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What is the best time to visit Japan?
March to May and October to November are the best times to visit Japan. Spring for the cherry blossom, autumn for the colour, and both for mild dry weather.
Cherry blossom peaks in the last days of March and the first week of April in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, and full bloom lasts only about a week. The date moves a lot: Tokyo has peaked as early as 18 March and as late as 11 April.
June to mid-July is tsuyu, the rainy season, across Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. Hokkaido barely gets it, which makes the north the answer if your dates are fixed then.
Three weeks to avoid if you can: Golden Week, 29 April to 5 May; Obon, around 15 August; and New Year, 29 December to 3 January. Trains, hotels and flights all sell out.
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Japan Explorer: 8 Nights Tokyo, Kyoto & Osaka Adventure
Tokyo(3N) → Kyoto(2N) → Osaka(3N)
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Probesten Tours(4.8
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Japan Discovery Tour: Osaka, Kyoto, Nagoya, Tokyo & Fuji 10N/11D
Osaka(3N) → Kyoto(2N) → Nagoya(2N) → Tokyo(3N)
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Probesten Tours(4.8
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Japan Cherry Blossom Tour
Tokyo (4N) → Osaka (2N)
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Travel Trail Trips(5.0
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Japan Highlights: 6 Nights Tokyo, Mt. Fuji, Kyoto and Osaka Tour
Tokyo(2N) → Kyoto(2N) → Osaka(2N)
7-Night Japan Highlights: Osaka, Kyoto, Tokyo, Mt. Fuji Adventure (Fix Departure 15 Nov)
Osaka(4N) → Tokyo(3N)
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Probesten Tours(4.8
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9-Day Japan Highlights: Tokyo, Mt. Fuji, Kyoto, and Osaka Adventure
East of Tokyo(3N) → Fujikawaguchiko(1N) → Kyoto(2N) → Osaka...
More about Best Time to Travel to Japan
Cherry Blossom Season: Late March to Early April
In 2026, peak bloom is forecast for 28 March to 4 April in Tokyo, 29 March to 5 April in Kyoto and 1 to 7 April in Osaka. Full bloom lasts roughly a week before the petals fall.
The date is not reliable. Tokyo's peak has swung between 18 March and 11 April in recent years, so book flexible accommodation and check the forecast from early March. Prices in this fortnight are the highest of the year.
Spring in Japan: March to May
March to May is mild and dry, with Tokyo climbing from about 10°C to 20°C across the season and very little rain.
Golden Week, 29 April to 5 May, is the most concentrated travel week in the Japanese year: shinkansen seats, hotels and domestic flights sell out weeks ahead and prices spike. Either book far in advance or plan around it.
Tsuyu, the Rainy Season: June to Mid-July
Tsuyu runs roughly 7 June to 20 July in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. It is five or six weeks of grey skies, high humidity and steady rain rather than tropical downpours, and June and July are Kyoto's and Osaka's wettest months.
Hokkaido has essentially no tsuyu , the rain front weakens before it reaches that far north. If your dates are locked into June, go to Sapporo and Furano rather than Kyoto.
Summer and Typhoon Season: July to September
August is the hottest month everywhere, and Kyoto is the worst of it at about 28.5°C mean against Tokyo's 26.9°C. Kyoto sits in a basin with no sea breeze, so the nights do not cool down.
Typhoon season runs June to October and August and September carry the highest risk of a storm cancelling flights and trains for a day or two. Obon, around 15 August, is a second national travel peak. The big summer festivals fall now: Gion Matsuri on 17 July in Kyoto and Tenjin Matsuri on 24 and 25 July in Osaka.
Autumn Colour: Late October to Early December
Kyoto peaks in mid to late November and Tokyo a week or two later, into early December. The colour front moves south from Hokkaido through October.
October and November are dry and mild, and October is Tokyo's wettest month on paper but pleasant in practice. This is the second peak season, so Kyoto in the last two weeks of November is as booked as it is in cherry blossom week.
Winter in Japan: December to February
Japan has two opposite winters. Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka sit on the Pacific side and get a dry, sunny, cold winter: Tokyo averages 5.4°C in January and February is its driest month.
The Japan Sea side gets some of the heaviest snowfall on Earth, which is why Niseko and Hakuba exist. Same country, same week, opposite weather, purely a matter of which side of the mountains you are on. 29 December to 3 January is a national shutdown: book everything early.
Best Time to Visit Japan by Interest
- Cherry blossom: 28 March to 7 April, varying by city and by year
- Autumn colour in Kyoto: mid to late November
In Tokyo: late November to early December - Skiing in Hokkaido and Nagano: January and February
- Mount Fuji climbing: July to early September, the only open window
- A trip during tsuyu: Hokkaido, June to mid-July
- Cheapest and quietest: late January to February, and June
- Weeks to avoid: Golden Week 29 April to 5 May, Obon around 15 August, New Year 29 December to 3 January
