Japan Destinations

Cherry blossom opens in late March in Tokyo and Kyoto and moves north — mid-April in Tohoku, early May in Hokkaido. Okinawa blooms far earlier, in January. Cool air, days getting longer.

Fireworks-festival season — somewhere in Japan has one almost every night. Furano lavender peaks in July. The lowlands are hot and humid, so the Nagano highlands and Hokkaido are where people escape; Mt Fuji is open for climbing only July–September.

Autumn colour runs the opposite way to cherry blossom: it starts in Hokkaido in late September, reaches Tohoku in October and Kyoto in late November. Dry, low-rain weather — the easiest season of the year to travel in.

Deep snow in Hokkaido and the Japanese Alps — ski season, and the best time for open-air onsen. Tokyo and Kyoto are cold but see little snow, and the clear air makes this the best season of the year for seeing Mt Fuji. Okinawa stays warm.