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There are plenty of availability for Tokyo in July and August. Already booked inbound flights so quite handy for me.
I’ve been thinking about going to Japan for the first time. What’s your thoughts on the ‘best time’ (subjective I know) weather wise to go? Thanks
I lived in Tokyo for 15 years in the 80s and 90s but the weather has changed since then and personally I wouldn’t go in the summer any more. It’s now regularly 35-40C in July (also rainy season) and August. Spring is nice but is busy due to cherry blossom season and that’s reflected in air fares and hotel costs. Autumn is lovely (autumn leaves to rival New England in some areas) but my favourite season is winter: generally clear blue skies and sunny, in contrast to the UK, and not that cold in recent years. But definitely go..all told it’s the best travel destination in the world in my view, and the yen is still weak (for now). It’s a long flight now that Russia is closed but it’s worth it. Pity most of us are stuck with BA rather than JAl or ANA.
Summer isn’t a time I personally would choose to visit Japan – the humidity is through the roof and it can very sticky. Then there’s typhoon season which tends to peak around August-September.
Of course there’s no guarantee of a typhoon during that time, and the further north you go the cooler it becomes…
I really enjoy going to Tokyo in January but better to arrive after the 7th or so as some things stay closed for a while after Christmas. The times i have been in January have been dry with lots of blue sky days.
I would personally avoid summer due to the humidity.
Cherry blossom season is obviously good if you want to see that but getting the timing correct can be difficult and its a busy time with a lot of tourists.
Not been yet, but I imagine Hokkaido is pleasant in the summer.
Obviously not what you would want on a first time visit though.
Yeah several people talked me out of visiting in August due to the heat and humidity.
We’ve been to Japan a few times in June/July. We’ve personally found it fine for your typical tourist places (e.g., Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka), but we’ve never stayed later than mid-July (we stayed to 16 July this year and just missed some intense heat apparently) and haven’t had any issues with rainy season either (maybe we’ve just been lucky). While we were there this summer though, other parts of the country were seemingly getting blasted by rain and flooding (e.g., western Japan), which did influence our travel plans for this upcoming summer…
Other parts of the country can be really nice though in the early summer, as Hokkaido was amazing in late June when we went about six years ago and Okinawa was great for the first two weeks of July this past year.
Weather in Kyushu was decent for sightseeing when we went around Christmastime in 2017; I think it was about 10 degrees during the day and dry.
So, in essence, I think there’s usually somewhere to go in Japan at any time of year and summer can work if you’re open minded about where you visit in the country, although later July and August would probably admittedly be tougher for your more popular spots in central Japan.
I’d say with the climate change, I’d avoid going to Japan from beginning of July to mid-October. It was still well into 30 degrees in Osaka/Kyoto and Tokyo in first half of October 2022. Second half of May was also humid last year as I think rainy season started earlier than expected. So best time ideally November-December then mid-January to end of April.
Hokkaido is great in summer, but early in summer (June/July) could be nice in Okinawa as you can at least cool off in the sea/pool). Of course not for the first timers.
So best time ideally November-December then mid-January to end of April.
Isn’t it cold though?
I’m restricted to English schools holidays.
I guess 2 weeks at Easter would be best for me.I’ve been thinking about going to Japan for the first time. What’s your thoughts on the ‘best time’ (subjective I know) weather wise to go? Thanks
Really depends what you are planning to do there. I usually go mid-Jan to mid-Feb because I’m primarily there for skiing, snow and sitting in snowy outdoor onsens!
I went to Hokkaido in the summer once (late July) and it was really pleasant. A bit warmer than typical UK summer climate (30C ish) but without the brutal humidity that Tokyo and Niigata get around the same time.
So best time ideally November-December then mid-January to end of April.
Isn’t it cold though?
I’m restricted to English schools holidays.
I guess 2 weeks at Easter would be best for me.November in Kyoto is around 20. Dec-Feb it gets colder (can be really cold) yes. From March it gets warmer and during sakura season it’s already nearly 25.
You don’t want unbearably humid as that’s what you’ll get at other times of the year.
So best time ideally November-December then mid-January to end of April.
Isn’t it cold though?
I’m restricted to English schools holidays.
I guess 2 weeks at Easter would be best for me.November in Kyoto is around 20. Dec-Feb it gets colder (can be really cold) yes. From March it gets warmer and during sakura season it’s already nearly 25.
You don’t want unbearably humid as that’s what you’ll get at other times of the year.
Noted.
So what about Easter – just after Sakura?
Less crowded hopefully, but will the weather (inc humidity) be just right?Early-mid April is just after sakura but weather-wise should be about right for most of us. Should be low-20s celcius and fairly low humidity in Tokyo. Then late April into early May it starts getting hotter. End-April/early May is ‘Golden Week’, Japan’s longest public holiday, when ryokan (resort hotel) and onsen (hot spring) accommodation prices shoot up, as do domestic air fares, but many big city hotel prices should be unaffected. But always check room size (try to get 20 sqm minimum). The yen is holding steady at Y180/£ for now, but is predicted to strengthen, so my advice would be to book hotels and change currency as soon as possible.
As a solo traveller I’m looking at redemption value to Japan currently (in business, off peak, one-way from London):
If I value one Avios point at 1p for comparison –
BA: 75,000 Avios + £385 (best value combination) = £1135
JAL via BAEC: 92,750 Avios + £471.69 = £1399
Qatar: 80,000 + £390 = £1190I bought a load of Finnair points during the sale recently in order to gain some cheap Avios in a few months time when they convert. The Finnair points will convert 3:2 to Avios so I can value them at 0.66p for comparison:
Finnair: 95,000 + £350 = £977
The Finnair journey is obviously on two flights, but they are both A350 long-haul business class planes (the changeover in HEL is around 2.5 hours) with a mid-morning departure from London and a mid-afternoon arrival into Tokyo. It seems like Finnair offers the best value at the moment but none of them feel like a bargain. Maybe BA is better since it’s a direct flight, but I don’t like the early morning arrival in Tokyo.
As a solo traveller I’m looking at redemption value to Japan currently (in business, off peak, one-way from London):
If I value one Avios point at 1p for comparison –
BA: 75,000 Avios + £385 (best value combination) = £1135
JAL via BAEC: 92,750 Avios + £471.69 = £1399
Qatar: 80,000 + £390 = £1190I bought a load of Finnair points during the sale recently in order to gain some cheap Avios in a few months time when they convert. The Finnair points will convert 3:2 to Avios so I can value them at 0.66p for comparison:
Finnair: 95,000 + £350 = £977
The Finnair journey is obviously on two flights, but they are both A350 long-haul business class planes (the changeover in HEL is around 2.5 hours) with a mid-morning departure from London and a mid-afternoon arrival into Tokyo. It seems like Finnair offers the best value at the moment but none of them feel like a bargain. Maybe BA is better since it’s a direct flight, but I don’t like the early morning arrival in Tokyo.
Could you earn an Amex companion voucher in time?
Surcharges seem quite high for JAL, I paid slightly less than £300 recently from London in JAL First.
You can also look at JAL in business from Helsinki. Same food as First from London, JAL Suite on 787 is really great. There is also JAL from Paris or Frankfurt.
If you have a choice, avoid BA at all costs on this route as it is a long flight and in between meals there is no food for 9 hours. I don’t know how it is with Finnair (will report back in March), but JAL will feed you well.
So best time ideally November-December then mid-January to end of April.
Isn’t it cold though?
I’m restricted to English schools holidays.
I guess 2 weeks at Easter would be best for me.November in Kyoto is around 20. Dec-Feb it gets colder (can be really cold) yes. From March it gets warmer and during sakura season it’s already nearly 25.
You don’t want unbearably humid as that’s what you’ll get at other times of the year.
Noted.
So what about Easter – just after Sakura?
Less crowded hopefully, but will the weather (inc humidity) be just right?Easter 2025 will be on 20 April, you’d want to get there a few days later and that’s close to Golden Week as @Roker mentioned which starts on 29 April (Tuesday), but people might link it to the weekend prior (yes, some Japanese also do that contrary to popular belief).
I’ve booked BA to Japan and this 9 hour gap between food sounds pretty bad. I flew with them to Singapore where there was a big wait between dinner and breakfast service but at least it was an overnight flight. My flight is 1150 and lands 1025 local time. So will this mean lunch is served and then…breakfast? Or dinner 90 mins before landing?!I get confused about what time zones they adhere to.
I’m just back from Japan : Tokyo, Lake Kawaguchiko, Kyoto and Osaka.
27 Dec to 5 Jan. Clear blue skies and sunshine every day. I think between 10 – and 15 degrees. Certainly never cold and great Fuji views.
We didn’t experience anything being closed. Kyoto was too busy for me.BA serve a meal that they call lunch/ dinner close to 2 hours in and then breakfast 10 1/2 hours later. There were a few sandwiches, crisps and nuts available in the galley if needed.
BA serve a meal that they call lunch/ dinner close to 2 hours in and then breakfast 10 1/2 hours later. There were a few sandwiches, crisps and nuts available in the galley if needed.
Disgraceful.
Surely this leaves most passengers super hungry? I just don’t get it. I’m happy to have secured a direct flight with Avios and it looks to be in club suite (or I’m not interested) but I’m going to have to take my own meal on board just to stave off hunger. The alternatives are indirect flights so the slight inconvenience of this is still worth it and I’ve booked connecting Qatar flights back so at least won’t have the issue there.
I don’t think two meals with a long gap is a problem on an overnight flight, but it certainly is on the long daytime inbound flights from Japan. The actual flight time is usually between 14 and 14 and a half hours. You could be on board for more than 15 hours. Most people would normally eat three meals in that time.
The problem is exacerbated by BAs practice of serving the second meal as late into the flight as possible, obviously done for the convenience of the crew, not the passengers.
I was hungry and had a headache the last time I flew back from Japan with BA. The Club Kitchen only had chocolates and unhealthy snacks. And when the second meal was finally served, it was so late in the flight that it had to be rushed.
A really poor experience in J. God help the poor buggers in the cheap seats.
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