Sumida River fireworks | Tokyo |
| 2–7 Aug 2027 | Aomori Nebuta — huge illuminated paper floats | Aomori |
| 12–15 Aug 2027 | Awa Odori dance festival | Tokushima |
Dates marked TBC follow the usual pattern but haven't been officially confirmed yet.