The Best Time to Visit Tokyo

May in Tokyo isn't too cold, and it's warm enough. That's the short version of why I'd go back in May.

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In this guide 10 sections

We spent the whole month there. It was a little cool when we landed, cloudy most days, and it only got hot and sticky at the very end. There were flowers everywhere. We even flew out on the same day the rainy season officially started.

I'd still love to go back in the fall, just to see the city at a different time of year and catch the fall leaves. So here's the best time to visit Tokyo, month by month: what May was really like, and what every other month brings.

The Best Time to Visit Tokyo: My Quick Answer

The best time to visit Tokyo is spring (late March to May) or late fall (November to early December). The weather is mild, the rain is lighter than in early summer, and you get cherry blossoms in spring and red and gold leaves in fall.

May is our pick. You get spring weather without the cherry blossom crowds, and the rain mostly held off until the end of the month. Just book early if your dates touch the first week of May, because that's Golden Week. If you hate heat, skip July and August. If you hate rain, skip June and most of September and October. Going in May? Here's what to do in Tokyo in May, from roses and shrine festivals to sumo.

Whatever month you pick, book early if your dates fall in one of the busy weeks below. Here are places to stay across Tokyo for your dates:

Places to stay in Tokyo

This map comes from Stay22, a booking partner.

Tokyo Weather by Month

Here are the averages for every month, from the Japan Meteorological Agency's 1991 to 2020 data for central Tokyo.¹

Month	Average high	Average low	Rain	What to expect
January	9.8°C (50°F)	1.2°C (34°F)	60 mm (2.4 in)	Coldest month; dry and sunny; New Year closures
February	10.9°C (52°F)	2.1°C (36°F)	57 mm (2.2 in)	Driest month; cold and clear
March	14.2°C (58°F)	5.0°C (41°F)	116 mm (4.6 in)	Cherry blossoms start late in the month
April	19.4°C (67°F)	9.8°C (50°F)	134 mm (5.3 in)	Blossoms early; busiest month; Golden Week starts April 29
May	23.6°C (74°F)	14.6°C (58°F)	140 mm (5.5 in)	Our month: mild and mostly cloudy
June	26.1°C (79°F)	18.5°C (65°F)	168 mm (6.6 in)	Rainy season from about June 7; hydrangeas
July	29.9°C (86°F)	22.4°C (72°F)	156 mm (6.1 in)	Rainy season ends mid-month; heat; fireworks
August	31.3°C (88°F)	23.5°C (74°F)	155 mm (6.1 in)	Hottest month; Obon week; typhoons
September	27.5°C (82°F)	20.3°C (69°F)	225 mm (8.9 in)	Typhoon peak; still hot
October	22.0°C (72°F)	14.8°C (59°F)	235 mm (9.2 in)	Wettest month; cooling down; busy
November	16.7°C (62°F)	8.8°C (48°F)	96 mm (3.8 in)	Fall leaves late in the month
December	12.0°C (54°F)	3.8°C (39°F)	58 mm (2.3 in)	Clear and cool; illuminations; New Year rush

Tokyo in Spring (March to May)

Spring is the most popular time to visit Tokyo. It starts cool, warms up fast, and has the cherry blossoms.

Tokyo in March

March is still cool, with highs around 14°C (58°F) and lows around 5°C (41°F).¹ The cherry blossoms are why people come. In a normal year, they start to bloom around March 24 and hit full bloom around March 31.⁴⁵ In 2026 they came early: first flowers on March 19 and full bloom on March 28. The dates move every year, so check the forecast before you book.

Tokyo in April

April is mild, with highs around 19°C (67°F). The cherry blossoms finish early in the month. Then the azaleas take over at Nezu Shrine and the wisteria at Kameido Tenjin.¹³¹⁸

It's also the busiest month. April 2025 had more foreign visitors to Japan than any other month that year.⁹ Golden Week starts on April 29.

Tokyo in May: What It Was Really Like

May is mild, with a normal high of 23.6°C (74°F) and a low of 14.6°C (58°F). May 2026 ran a little warmer, with an average high of 25.8°C (78°F).²

It didn't feel that warm to us. It was cloudy most days, our first few days were cool enough for pants, and after that a T-shirt was all we needed. Near the end of the month it got hotter and stickier, and we had some rainy days. One started just before a dinner booking at Sushiro, so we grabbed a taxi. Here's what to wear in Tokyo in every season, including what we packed for May.

Late May was also our busiest week. During Pokémon GO Fest, from May 29 to June 1, we did 30,000 steps a day. And the flowers were everywhere: roses and the first hydrangeas. Our first trip to Japan, Osaka in May 2025, had about the same weather.

Tokyo in Summer (June to August)

Summer starts with the rainy season and ends with the heat. It's the hardest time of year for walking around the city.

Tokyo in June and the Rainy Season

Tokyo's rainy season, called tsuyu, normally runs from about June 7 to July 19.³ It doesn't rain every day. It's more gray, damp, and humid, with heavy rain on some days. June averages 11.6 days with rain and 75% humidity.¹

In 2026, it started on June 2, the day we flew out. We timed that by luck, not planning. June 2026 then got 436.5 mm (17.2 inches) of rain, more than two and a half times a normal June.²

June still has a lot going for it. It was one of the quietest months for foreign visitors in 2025, and it's hydrangea season.⁹ Hakusan Shrine in Bunkyo holds a hydrangea festival every June, and in 2026 it ran June 6 to 14.¹⁴ Going in June? Here's what to do in Tokyo in June, with rainy-day plans and the best hydrangea spots.

Plan a few indoor days. A rainy afternoon is a good excuse for a food crawl, and our must-eat foods in Tokyo list is a good place to start.

Tokyo in July

July is hot and humid, with highs around 30°C (86°F) and lows around 22°C (72°F). The rainy season usually ends in the second half of the month. Then it's festival season. The Sumida River Fireworks are usually on the last Saturday of July, and in 2026 they were on July 25.¹¹

Tokyo in August

August is the hottest month, with a normal high of 31.3°C (88°F) and 74% humidity. Recent summers have been worse than the averages. In 2025, Tokyo hit 35°C (95°F) or higher on 29 days.⁸ Here's how safe Tokyo is, heat included, with the free app that sends heat warnings in English.

Even in May, we saw sun parasols everywhere on sunny days. In August, it's a local habit worth copying.

Many people in Japan travel in the week around August 15 for Obon, so trains and hotels get busy then.¹⁰ If August is your only option, sightsee early, rest in the afternoon, and carry water.

Tokyo in Fall (September to November)

Fall starts wet and ends with the best weather of the year. November is the month we want to try next.

Tokyo in September

September is still hot, with highs around 28°C (82°F), and it's one of the wettest months.¹ It's the peak of typhoon season, though only about one typhoon a year comes close to the Tokyo area that month on average.⁷ The upside: it was one of the quietest months for foreign visitors in 2025.⁹

Tokyo in October

October is the wettest month in Tokyo, at about 235 mm (9.2 inches) of rain, even more than June. It cools down to highs around 22°C (72°F), though, and it's busy. October was the second-busiest month for visitors in 2025.

Tokyo in November

November is the sweet spot of fall. Highs average 16.7°C (62°F), the rain drops to less than half of October's, and the leaves turn. Ginkgo trees usually turn yellow around late November, and the maples turn red a few days later.¹²¹⁷

Tokyo in Winter (December to February)

Winter is cold, dry, and sunny, with the clearest skies of the year.

Tokyo in December

December is cool and clear, with highs around 12°C (54°F) and very little rain.¹ The city puts up its winter lights. Roppongi Hills, for example, ran its illumination from November 4 to December 25 in 2025.¹⁹ The last days of the month are the start of the New Year travel peak.

Tokyo in January

January is the coldest month, with highs around 10°C (50°F) and lows around 1°C (34°F). It's also the sunniest and has the fewest rainy days. It isn't as quiet as the cold suggests, though: January was the third-busiest month for foreign visitors in 2025.⁹ Many businesses close for several days around New Year.¹⁶ January 1 to 3 is when people visit shrines for hatsumode, the first prayer of the year, so the big shrines get packed.

Tokyo in February

February is the driest month, with about 57 mm (2.2 inches) of rain, and highs around 11°C (52°F). It was also the quietest month for foreign visitors in 2025. If you can handle the cold, it's a calm time to see the city.

Does It Snow in Tokyo?

Snow in Tokyo is rare. The city averages under two days a year with at least 1 cm (0.4 inches) of it, usually in January or February.

Holidays and Festivals to Plan Around

These are the dates that change prices and crowds the most. Festivals are a fun reason to go, so you might plan for them instead of around them.

What	2026	2027	What it means for your trip
Cherry blossoms	Full bloom March 28 (bloomed early)	Not forecast yet; normally about March 31	Peak spring crowds and hotel prices
Golden Week	April 29 and May 2–6	April 29 and May 1–5	Peak travel in Japan; book rooms early
Sumida River Fireworks	July 25	Last Saturday of July (not announced yet)	Huge crowds along the river in Asakusa
Obon	Week around August 15	Week around August 15	Busy trains and hotels
New Year	December 29 to January 3 (typical)	December 29 to January 3 (typical)	Many businesses close; shrines packed January 1–3

Golden Week: Is It as Bad as They Say?

Golden Week is a cluster of national holidays from late April into early May. In 2026 it ran April 29 and May 2 to 6. In 2027 it's April 29 and May 1 to 5.⁶

We landed in the middle of it and barely noticed. I saw a few signs and didn't even know what they were for. We were already settled into our apartment for the month, though, so we never had to find a room that week.

That's where Golden Week bites. It's peak travel time for people in Japan, and Japan's tourism board warns that prices jump and hotels fill up in the big holiday periods.¹⁰ If your dates fall in it, book your room first. Where to stay in Tokyo compares ten areas with live hotel prices, so you can pick one fast. If you're flexible, come a week later and you get the same May weather.

When Is High and Low Season in Tokyo?

High season in Tokyo is cherry blossom season (late March to early April), Golden Week, the week around August 15, and the New Year holidays. Those are the weeks when hotels cost the most and sell out first. April and October were also the two busiest months for foreign visitors in 2025.

The Best Time to Visit Tokyo to Avoid Crowds

The quietest months for foreign visitors in 2025 were February, September, and June. Each has a catch: February is cold, September is hot and stormy, and June is the rainy season.

If you want good weather and fewer people, aim for the gaps between the busy weeks. That means mid-to-late May after Golden Week, or November before the leaves peak.

Tokyo also handles crowds well. Even when it's busy, it isn't loud, so it feels a lot less overwhelming than the numbers suggest.

The Cheapest Time to Visit Tokyo

There's no single cheapest month. Hotel price trackers don't agree: some name August, others February or September. What's clear is the expensive part. Rooms jump during the holiday weeks above.

So the cheapest time to visit Tokyo is any week that isn't a holiday, booked early. For our month in May, we rented an apartment in Shinjuku for about $2,000.

Flights follow the same pattern. Before you lock in your dates, check flight prices to Tokyo across a few different weeks.

My Tips for Visiting Tokyo in Any Season

1. Check the bloom forecast, not last year's dates. Cherry blossoms and fall leaves move by a week or more from year to year. Book a few days on either side of the average if you can.

2. Book holidays early. If your trip overlaps Golden Week, Obon, or New Year, book your hotel first and plan the rest after.

3. Don't pack for rain. Buy an umbrella at a convenience store when you need one. That's all we did. Our list of things to know before visiting Tokyo has more tips like this.

4. Plan your walking for the weather. Tokyo is a walking city, and in May we walked everywhere. In summer, do your big walks in the morning and evening.

So, When Should You Go to Tokyo?

Go in May. It's not too cold, it's warm enough, and you miss the cherry blossom crowds. If May doesn't work, aim for November. That's the one we want to see next.

Once you have your dates, the next question is how long to stay. We'd plan at least a week, and how many days in Tokyo has day-by-day plans for 3 to 10 days.

Next Steps for Your Tokyo Trip

• What to Pack: See what to wear in Tokyo for every season.
• Before You Go: 22 things to know before visiting Tokyo, from Suica to the bar touts.
• What to Eat: Start with the must-eat foods in Tokyo, from conveyor belt sushi to katsu curry.
• Staying Safe: Is Tokyo safe? Our take on nights out, earthquakes, and heat warnings.