Tokyo has four distinct seasons, so the experience of the city can be very different depending on when you visit.
There are also seasonal events and sales too.
The best time to visit Tokyo (in my opinion) is early December, late March, or May.
These months have low chance of rain and they’re not too cold or hot.
They’re also pretty: December with foliage, March with cherry blossoms, and May with fresh green leaves.
Here’s a breakdown of each month including weather, clothing, events, etc.
Tokyo in January
January is the coldest month in Tokyo, but it’s not unbearable. Temperature rarely goes below 0°C. There might be light snow once or twice, but it’s rare. It’s dry and doesn’t rain much. If you’re used to cold weather, this is not a bad time to travel to Tokyo.
The city is alive with new year sales, people visiting shrines to pray for the new year, and illuminations from X’mas still left on.
2nd Monday is a holiday to celebrate kids turning 20 (Coming-of-age Day). You’ll see a lot of young people in kimonos.
There’s a sumo wrestling tournament in January. This happens only 3 times a year in Tokyo, and is highly recommended.
Weather: mostly sunny, might snow but rare
Temperature (Low / High): 0-5°C /10°C
Sunset: around 5PM
Clothes / Outfit: puffer jacket or heavy coat. Layering is better since trains and inside buildings can be quite warm.
Events: Sumo wrestling tournament, beginning-of-year sales in department stores and electronics stores, illumination
Tokyo in February
February in Tokyo is still cold. Similar to January, it’s dry and doesn’t rain much. It might snow, but is rare.
The excitement of new year dies down and it’s a quiet month.
Plums (not cherries) start to blossom mid-February. Many parks, shrines, and temples have plum blossoms and they light up at night.
Valentine’s day in Japan is all about chocolates. Chocolates from all over the world are sold in department stores.
Weather: not much rain, might snow but rare
Temperature (Low / High): 0-5°C /10-15°C
Sunset: 5:00-5:30PM
Clothes / Outfit: Puffer jacket or heavy coat. Layering is better since trains and inside buildings can be quite warm.
Events: Valentine’s
Tokyo in March
March is cherry blossom season. They usually start to blossom mid-March and is in full bloom at the end of March. This varies from year to year and is hard to predict in advance. They’re in full bloom for less than a week and we also get random heavy rain and strong wind around this time.
You have to be lucky to be able to see cherry blossoms in full bloom, but if you are, you’ll see the whole city covered in light pink.
Weather: Some rain especially in latter half
Temperature (Low / High): 5-10°C /15-20°C
Sunset: 5:30-6:00PM
Clothes / Outfit: transitional month and tricky to plan outfit. One day you’ll need a puffer jacket and the next day you only need a sweater. It’s better to prepare for cold weather especially for the first half of the month.
Events: Anime Japan (anime consumer show, people in anime cosplays)
Tokyo in April
April’s weather is unpredictable. It’s not super cold or hot, but there are warm days and still some pretty chilly days. We start getting some rain.
You might still see some cherry blossoms in early April. Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden has some varieties of cherry blossoms that bloom later.
Weather: some rain
Temperature (Low / High): 5-15°C /10-25°C
Sunset: 6:00-6:30
Clothes / Outfit: Early April is still chilly. Better to have a jacket. Latter half of April, you might only need T-shirt during the day and a light jacket in case it gets colder at night.
Events:
Tokyo in May
May is a great month to travel to Tokyo. It gets warmer, but it’s not too hot or humid yet. It’s pleasant and fresh green leaves are beautiful.
It does rain, but it’s not rainy season yet.
Second sumo tournament in Tokyo takes place in May.
Weather: pleasant, some rain
Temperature (Low / High): 10-15°C /20-25°C
Sunset: 6:30-7:00PM
Clothes / Outfit: T-shirt during the day, cardigan for the evening
Events: sumo wrestling tournament
Tokyo in June
June is still a pretty good time to visit Tokyo. It’s not super hot yet. It’s traditionally the “rainy season” from around mid-June, but it hasn’t been that bad in recent years.
Hydrangeas are in season, and you’ll see them in parks, shrines, and temples.
Weather: rainy season
Temperature (Low / High): 15-20°C /25-30°C
Sunset: 7PM
Clothes / Outfit: T-shirt
Events:
Tokyo in July
It’s hot. It’s humid. July to September is very uncomfortable season in Tokyo. If you’re not used to humid summer, it might not be the best time for you to travel to Tokyo.
Technically, it’s rainy season until mid-July, though it hasn’t rained much in recent years.
Summer break for kids in Japan starts around the last week of July, and some places become busier with more locals.
There are many festivals in the summer. Bon odori dance festivals start at the end of July and lasts until August. Festivals start in the evening and people from all generations come. There are food stalls, games, and some people wear yukata (casual kimono). There are largescale ones and small ones in random parks.
Sumidagawa (Sumida River) Fireworks Festival is held usually at the end of July. It’s super crowded (1 million people in 2023). If you book super early, you might be able to get a hotel with the firework view. Look for hotels in Asakusa, Ryogoku, or Kinshicho area.
Weather: rainy season
Temperature (Low / High): 25°C /30-35°C
Sunset: 7PM
Clothes / Outfit: tank top, T-shirt
Events: Sumidagawa (Sumida river) Fireworks Festival, summer sales in department stores and electronics stores, bon odori dance festivals
Tokyo in August
Tokyo in August is super hot and uncomfortable. Humidity and asphalt streets make it so much more worse than what you’d imagine from temperature. The temperature doesn’t drop much at night. Also, chances of typhoon increases from mid-August.
If you have to come to Tokyo in August, stay hydrated, take electrolytes, and choose indoor activities. More than 100 people in Tokyo die every year from heat exhaustion and thousands are rushed to the hospital.
August 13 to 16 is religious holiday called obon. Many offices close and a lot of Japanese go back to their hometown. Trains in Tokyo become less crowded. Make sure to check business hours during this time especially for nice restaurants and restaurants and shops in business districts.
August is fireworks season in Tokyo. Famous ones are Edogawa Fireworks Festival, Itabashi Fireworks Festival, and Jingu Gaien Fireworks Festival.
Weather: Rainy season ends but typhoon season starts from mid-August. Humid and hot.
Temperature (Low / High): 25-30°C /30-35°C
Sunset: 6:00-7:00PM
Clothes / Outfit: tank top, T-shirt
Events: fireworks, summer sales in department stores and electronics stores, bon odori dance festivals
Tokyo in September
September is still very hot and humid. It’s also the typhoon season. Some typhoons hit or come close to Tokyo. Trains can stop and there might be some flooding.
Summer break for kids end in August, so there are less locals. There’s last sumo wrestling tournament in Tokyo.
Weather: Typhoon season
Temperature (Low / High): 15-25°C /25-30°C
Sunset: 5:30-6:00
Clothes / Outfit: tank top, T-shirt
Events: Sumo wrestling tournament
Tokyo in October
There’s still a chance of typhoon in October. Temperature starts to go down and starts to get more comfortable.
There are Halloween parties in Shibuya, and the city is jam-packed with young people in costumes.
Weather: some rain
Temperature (Low / High): 10-20°C /15-25°C
Sunset: 5:00-5:30PM
Clothes / Outfit: t-shirt and cardigan
In season:
Events: Shibuya Halloween
Tokyo in November
November is a good season in Tokyo. There’s less rain and the temperature is just right. It will be easy to do a lot of walking and sightseeing. Ginkgo trees start to turn golden and lasts until early December.
Illumination for X’mas starts in November too.
Weather: not much rain
Temperature (Low / High): 5-10°C /15-20°C
Sunset: 4:30-5:00PM
Clothes / Outfit: long-sleeve shirt and light jacket
Events: illumination starts
Tokyo in December
December is one of the best months to visit Japan. It’s not super cold yet. There’s many sunny days. Ginko trees are golden and Japanese maples turn red. There are X’mas decorations and illumination. It’s comfortable and pretty.
Illumination is everywhere, but popular ones are Marunouchi Illumination, Midtown Winter Lights, Shibuya Blue Cave Illumination, and Roppongi Hills Christmas.
The temperature sometimes suddenly drops at the end of December.
Weather: mostly sunny
Temperature (Low / High): 0-10°C / 10-15°C
Sunset: 4:30PM
Clothes / Outfit: Some days you might only need thick cardigan, but you’ll most likely need a thick coat or jacket. Might not need heavy puffer jacket yet.
Events: illumination
