Best time to visit Japan

Japan in this dataset covers 10 cities with distinct NASA POWER grid cells (plus nearby cities that share a cell). Annual rainfall among those cities runs from 1274 mm in Sapporo to 1900 mm in Fukuoka. The monthly-average temperature swing is 20.8–27.2°C depending on the city.

Japan is not one climate: the cities here include a humid subtropical climate; a continental climate with a wide temperature swing.

Regional contrasts in Japan

The hottest peak in the sample is Kobe in August (27.4°C). The coldest monthly average is Sapporo in January (-7.0°C). Fukuoka takes the most rain (1900 mm a year, wettest in July); Sapporo takes the least (1274 mm).

Warmest-month averages in the set range from 20.2°C to 27.4°C. Use the city pages for the month-by-month table; this page is the contrast between places.

Best months by region

Drier cities: typical hottest-month average 24.8°C and about 1451 mm of rain a year. Best-scoring months — Sapporo (July, August, and September); Saitama (June, July, and September); Kobe (June, September, and October); Hiroshima (June, July, and September).

In-between rainfall: typical hottest-month average 26.7°C and about 1682 mm of rain a year. Best-scoring months — Yokohama (June, July, and September); Kyoto (June, July, and September); Tokyo (May, June, and September); Nagoya (May, June, and September).

Wetter cities: typical hottest-month average 26.5°C and about 1827 mm of rain a year. Best-scoring months — Osaka (June, July, and September); Fukuoka (May, June, and September).

Fukuoka in Japan

Fukuoka sits at 33.60°, 130.42°. It is a humid subtropical climate. August is the warmest month at 26.8°C (high 30.9°C); January is the coolest at 4.2°C (low 0.4°C). The gap between those monthly averages is 22.6°C.

The wet season runs from March to October. The three highest-scoring months for a visit are May, June, and September. That ranking uses the same 22°C / low-rain / 60% humidity score as the city pages. Population in the GeoNames record is 1,612,392. The wettest month is July (357 mm, 18 days with at least 1 mm); the driest is January (70 mm).

Hiroshima in Japan

Hiroshima sits at 34.40°, 132.45°. It is a continental climate with a wide temperature swing. August is the warmest month at 25.7°C (high 29.7°C); January is the coolest at 2.3°C (low -1.5°C). The gap between those monthly averages is 23.4°C.

The wet season runs from March to October. The three highest-scoring months for a visit are June, July, and September. That ranking uses the same 22°C / low-rain / 60% humidity score as the city pages. Population in the GeoNames record is 1,200,754. The wettest month is July (260 mm, 15 days with at least 1 mm); the driest is January (63 mm).

Kobe in Japan

Kobe sits at 34.69°, 135.18°. It is a humid subtropical climate. August is the warmest month at 27.4°C (high 29.9°C); January is the coolest at 6.6°C (low 4.3°C). The gap between those monthly averages is 20.8°C.

The wet season runs from March to October. The three highest-scoring months for a visit are June, September, and October. That ranking uses the same 22°C / low-rain / 60% humidity score as the city pages. Population in the GeoNames record is 1,525,152. The wettest month is July (204 mm, 16 days with at least 1 mm); the driest is January (56 mm).

Kyoto in Japan

Kyoto sits at 35.02°, 135.75°. It is a continental climate with a wide temperature swing. August is the warmest month at 25.9°C (high 29.6°C); January is the coolest at 2.6°C (low -0.7°C). The gap between those monthly averages is 23.3°C.

Rain falls in every month; the year still totals 1657 mm. The three highest-scoring months for a visit are June, July, and September. That ranking uses the same 22°C / low-rain / 60% humidity score as the city pages. Population in the GeoNames record is 1,463,723. The wettest month is July (210 mm, 17 days with at least 1 mm); the driest is February (92 mm).

Nagoya in Japan

Nagoya sits at 35.18°, 136.91°. It is a humid subtropical climate. August is the warmest month at 27.3°C (high 30.6°C); January is the coolest at 4.5°C (low 1.0°C). The gap between those monthly averages is 22.8°C.

The wet season runs from March to November. The three highest-scoring months for a visit are May, June, and September. That ranking uses the same 22°C / low-rain / 60% humidity score as the city pages. Population in the GeoNames record is 2,332,176. The wettest month is July (225 mm, 17 days with at least 1 mm); the driest is January (73 mm).

Osaka in Japan

Osaka sits at 34.69°, 135.50°. It is a continental climate with a wide temperature swing. August is the warmest month at 26.2°C (high 30.1°C); January is the coolest at 3.0°C (low -0.7°C). The gap between those monthly averages is 23.2°C.

The wet season runs from March to November. The three highest-scoring months for a visit are June, July, and September. That ranking uses the same 22°C / low-rain / 60% humidity score as the city pages. Population in the GeoNames record is 2,753,862. The wettest month is September (225 mm, 16 days with at least 1 mm); the driest is January (66 mm).

Saitama in Japan

Saitama sits at 35.91°, 139.66°. It is a continental climate with a wide temperature swing. August is the warmest month at 26.0°C (high 30.6°C); January is the coolest at 1.8°C (low -2.9°C). The gap between those monthly averages is 24.2°C.

The wet season runs from April to October. The three highest-scoring months for a visit are June, July, and September. That ranking uses the same 22°C / low-rain / 60% humidity score as the city pages. Population in the GeoNames record is 1,324,854. The wettest month is September (201 mm, 15 days with at least 1 mm); the driest is February (48 mm).

Sapporo in Japan

Sapporo sits at 43.07°, 141.35°. It is a continental climate with a wide temperature swing. August is the warmest month at 20.2°C (high 24.3°C); January is the coolest at -7.0°C (low -9.9°C). The gap between those monthly averages is 27.2°C.

The wet season runs from July to January. The three highest-scoring months for a visit are July, August, and September. That ranking uses the same 22°C / low-rain / 60% humidity score as the city pages. Population in the GeoNames record is 1,973,832. The wettest month is August (160 mm, 13 days with at least 1 mm); the driest is April (63 mm).

Tokyo in Japan

Tokyo sits at 35.69°, 139.69°. It is a humid subtropical climate. August is the warmest month at 27.4°C (high 31.1°C); January is the coolest at 5.0°C (low 0.9°C). The gap between those monthly averages is 22.4°C.

The wet season runs from March to November. The three highest-scoring months for a visit are May, June, and September. That ranking uses the same 22°C / low-rain / 60% humidity score as the city pages. Population in the GeoNames record is 9,733,276. The wettest month is October (246 mm, 14 days with at least 1 mm); the driest is February (75 mm).

Yokohama in Japan

Yokohama sits at 35.43°, 139.65°. It is a continental climate with a wide temperature swing. August is the warmest month at 26.2°C (high 30.3°C); January is the coolest at 2.9°C (low -1.8°C). The gap between those monthly averages is 23.3°C.

The wet season runs from March to November. The three highest-scoring months for a visit are June, July, and September. That ranking uses the same 22°C / low-rain / 60% humidity score as the city pages. Population in the GeoNames record is 3,777,491. The wettest month is October (222 mm, 12 days with at least 1 mm); the driest is January (66 mm).