With generally lower rainfall and the typhoon season gradually ending by late October, autumn offers smooth travel conditions across most regions of Japan. Whether you enjoy exploring cities, visiting historic temples, or experiencing nature, autumn is an excellent time to visit Japan.

☀️ Autumn Weather in Japan

Japan’s autumn climate is pleasant and well-suited for travel.

• September–October: Warm daytime temperatures with cooler evenings
• November: Slightly cooler but still comfortable; heavy winter clothing is usually unnecessary

Northern Japan and higher-altitude areas experience cooler temperatures earlier in the season, making them ideal for early autumn travel.

🍁 Autumn Foliage in Japan (Kōyō)

One of the biggest highlights of autumn in Japan is the spectacular autumn foliage, known as kōyō. Mountains, parks, gardens, and temples transform into vibrant shades of red, orange, and gold.

• Kyoto & Nara: Famous for temple gardens and seasonal night illuminations
• Tokyo & Kanagawa: Beautiful fall colors can be enjoyed even in urban parks
• Hokkaido & Tohoku: Autumn foliage appears earlier, often from mid-October

Peak foliage timing varies depending on location, altitude, and weather conditions.

🎎 Autumn Festivals & Cultural Events

Autumn is also a season rich in cultural experiences throughout Japan.

• Traditional Autumn Festivals (Matsuri) featuring local floats and performances
• Harvest & Food Festivals celebrating seasonal ingredients
• Autumn Night Illuminations at temples and gardens
• Sumo Events held during the autumn season, offering insight into Japan’s national sport

These events provide visitors with memorable opportunities to experience Japanese traditions and local culture.

🍜 Seasonal Autumn Foods in Japan

Autumn is considered one of the best seasons for Japanese cuisine.

• Apples & Persimmons: Juicy and sweet, available October–December.
• Sweet Potatoes: Roasted sweet potatoes are a classic street snack.
• Kabocha (Japanese Pumpkin): Used in soups, stews, and desserts.
• Mushrooms: Matsutake, shimeji, and shiitake are popular autumn ingredients.

🚆 Best Ways to Enjoy Autumn in Japan

• Scenic Train Rides such as the Sagano Romantic Train in Kyoto or the Oigawa Railway
• Evening Foliage Viewing with seasonal illuminations
• Hot Springs & Autumn Scenery in popular onsen areas like Hakone, Kusatsu, and Yufuin

Your Japan Tour

If you are thinking about making a trip to Japan, as seasoned Japan experts we can help you create your perfect Japan Autumn tour. Contact us to start planning your unforgettable holiday to this fascinating country full of once-in-a-lifetime experiences, culture, history, nature, and delicious food!

There are many reasons to travel to Japan; wanting to discover its exotic culture that at the same time feels familiar, tasting the high-quality food and delicious cuisine, wanting to experience the birthplace of your favorite anime, manga, or game series, feeling the warm hospitality in an ambient ryokan, and enjoying Japan’s natural attractions such as Mt. Fuji, natural hot springs, beautiful views, great beaches, winter sports areas and of course bountiful seasonal flowers.

March and April’s cherry blossoms are already famous all over the world, but every season brings its own gorgeous scenery. No matter when you come to Japan, there are blooming flowers to enjoy. Let us give you an overview of which flowers are blooming when. Please note that the seasons correspond with the seasons in Honshu (Tokyo, Nagoya, Kyoto, Hiroshima) unless otherwise specified.

Spring Flowers in Japan

If you do your Japan tour in spring, you can expect the following flowers to be in full bloom:

• Cherry Blossoms (sakura); mid-late March. Please note that there are over 200 varieties of cherry trees, but the most common cherry tree that everyone is talking about when it is about ‘full bloom’ is the Somei Yoshino tree. You may, however, see other varieties bloom a bit earlier or later than the Somei Yoshino trees’ blossoms. The best place to see the cherry blossoms is along the Meguro River near Nakameguro station.
• Wisteria; late April-early May. The very best place to see blooming wisteria is the Ashikaga Flower Park in Tochigi. If you don’t have the chance to go there while in Tokyo, the next best place is the Kameido Tenjin Shrine.
• Azalea; mid April-mid May. While you will see blooming pink and white azalea flowers all over the city during the blooming period, the best place to see azalea is at the Nezu Shrine.
• Tulips; late April-early May. The very best place to see blooming tulips is at the Tonami Tulip Park in Toyama, which is a bit off the beaten path. The best place to see tulips near Tokyo is Sakura Furusato Hiroba in Chiba around one hour away from Tokyo.
• Creeping Phlox; April-May. These carpets of pink are best enjoyed together with Mt. Fuji in Kawaguchiko during the Shibazakura Festival.
• Nemophila; April-May. Waving baby-blue fields covered with these small flowers is a stunning sight. The Hitachi Seaside Park is the best spot for Nemophilia, but if you don’t have enough time in Tokyo, you can also catch them in the Showa Memorial Park in Tachikawa.

Summer Blooms in Japan

If you do your Japan tour in summer, you can expect the following flowers to be in full bloom:

• Hydrangea; mid June-mid July. These purple, blue or pink flowers are often planted in groups, making for beautifully decorated pathways during blooming season. Hakusan Jinja in Tokyo is a great place to see the Hydrangea, and if you don’t mind traveling an hour by train the Hasedera in Kamakura has a gorgeous path lined with flowers.
• Lotus; mid July-mid August. These flowers are associated with Buddhism and thus often found in ponds near temples. In Tokyo, the Shinobazu pond in Ueno Park has many lotus flowers, and again in Kamakura, you can find ponds full of lotus flowers on the grounds of the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu shrine.
• Iris; late May-July. Emperor Meiji’s favorite flower can be found in the inner garden of the Meiji Shrine, but the most famous display of iris flowers is in the Heian Jingu in Kyoto best visited in mid-June.

Fall Flowers in Japan

If you do your Japan tour in the fall, you can expect the following flowers to be in full bloom:

• Cosmos; late August-early October. These are the most colorful blooms in Japanese autumn, coming in pink, purple, red, orange, and white. A good place to see cosmos flowers in Japan is the Hamarikyu Gardens but if you really want to see them in their full glory with Mt. Fuji in the background you have to head to Hana no Miyako Park near Lake Yamanaka.
• Chrysanthemum; September-mid November. The national flower of Japan and the symbol of the Imperial Family can be found all over the country, and in Tokyo, the Shinjuku Gyoen is one of the best places to see blooming chrysanthemum.
• Fall Foliage; late November-early December. While strictly speaking this is not about flowers, it is one of the main reasons to come to Tokyo at the end of November. The leaves turn yellow in the last week of November and turn red in the first week of December. With the temperatures usually not at a freezing level yet, it is a very pleasant and photogenic time to travel to Japan. Some of the best spots in Tokyo to see the fall foliage are the Rikugien, Icho Namiki in the Meiji Jingu Gaien, and the Kyu Shiba Rikyu gardens.

Winter Flowers in Japan

If you do your Japan tour in winter, you can expect the following flowers to be in full bloom:

• Winter Peonies; late November-mid February. Coming in pinkish and purplish hues, these blooms bring some color to the colder season. In Tokyo, the peony garden in Ueno Park (near the Toshogu shrine) is a great place to see these flowers.
• Daffodils; December-January. These cold-loving flowers can be seen in small groups all over the city, but if you want to see a large blooming field full of them you have to head to Jogashima Park one hour away from Tokyo.
• Plum Blossom; late February-early March. The blooming of these soft pink to white flowers heralds the early beginnings of spring. While it is still too cold to enjoy a picnic under the trees, they are no less photogenic than the famous sakura cherry blossoms. In Tokyo, the Shinjuku Gyoen is one of the best places to see plum blossoms, but for the most amazing display of natural plum blossom beauty, you have to head to Mito for the Plum Blossom Festival.

Your Japan Tour

As experienced Japan experts, we can help you create your perfect Japan tour in any season. We will always make sure to include the season’s very best offerings such as gorgeous blooming flowers or foliage, seasonal foods, activities, and festivals. Check out our group tours and private tours, or contact us to start planning your unforgettable holiday to this fascinating country full of once-in-a-lifetime experiences, culture, history, nature, and delicious food!

The Rice Planting Season Feeling

Just like the season of the cherry blossoms, this season also only lasts for a short time. And that is what makes the view of the reflection of the sky in the just-completed paddy fields so irresistible. It is a scene of fleeting beauty and the passage of time, just like the famous pink blossoms. The watered paddies turn to a huge mirror and reflect the wide sky on the shallow water, and because the seedlings grow to 20 -25cm in height within 2 weeks, it takes only around 10 days to cover the paddies with grass which will make the beautiful reflective water disappear.

Unlike other agricultural farming, rice-farming has been regarded as very sacred in Japan because it was believed that each grain of rice has a god‘s spirit in it in ancient times. Why would that be? I think it might have something to do with the ‘water mirror’. A very long time ago, mirrors were highly valued and believed to have magical powers.
So, the rice which grows in the ‘water mirror’ must have been believed to have some spiritual power.

Anyway, what I wanted to say is just try to find the beautiful scenery of the water mirror. If you happen to travel to Japan late May-early June, you can get some special spiritual power from delicious Japanese rice. An added bonus is that the late spring season also brings with it nice weather. There are comfortable warm temperatures and usually not too much rain yet as the rainy season is yet to start.

Your Japan Tour

As seasoned Japan experts, we create perfect Japan package tours including destinations in the countryside. Check out our group tours and private tours, or contact us to start planning your unforgettable holiday to this fascinating country full of once-in-a-lifetime experiences, culture, history, nature, and delicious food!

During early spring it is the plum blossoms that make people go to the parks in droves. The most famous blossoms, however, come a bit later during the peak blooming period of the cherry blossoms. That is considered to be the real start of spring and a reason to go out, drink, and be merry under the cherry trees. After that, it is one blooming season after another with shibazakura, azalea, and hydrangea delighting the people who venture outside.

Japan Spring Tour >>

The weather is also often good for outdoor activities, it will slowly get warmer once April starts and from May you will barely need to wear a coat anymore. Rain happens on and off, but it is still too early for typhoons. Many festivals also happen during spring, so there is always something to do in this season.

Spring Weather in Japan

In March, Tokyo’s temperature reaches an average of 13 ° C (56 ° F) during the afternoon and 5 ° C (41 ° F) during the night. In April, the afternoon temperatures reach an average of 18.5 ° C (65 ° F) in the afternoon, while temperatures in the morning and night are around 10.5 ° C (51 ° F). In May, during the afternoons it becomes around 21° C (73 ° F), while in the evenings and mornings temperature decreases to around 15 ° C (59 ° F).

It does rain sometimes during spring, but usually not for days on end. Early in the spring season, the temperatures can still fluctuate quite a lot, but from mid-May onwards, the temperatures become more stable and usually don’t go under 18 ° C in the day time.

Spring Events in Japan

Hanami Picnics

From the end of March until the beginning of May, cherry blossoms bloom throughout Japan. Making their way from south to north, starting Kyushu and ending in Hokkaido, this flowering process is followed by almost the entire population through the news on television.

The peak of the blooming period only lasts for one to two weeks, and people in Japan make the most of it by organizing picnics under the blooming trees called ‘hanami‘. If you happen to be in Japan during hanami season, feel free to join the festivities and buy your own picnic mat, snacks, and drinks in places like the Yoyogi park or the Shinjuku Gyoen in Tokyo and the Maruyama Park or Kamogawa (Kitaoji street) in Kyoto.

Shibazakura Festival

The Fuji Shibazakura Festival is one of the best events to enjoy the Japanese spring. Various types of Shibazakura bloom throughout the area, coloring it brightly. You cannot miss the best places to take pictures, with the carpet of the Shibazakura and the beautiful Mount Fuji in the background. From April to May, the small flowers of approximately 1.5 cm in diameter, in red, pink, white, or purple will be in full bloom. It is a vine plant that covers the ground like a lawn and, therefore, is called ‘cherry trees of the lawn’ in Japanese.

Golden Week

Golden Week comes at a usually very pleasant time of the year in Japan weather-wise; temperatures are neither too cold nor too hot. Golden Week is the given name of series of holidays from the end of April until the beginning of May, during which almost all Japanese employees receive a week of vacation and many people thus travel to resort areas. For international tourists coming to Japan, it is not recommended to travel during this time as hotel prices tend to surge because of domestic demand. Just before or after Golden Week is a much better time to come.

Children’s Day

Every May 5th, it is Kodomo no Hi or ‘Children’s Day’ in Japan. Families fly koinobori banners in the shape of a carp (a type of fish) for each child in their house. In Japanese folklore, the carp is a symbol of determination and vigor, overcoming all obstacles to swim upstream. Samurai warrior figurines and samurai kabuto helmets are also displayed in homes with sons to inspire strength and bravery.

Kanda Matsuri

The Kanda Matsuri Festival in May is one of the three largest festivals in Tokyo, and indeed in all of Japan. The grand six-day celebration attracts the largest crowds. In the Shinko-sai parade, portable shrines called mikoshi weave from Kanda to Nihonbashi, to the Ote-Marunouchi area, and to Akihabara. In the Mikoshi Miya-iri procession, a hundred floats prepared by the parish towns enter the shrine premises to be worshipped. Both events offer the chance to see the wonderful energy of Japanese mikoshi parades.

Aoi Matsuri

Considered one of the three most important festivals in Kyoto, the Aoi Matsuri takes place on the 15th of May each year. It is held by the important Kamo Shrines, Kamigamo Shrine, and Shimogamo Shrine, and the origins of the festival can be traced all the way back to rites performed to appease the gods and pray for bountiful harvests in the 6th century.

It was established as a more formal annual ritual in the 8th-century Heian period when Kyoto became the capital and the Emperor recognized the importance of the Kamo shrines to the capital’s prosperity.

Spring Food and Drinks

Sakura Mochi

Mochi is Japanese-style sticky rice cake, and mochi making is associated with many important occasions in Japan. There are many varieties of mochi available here based on the location, season, etc. Sakura mochi is the sweet pink-colored mochi of spring that is often eaten at festivals or during hanami.

Young Bamboo Shoots

Young bamboo shoots, or takenoko in Japanese, are often used in cooking during the spring and summer. It is usually served with rice or seasoned with a sauce. People used to go out digging for these seasonal shoots, but nowadays it is usually bought at the supermarket or enjoyed in traditional Japanese restaurants.

Strawberries

Many people love strawberries, and after you have tried strawberries from Japan you will love them even more. Quality is high and the sweetness of Japanese strawberries is amazing. Strawberries are featured in most desserts and sweets of spring as it is the main fruit of the season. Tochigi prefecture has a lot of farms where you can pick your own strawberries, and in Tokyo, you can try this in for example Setagaya Ichigo Juku or Niikura Noen Farm.

Sakura-themed Food and Drinks

There’s a lot of commercial establishments that offer limited edition drinks in spring that have sakura as an ingredient. Coffee, chocolates, soft drinks, and alcoholic beverages are just some examples of food and drinks that can be sakura-flavored. As these special editions only last for a little while they tend to be very popular with the locals!

Spring Japan Tour

If you are thinking about making a trip to Japan, as seasoned Japan experts we can help you create your perfect Japan tour during spring. Contact us to start planning your unforgettable holiday to this fascinating country full of once-in-a-lifetime experiences, culture, history, nature, and delicious food!

Related Videos for Spring tours

Once March rolls around in Japan, the atmosphere takes on a completely different, magical quality. There is one specific word you will hear buzzing around everywhere: hanami. Literally translating to “flower viewing,” hanami is the time-honored national tradition of gathering under blooming cherry blossom trees (sakura) to enjoy a festive picnic with family, friends, or coworkers. Loved by millions, this seasonal ritual blends ancient cultural roots with lively outdoor celebrations, making it the most anticipated spring event in Japan.

The Deep History and Nostalgia Behind the Blooms

The practice of hanami is many centuries old, dating back to the Nara period (710–794) when plum blossoms were initially admired. By the Heian period (794–1185), the focus shifted exclusively to sakura, and Emperor Saga popularized the tradition by hosting grand sake-filled feasts beneath the blossoms at the Imperial Court in Kyoto. Beyond historical legacy, the sakura is a profound symbol of nostalgia and the beautiful, fleeting nature of life itself. Because the blooming season perfectly coincides with Japan’s school entrance ceremonies and the start of the fiscal corporate year, the delicate pink petals are forever intertwined with new beginnings and sweet memories.

Tracking the Sakura: Peak Season and Forecasts

The peak bloom of the most common sakura flowers is notoriously brief, typically lasting only one to two weeks in any single location. Because timing is so critical, almost the entire population follows daily cherry blossom forecasts broadcast on national television news. Generally, Tokyo and Kyoto hit full bloom from the final week of March through the first week of April. However, the exact dates shift every year based on winter and spring weather. If your travel plans fall outside this window, you can catch earlier varieties (like Kawazu-zakura) or head north to regions like Tohoku and Hokkaido, where the bloom is delayed by up to a month.

How to Celebrate Hanami Like a True Local

To experience hanami authentically, it takes more than just a simple stroll. Locals spread out large picnic mats under the trees, sharing seasonal bento boxes, snacks, beer, tea, and sake. It is common for individuals to hold multiple hanami parties in a single season to celebrate with different social circles. In corporate culture, reserving the perfect spot is an important task. Newly hired employees are often sent to famous parks like Ueno Park or Yoyogi Park in Tokyo early in the morning, tasked with guarding a prime location for hours until their senior coworkers arrive to celebrate after work.

Iconic Destinations: Sakura by Day and Night

Japan offers endless picturesque backdrops to elevate your cherry blossom photography. For a traditional aesthetic, famous historical monuments like Sensoji Temple (Tokyo), Kiyomizu-dera (Kyoto), and majestic structures like Himeji or Osaka Castle provide stunning contrasts against the pink blooms. Scenic spots around Mt. Fuji, such as Lake Kawaguchi, offer breathtaking natural landscapes. Furthermore, the celebration does not stop at sunset. Known as Yozakura (night sakura), many premier spots like Meguro River or Yasukuni Shrine drape their parks in beautiful lanterns and light displays, creating an incredibly romantic evening atmosphere.

Q & A

Planning to experience the magic of Sakura season? As seasoned Japan travel experts, we specialize in tracking the annual forecasts to craft the perfect custom itinerary for your spring vacation. Contact Japan City Tour today to start planning your dream holiday filled with unforgettable cherry blossom memories!