Planning a trip to Japan? Choosing the right dates does much of the work of making the trip a good one.
If you would rather avoid packed streets, hotels at their highest prices and bad weather, this article sets out the periods to keep clear of.
Golden Week
From 29 April to 5 May (dates shift slightly from year to year), Golden Week is the week Japanese people take their holidays: overloaded sites, crowded transport and hotel prices at their peak. It is the one week to keep clear of.
Obon
Obon is the festival of the dead, the equivalent of All Saints’ in France: a time for family gatherings and for visiting the graves of the dead. Many places close over the 3 days of the festival, and many people use them to travel.
A seasonal peak comes every year between 10 and 18 August. Avoid this stretch, when transport, hotels and the main sites are all busy.
Japanese New Year
New Year in Japan carries the weight Christmas does in France. The festival lasts 3 days, from 1 to 3 January, and is spent with family. Most shops and restaurants close, trains fill up and hotel prices rise sharply.
For a comfortable trip, do not plan to travel between 31 December and 5 January.
The rainy season
The rainy season, tsuyu in Japanese, starts around 15 June and ends in mid-July.
Expect a great deal of rain, which will cut your visits short and flatten your photographs.
For what to do in the rain, see our article on what to do in Tokyo when it rains.
Typhoon season
September is the typhoon month.
Travelling in September means accepting the risk of finding yourself in a storm and having your Shinkansen cancelled, which can rearrange a trip against your will.
Cherry blossom season
From late March to early April the cherry trees open, to the pleasure of everyone, visitors included. The blossom is worth seeing; it also means long queues at every site and sharp rises in hotel and airfare prices. And if you want a particular activity, or a table at a good restaurant, you will need to have booked months ahead.
If it is flowers you are after, skip the sakura crowds and go in February instead, when the Japanese plum trees are in bloom: just as good to look at, and far less known.
Here are the five best places to see plum blossom in Tokyo.
Maple season
The momiji, the autumn maples, are at their best in the last two weeks of November.
The season is known for the red leaves that run through the Japanese landscape, and it is also a period of heavy visitor numbers.
For a quieter version, travel in October, when the autumn weather is already pleasant and prices are lower.
You may also be interested in our advice on avoiding the crowds during your trip to Japan.
