Japan experiences a splendid array of different seasons which is highlighted by its beautiful nature and landscape. When looking at pictures of Japan it’s hard to pick which season to travel during. When is the best time to visit Japan? How do you pick from:
- Cherry blossoms in Spring
- Snow festivals in Winter
- Red and yellow foliage in Autumn
- Festival celebrations in Summer
Before you book any flights or accommodation the first thing you have to decide is when you want to go. There really is no ‘best time’ to visit Japan, but comes down to what suits you the most. Do you prefer warmer or colder weather? Do you mind big crowds? Is there a specific festival or food you want to try? (For me it was seeing the cherry blossoms). The best way is to compare all the seasons below and pick the one that stands out to you!
Let’s read Step 2: When is the best time to visit Japan?
SPRING IN JAPAN
Weather:
March is around 13C/48F and warms up to 23C/73F by May
Number of tourists visiting at this time of year:
7 million* (*Statistics from the Japan National Tourism Organisation from 2017)
Festivals & Events:
- March 1st to March 14th – Omizutori (Water Drawing) Festival in Nara
- Early to Late March – Sumo Spring Basho in Osaka
- Mid March – Aso Fire Festival in Kumamoto
- March 20th – Spring Equinox Day – National Holiday
- End of March – AnimeJapan in Tokyo
- April 1st to April 23rd – Miyako Odori in Kyoto
- April 14th to April 15th – Takayama Festival in Takayama
- April 16th to April 17th – Yayoi Festival in Nikko
- Mid April – Kamakura Festival in Kanagawa
- April 22nd to April 23rd – Earth Day Festival in Tokyo
- April 30th – Showa Day (Golden Week) – National Holiday
- May 1st to May 24th – Kamogawa Odori in Kyoto
- May 2nd to May 3rd – Meiji Shrine Spring Festival in Tokyo
- Early May to Late May – Wisteria at Ashikaga Park
- May 3rd – Constitution Day – National Holiday
- May 4th – Greenery Day – National Holiday
- May 5th – Children’s Day – National Holiday
- May 13th to May 14th – Kanda Matsuri in Tokyo
- May 14th to May 28th – Sumo Summer Basho in Tokyo
- Mid May – Shibuya Ohara Matsuri in Tokyo
- May 15th – Aoi Matsuri in Kyoto
- May 17th to May 18th – Shunki Reitaisai (Grand Festival of Spring) in Nikko
- May 19th to May 21st – Asakusa Sanja Matsuri in Tokyo
- May 21st – Mifune Matsuri in Kyoto
Seasonal food:
- Sakura flavoured drinks and snacks
- Sakura Mochi
- Strawberry Daifuku (see above)
- Ume (Pickled Plum)
- Bamboo Shoots
- Hinachirashi (scattered sushi)
Activities:
- Strawberry picking
- Flower festivals
- Anime convention in Tokyo
- Go to Matsuri festivals
- Watch Sumo wrestling
- Party at the Earth Day festival in Tokyo
autumn in Japan
Weather:
Sept is around 27C/72F then drops down to 17C/63F in November
Note: Early Autumn can experience typhoons
Number of tourists visiting at this time of year:
6.3million(*Statistics from the Japan National Tourism Organisation from 2016)
Festivals & Events:
- Sept 10th to Sept 24th – Sumo Autumn Basho in Tokyo
- Sept 15th to Sept 17th – Rally Hokkaido in Sapporo
- Sept 23rd to Sept 24th Tokyo Game Show (Gaming Convention) in Chiba
- Sept 23rd – Autumn Equinox – National Holiday
- Sept 23rd to Sept 24th – Fukuro Matsuri in Tokyo
- Sept 29th to Oct 9th – Hibiya Oktoberfest in Tokyo
- Oct 4th to Oct 7th – Ceatec Japan (Electronics Convention) in Chiba
- Oct 7th to Oct 9th – Nagasaki Kunchi Festival in Nagasaki
- Oct 7th to Oct 8th – Tokyo Yosakoi (Dance) Contest in Tokyo
- Oct 9th – Health and Sports Day – National Holiday
- Oct 9th to Oct 10th – Takayama Autumn Festival in Takayama
- Oct 16th to Oct 18th – Niihama Taiko Festival in Ehime
- Oct 22nd – Jidai Matsuri in Kyoto
- Oct 22nd – Kurama Fire Festival in Kyoto
- Oct 28th to Nov 5th – Tokyo Motor Show in Tokyo
- Oct 31st – Halloween in Japan
- Early November – Design Festa (design festival) in Tokyo
- Nov 1st to Nov 3rd – Meiji Shrine Autumn Festival in Tokyo
- Nov 3rd – Culture Day – National Holiday
- Nov 12th to Nov 26th – Sumo Kyushu Basho in Fukuoka
- Nov 23rd – Labour Thanksgiving Day – National Holiday
- Nov 24th to Dec 25th – Sapporo White Illumination in Sapporo
- Nov 25th to Dec 24th – German Christmas Market in Sapporo
Seasonal Food:
Activities:
- Enjoy autumn foliage
- Attend a fire festival
- Go to a university festival
- Dress up for Halloween in Shibuya
- Grape picking
SUMMER IN JAPAN
Weather:
In June it’s around 25C/77F and warms up in August at around 31C/88F
Note: June to Early July is rainy season and can experience Typhoons
Number of tourists visiting at this time of year in Japan?
7.5 million (*Statistics from the Japan National Tourism Organisation from 2017)
Festivals and events:
- June 7th to June 11th – Yosakoi Soran (Dance) Festival in Sapporo
- June 7th to June 17th – Sanno Festival in Tokyo
- June 14th to June 16th – Hokkaido Shrine Festival in Sapporo
- July 1st to July 29th – Gion Festival in Kyoto
- July 7th – Tanabata across Japan
- July 9th to July 23rd – Sumo Nagoya Basho in Nagoya
- July 10th to July 15th – Hakata Gion Yamakasa in Fukuoka
- July 10th to Sept 10th – Mount Fuji Climbing Season
- July 19th – Kamakura Hanabi in Kamakura
- July 20th to August 17th – Sapporo Summer Festival in Sapporo
- July 24th to July 25th – Tenjin Matsuri in Osaka
- July 28th to July 30th – Fuji Rock Festival in Niigata
- July 28th – Toyhira River Fireworks in Sapporo
- July 29th – Sumidagawa Fireworks in Tokyo
- July 29th – Shinjuku Eisa Festival in Tokyo
- Early August – Yokohama Fireworks in Yokohama
- Aug 2nd to Aug 7th – Nebuta Festival in Aomori
- Aug 3rd to Aug 6th – Kanto Festival in Akita
- Aug 5th – Itabashi Hanabi in Tokyo
- Aug 6th – Hiroshima Lantern Ceremony in Hiroshima
- Aug 6th to Aug 8th – Sendai Tanabata Matsuri in Sendai
- Aug 11th to Aug 19th – Obon across Japan
- Aug 18th to Aug 20th – Summer Sonic in Chiba
- Aug 19th to Aug 20th – Summer Sonic in Osaka
- Aug 25th to Aug 26th – Hibiya Bon Odori in Tokyo
- Aug 26th – Asakusa Samba Carnival in Tokyo
- Aug 26th to Aug 27th – Azabu Juban Noryo Festival in Tokyo
- Aug 26th to Aug 27th – Koenji Awa Odori in Tokyo
Seasonal Food:
- Somen (cold noodle dish)
- Kakigori (shaved ice) (see above)
- Ayu (grilled fish)
- Watermelon
- Unagi (eel)
- Yakitori (grilled skewers)
Activities:
- Attend a summer festival
- Visit the islands of Okinawa
- See the Alpine wildflowers in the North
- Climb Mount Fuji (from July to Sept)
- Light a lantern at the Hiroshima Lantern Ceremony
WINTER IN JAPAN
Weather:
In December the weather is 12C/54F and drops down to 10C/50F in February
Number of tourists visiting at this time of year in Japan:
5.7 million tourists* (*statistics from the Japan National Tourism Organisation from 2016)
Festivals & Events:
- 2nd Dec to 3rd Dec – Chichibu Yomatsuri (Night Festiva) in Saitama
- 14th Dec – Gishi-sai in Tokyo
- 17th to 19th Dec – Hagoita-Ichi in Tokyo
- 15th Dec to 18th Dec – Kasuga Wakamiya On-Matsuri in Nara
- 23rd Dec – Emperor’s Birthday – National Holiday
- 25th Dec – Christmas in Japan (most things will be open on Christmas)
- Late December – Christmas Celebrations at Tokyo Disneyland
- 31st December – New Year’s Eve
- 1st January – New Year’s Celebrations at Shrines across Japan
- 1st Jan to 5th Jan – Hatsumode – Nationwide
- 2nd January – Emperor’s New Year’s Greeting
- 6th January – Dezome-shiki (New Year’s Parade of Firemen) in Tokyo
- Early Jan – Tokyo Auto Salon (car convention) in Tokyo
- 9th Jan to 11th Jan – Toka Ebisu (good luck festival) in Osaka
- 8th Jan – Coming of Age Day – National Holiday
- Mid-January – Toh-shiya (Archery Contest) at Sanjusangen-do Temple in Kyoto
- 17th Jan – Bonden-sai in Akita
- 28th Jan – Wakakusa Yamayaki (fire burning festival) in Nara
- 3rd Feb – Setsubun Mantoro (Lantern Festival) in Nara
- Early Feb – Winter Yakiniku (grilled beef) Festival in Hokkaido
- Early Feb – Asahikawa Winter Festival in Asahikawa
- Second week of February – Sapporo Snow Festival in Hokkaido
- 11th Feb – National Foundation Day – National Holiday
- 12th Feb – Yonekawa Mizukaburi in Towa
- 14th Feb – Valentine’s Day (customary for women to give presents to men)
- 15th Feb to 16th Feb – Kamakura Snow Festival in Akita
- Mid-Feb – Saidai-ji Eyo Hadaka Matsuri (Naked Festival) in Okayama
- 17th Feb to 20th Feb – Hachinohe Enburi in Aomori
- 25th Feb – Tokyo Marathon in Tokyo
Seasonal Food:
- Sukiyaki
- Chanko
- Oden
- Yuzu
- Strawberry Cakes for Christmas
- Mochi (see above)
- Osechi (New Year’s Bento Box)
Activities:
- See the snow art in Sapporo
- Skiing and snowboarding at ski resort
- Attend a fire burning festival
- Join the crowd and visit a shrine on New Years Day
- Eat KFC on Christmas Day
- Sit in a Rotenburo (outdoor bath) deep in the snow
- Enjoy the plum blossoms
- See the snow monkeys in the hot springs
Japan is a great place to visit all year round. No matter what time of year you visit you can definitely catch an event.
Planning a trip to Japan? Complete my Step by Step Guide!
- Step 1: Free Printable – The Ultimate Japan Bucket List
- Step 3: How to book your flights to Japan – How to get cheap flights and a Japanese Visa
- Step 4: What is the best accommodation in Japan?
- Step 5: Free Downloadable Guide: Discounts and Passes for Japan 2018
- Step 6: How to Create A Japan Travel Budget
