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Cherry blossoms over the moat at Chidorigafuchi with rowing boats

Best Time to Visit Tokyo

Short answer: late March to mid-May, or October to early December. Spring has the cherry blossom, autumn has clear air and golden ginkgo trees, and both avoid the summer heat.

Cherry blossom in Tokyo usually peaks in the last week of March or the first days of April and lasts about a week. It's lovely along the moat at Chidorigafuchi, in Ueno Park and along the Meguro River, and every one of those places is packed. Hotels fill up and prices rise, so book early. Golden Week, a cluster of holidays from late April into early May, brings the whole country out travelling. The weeks just after it are some of the most pleasant of the year.

June is the rainy season (tsuyu): grey, humid and wet, though rarely all day. July and August are hot and very humid, often around 35°C, and walking between stations becomes a sweat. The upside is summer festivals and fireworks, including the Sumida River display in late July. Typhoons can arrive from August into October and sometimes stop trains for a day.

Autumn is our favourite. By late October the air is dry and clear, and in late November the ginkgo avenue of Icho Namiki in Jingu Gaien turns bright yellow. Winter, from December to February, is cold but mostly sunny and dry, and it's the season with the clearest views of Mount Fuji from the city's towers. Snow is rare.

Season at a glance

  • March to May: mild, cherry blossom, busy around Golden Week.
  • June: rainy season, humid.
  • July to September: hot and humid, festivals, typhoon risk.
  • October to November: dry, clear, autumn colour.
  • December to February: cold, sunny, clearest Fuji views, lowest crowds.

Dates to plan around

Sanja Matsuri in Asakusa takes place on a weekend in mid-May, when portable shrines are carried through the streets around Senso-ji. Obon in mid-August is a busy travel week inside Japan. Over New Year (roughly 29 December to 3 January) many museums and small restaurants close, while shrines like Meiji Jingu fill with millions of first visits of the year. For clothes season by season, see our what to wear guide.