When to visit Japan

Spring brings the cherry blossom, which opens in Okinawa in winter, reaches Kyushu, Shikoku and the big cities of Honshu from late March to early April, and arrives in Hokkaido in late April and May. Temperatures are mild and generally dry, and the light green of new leaves in May is regarded by many as the most pleasant time of all.

The drawback is demand. The cherry blossom weeks and Golden Week, a cluster of public holidays from late April to early May, are the busiest periods of the year for domestic tourism; accommodation in Kyoto and at famous viewing spots is booked well ahead.

The rainy season (tsuyu) usually sets in during early June over Kyushu, Shikoku and most of Honshu and ends around mid-July; Okinawa's rainy season runs roughly from May to June, while Hokkaido has no distinct rainy season. Rain is often steady rather than torrential, and gardens and moss temples such as those in Kyoto look their best.

From mid-July to late August the lowlands are hot and very humid, and heatstroke is a real risk. This is, however, the season of the great festivals, of fireworks displays and of climbing Mount Fuji, and Hokkaido and the Japan Alps offer cooler air. Obon in mid-August is another peak period for domestic travel.

Typhoons can strike from early summer to autumn, with the highest frequency in August and September. Okinawa and Kyushu are hit most often, but storms regularly track across Shikoku and Honshu as well. A typhoon typically disrupts flights, ferries and some trains for a day or two; the Japan Meteorological Agency publishes forecast tracks several days in advance, and a flexible itinerary is the best safeguard.

Early September is often still hot and typhoon-prone, but from October the air becomes clearer and drier. Autumn colour starts in the mountains of Hokkaido in late September and reaches Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka in late November and early December.

Autumn is also harvest season, with new rice, matsutake mushrooms, chestnuts and sanma (Pacific saury) on menus, and a good time for hiking. Weekends in November in Kyoto are as crowded as the cherry blossom weeks.

Winter divides Japan in two. On the Pacific side, including Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka, days are cold but mostly dry and sunny, with clear views of Mount Fuji. On the Sea of Japan side and in the mountains, moist air from the continent brings some of the heaviest snowfall of any inhabited region on earth, feeding the ski resorts of Hokkaido, Nagano and Niigata.

Winter is a quiet time in the cities except around New Year, when many businesses close for several days and transport is busy. It is the season for onsen, snow festivals and crab from the Sea of Japan, while Okinawa stays mild.

Hokkaido has short, warm summers without a real rainy season and long, snowy winters, which makes it a summer destination for many Japanese. Okinawa is subtropical, warm even in winter, with the swimming season lasting from spring into autumn but with a higher typhoon risk.

Mountain areas such as the Japan Alps are markedly cooler than the plains; some high roads and huts are only open from spring or summer until autumn, and access depends on snow conditions.