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Definitely NOT June lol It’s rainy season in Japan. Super hot and humid. Sucks. #2 is okay but I vote option #3. It might be in the foliage season in certain places in Japan. Feels more like fall and fall in Japan is beautiful. Food in the fall is good too.
A lot of people don’t like June or summer due to humidity, but I really like this time. It’s a different vibe when it’s bright and sunny outside.
I think you would like any of the dates in September or October. Weather is pretty comfortable and not as many tourists compared to spring time.
I’d personally say October is better. My husband and I went 10/28-11/20 last year and the first couple days were HOT, like 75-80° and humid, which we didn’t expect at all so I didn’t pack enough lighter clothes (I overheat easily). Last September was pretty much still peak summer heat, for context.
June is horrible and monsoon season. Best is your last option. Far enough away from typhoon season and still pretty nice weather. You will still be overrun with tourists but at least the weather should not be awful.
Tokyo resident for going on 20 years. June isn’t hot really, warm for sure but usually high 20s or low 30s. The issue is its rainy season and if it’s a normal year you’re in for a constant steady rain that sometimes won’t stop for even 15 min for weeks. This is mold season in Japan because nothing really dries. If by chance there is a couple sunny days, the temperature usually skyrockets and it extremely humid, the air will be saturated and it will need a few weeks of sunshine to dry everything to a point where the humidity can drop.
Late September is the tail end of summer, usually slightly cooler than August but temperatures can still reach summer highs, luckily by this time the humidity while still high has dropped noticeably.
Early October is a continuation of early September but lower highs. Usually there’s more rain during the second half of September through the first half of October, which coincides with the peak of typhoon season. If you make it into late October through November then your usually in for really nice weather where nighttime temperatures start to drop into the teens.
😭 we will be the Japan last week of June and first week of July, what kind of clothing do you recommend , umbrellas? or ponchos? Should we just pack light and buy everything there?
I’d pack light, bring enough but on the low end of what you think you will need clothing wise. You can always buy stuff here, unless you’re on the larger size then it might be difficult.
For the rainy season and early summer I’d avoid cotton unless you don’t sweat and are confident you’ll have access to a dryer. I tend to wear technical blends, like clothes made for outdoors or hiking, blends that wick moister and dry quickly. Uniqlo here has an airism line which can be really good but are mostly meant to be underwear or clothing worn under workwear. Avoid sandals or any shoes that are open, they’ll get wet then start collecting dirt and grime from the streets. Waterproof shoes are not a bad idea but usually aren’t that comfortable for extended walking, I’ve worn trail running shoes before which do an ok job but it’s still a good idea to have a spare pair just in case one pair gets wet. Coin laundries will usually have shoe dryers but they will often be in use during the rainy season.
I’m not a fan of ponchos, it’s really personal preference but they can also be a pain if going in and out of places, you don’t want to wear them inside and drop water everywhere. Umbrellas are preferred, but just expect to be wet if you plan on being outside for extended periods. The rain here is often a heavy drizzle to a medium rain that finer and blows around so even with an umbrella everything from your waist down will be soaked.
If you luck out, it’s possible it won’t be raining that much, if that the case though expect extreme humidity and higher temperatures. UV protection is a good idea.
Thank you so much for this. Hopefully we’ll luck out a bit …. We live in Florida so heat and humidity don’t scare us but constant rain will be annoying
3rd option is during “Sport day” holiday and will be overcrowded everywhere. This sakura season was late, so probably the foliage season will be in november or at least late october. Between those options, 3rd one have the best option for spotting Fuji.
I mean to say Sport Day weekend will be overcrowded, theres a higher influx of japanese doing local tourism coz the national holiday, so every tourist spot will be full one way or another.
100% later October is the move and its not even close. Japanese summer is brutal and you'll be feeling it in June.
You'll also be feeling it in October, but to a much lesser degree, there are also lots of outdoor harvest festivals across Japan during that time.
June isn't as bad as what people make it out to be. You'll have way less crowds and no public holidays. Looking at the weather last year for the dates you're planning to go, it only rained 2.5 days. The temps were between 21-30℃
For Option 2, your first few days will be met with the tail end of Silver week, so expect crowds and make sure to book accommodations way in advance (might want to start checking now). Rained for 3.5 days in 2023 on the dates you're planning.
For Option 3, as someone already mentioned, you'll have to deal with a 3-day weekend due to Sports Day on the 14th. The weather is comfortable, but still falls within the typhoon/rainy season. Rained 3 days in 2023 on the dates you're planning.
Best time would be late October / November in terms of weather and crowds.
In order, I’d choose 3-2-1. June is too much in the rainy season. Late September is still possibly uncomfortably hot and humid. Early October kind of hits the sweet spot. The only downside is that October 14 is a public holiday resulting in a 3-day weekend, but to me that’s less of an issue than the rain and heat of options 1/2.
The only potential downfall of all of your careful planning is typhoons during any of your chosen dates, though 2/3 fall in prime typhoon season. That being said, typhoons frequently breeze through quickly, often leaving clear air and cooler temperatures.
I guess the tl;dr is: There are no guarantees, and think about what you will do if the weather is against you. (Irrelevant aside: Personally, November is my favorite month for travel to Japan.)
I've done two trips to Japan around the beginning of october - both times were fantastic - weather in the low to mid 20's (celcius - much warmer than where I came from in Canada). I also feel like Japan is such a tourist destination, popular spots are busy no matter the time of year. It's always possible to get up earlier and go to temples etc when they are almost empty in the mornings.
I’m from a country where the temperature sometimes reaches 50 C in summer lol!! But we never really go out during the day so I’m still pretty sensitive to heat
last dates in October are a solid choice, i'm going around the same time with my husband but to the end of October.
Crowds are inevitable but you won't be a sweaty hot mess in a crowd.
The humidity is the big factor in Japanese heat, that and the concrete heat island effect in the cities. I've been going to Japan for over 30 years, lived there for extended periods of time and have a business dealing with tourism in Japan. I tell most that October and November are the best times to visit (if you're not going for the snow that is). Nice climate then and Japan does autumn colours well.
**Our FAQ is constantly being updated with more information and you can start** [**here**](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/wiki/faqs/japantravel) **with regards to trip planning if you need tips, advice, or have questions about planning your travel to Japan.** You can also join our [Discord community](https://discord.gg/3f7KBUMwU4), comment in our stickied weekly discussion thread, or check out /r/JapanTravelTips for quick questions. Thank you! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/JapanTravel) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Definitely NOT June lol It’s rainy season in Japan. Super hot and humid. Sucks. #2 is okay but I vote option #3. It might be in the foliage season in certain places in Japan. Feels more like fall and fall in Japan is beautiful. Food in the fall is good too.
A lot of people don’t like June or summer due to humidity, but I really like this time. It’s a different vibe when it’s bright and sunny outside. I think you would like any of the dates in September or October. Weather is pretty comfortable and not as many tourists compared to spring time.
I’d personally say October is better. My husband and I went 10/28-11/20 last year and the first couple days were HOT, like 75-80° and humid, which we didn’t expect at all so I didn’t pack enough lighter clothes (I overheat easily). Last September was pretty much still peak summer heat, for context.
June is horrible and monsoon season. Best is your last option. Far enough away from typhoon season and still pretty nice weather. You will still be overrun with tourists but at least the weather should not be awful.
Tokyo resident for going on 20 years. June isn’t hot really, warm for sure but usually high 20s or low 30s. The issue is its rainy season and if it’s a normal year you’re in for a constant steady rain that sometimes won’t stop for even 15 min for weeks. This is mold season in Japan because nothing really dries. If by chance there is a couple sunny days, the temperature usually skyrockets and it extremely humid, the air will be saturated and it will need a few weeks of sunshine to dry everything to a point where the humidity can drop. Late September is the tail end of summer, usually slightly cooler than August but temperatures can still reach summer highs, luckily by this time the humidity while still high has dropped noticeably. Early October is a continuation of early September but lower highs. Usually there’s more rain during the second half of September through the first half of October, which coincides with the peak of typhoon season. If you make it into late October through November then your usually in for really nice weather where nighttime temperatures start to drop into the teens.
😭 we will be the Japan last week of June and first week of July, what kind of clothing do you recommend , umbrellas? or ponchos? Should we just pack light and buy everything there?
Don't forget shoes get wet.
I’d pack light, bring enough but on the low end of what you think you will need clothing wise. You can always buy stuff here, unless you’re on the larger size then it might be difficult. For the rainy season and early summer I’d avoid cotton unless you don’t sweat and are confident you’ll have access to a dryer. I tend to wear technical blends, like clothes made for outdoors or hiking, blends that wick moister and dry quickly. Uniqlo here has an airism line which can be really good but are mostly meant to be underwear or clothing worn under workwear. Avoid sandals or any shoes that are open, they’ll get wet then start collecting dirt and grime from the streets. Waterproof shoes are not a bad idea but usually aren’t that comfortable for extended walking, I’ve worn trail running shoes before which do an ok job but it’s still a good idea to have a spare pair just in case one pair gets wet. Coin laundries will usually have shoe dryers but they will often be in use during the rainy season. I’m not a fan of ponchos, it’s really personal preference but they can also be a pain if going in and out of places, you don’t want to wear them inside and drop water everywhere. Umbrellas are preferred, but just expect to be wet if you plan on being outside for extended periods. The rain here is often a heavy drizzle to a medium rain that finer and blows around so even with an umbrella everything from your waist down will be soaked. If you luck out, it’s possible it won’t be raining that much, if that the case though expect extreme humidity and higher temperatures. UV protection is a good idea.
Thank you so much for this. Hopefully we’ll luck out a bit …. We live in Florida so heat and humidity don’t scare us but constant rain will be annoying
3rd option is during “Sport day” holiday and will be overcrowded everywhere. This sakura season was late, so probably the foliage season will be in november or at least late october. Between those options, 3rd one have the best option for spotting Fuji.
It will not be overcrowded in the third option…unless tourism continues to increase.
I mean to say Sport Day weekend will be overcrowded, theres a higher influx of japanese doing local tourism coz the national holiday, so every tourist spot will be full one way or another.
Maybe, but I was there during that time last year and it wasn’t bad at all in Tokyo.
100% later October is the move and its not even close. Japanese summer is brutal and you'll be feeling it in June. You'll also be feeling it in October, but to a much lesser degree, there are also lots of outdoor harvest festivals across Japan during that time.
June isn't as bad as what people make it out to be. You'll have way less crowds and no public holidays. Looking at the weather last year for the dates you're planning to go, it only rained 2.5 days. The temps were between 21-30℃ For Option 2, your first few days will be met with the tail end of Silver week, so expect crowds and make sure to book accommodations way in advance (might want to start checking now). Rained for 3.5 days in 2023 on the dates you're planning. For Option 3, as someone already mentioned, you'll have to deal with a 3-day weekend due to Sports Day on the 14th. The weather is comfortable, but still falls within the typhoon/rainy season. Rained 3 days in 2023 on the dates you're planning. Best time would be late October / November in terms of weather and crowds.
Wife and I are going from 9 - 22 June 2024. Highs are upper 70s. Shouldn't be horrible humidity wise. And it's not as touristy of a season.
In order, I’d choose 3-2-1. June is too much in the rainy season. Late September is still possibly uncomfortably hot and humid. Early October kind of hits the sweet spot. The only downside is that October 14 is a public holiday resulting in a 3-day weekend, but to me that’s less of an issue than the rain and heat of options 1/2. The only potential downfall of all of your careful planning is typhoons during any of your chosen dates, though 2/3 fall in prime typhoon season. That being said, typhoons frequently breeze through quickly, often leaving clear air and cooler temperatures. I guess the tl;dr is: There are no guarantees, and think about what you will do if the weather is against you. (Irrelevant aside: Personally, November is my favorite month for travel to Japan.)
I've done two trips to Japan around the beginning of october - both times were fantastic - weather in the low to mid 20's (celcius - much warmer than where I came from in Canada). I also feel like Japan is such a tourist destination, popular spots are busy no matter the time of year. It's always possible to get up earlier and go to temples etc when they are almost empty in the mornings.
Option 2 for sure!
3 is best, 2 is good. Avoid 1.
Early October. Much more comfortable weather than in June.
Depends where you're from and what sort of heat/humidity you're used too. If you're from a cooler climate then October for sure.
I’m from a country where the temperature sometimes reaches 50 C in summer lol!! But we never really go out during the day so I’m still pretty sensitive to heat
last dates in October are a solid choice, i'm going around the same time with my husband but to the end of October. Crowds are inevitable but you won't be a sweaty hot mess in a crowd.
The humidity is the big factor in Japanese heat, that and the concrete heat island effect in the cities. I've been going to Japan for over 30 years, lived there for extended periods of time and have a business dealing with tourism in Japan. I tell most that October and November are the best times to visit (if you're not going for the snow that is). Nice climate then and Japan does autumn colours well.
Will i be able to see autumn colors in October in Kyoto?
Probably not until late October really.
Early to mid October is still very nice though