Japan in July

Rain ends mid-month then the heat begins; festivals everywhere.

• Hokkaidō · Sapporo, Nisekobest weather

  Snow Dec–Mar (ski season); the only main region without a real rainy season.

• Honshū cities · Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshimahot

  Rainy season June to mid-July; humid heat July–August; typhoon risk peaks in September.

• Okinawa · Naha, Ishigakistorm or typhoon risk

  Subtropical; rainy season May–June, typhoons July–September.

• Kansai: Kyoto / Osaka · Kansai basin and bayhot

  Rainy season (tsuyu) June to mid-July; Kyoto's basin holds heat — 35 °C+ days in August; typhoons Aug–Sep can shut KIX for a day.

• Kyoto32° / 23°, 13 rain days
• Osaka32° / 25°, 11 rain days
• Tokyo30° / 22°, 12 rain days
• Nagoya32° / 23°, 13 rain days

Dates as our data lists them. Moving holidays (lunar and Islamic calendars, Easter) shift every year: check the date for your year before you build a trip on it.

• Gion Matsuri (Kyoto)

  July (processions 17 and 24 Jul)

  Central Kyoto streets close for floats; hotels sell out around the 17th.

• Hakata Gion Yamakasa (Fukuoka)

  1–15 Jul (race at dawn on the 15th)

  Teams race one-ton floats through Fukuoka's streets; early-morning road closures.

• Tenjin Matsuri (Osaka)

  24–25 Jul

  River procession and fireworks on the 25th; riverside hotels and trains packed that evening.

• Rainy season (tsuyu)

  About early June to mid-July · Osaka

  Grey, humid days; the covered arcades and underground malls come into their own.

• Aizen Matsuri check

  30 June – 2 July · Osaka

  Opens Osaka's summer festival season; palanquins carried by women in yukata.

• Sumiyoshi Matsuri check

  Late July to 1 August · Osaka

  Processions and a purification rite that closes the summer festival run.

• Hōzuki-ichi (lantern-plant fair)

  9–10 July · Tokyo

  Stalls of potted lantern plants fill the precinct; a visit on these days is said to count for many.

• Mitama Matsuri check

  Mid-July · Tokyo

  Thousands of lanterns on the approach in the evenings.

• Sumida River fireworks check

  Last Saturday of July (check) · Tokyo

  About a million people; Asakusa station and riverside streets are gridlocked from late afternoon.

Crowds · Japan

Medium

Prices · Japan

Medium

• Light, breathable clothes, a sun hat and sunscreen
• A rain jacket or umbrella and shoes that dry fast
• A spare day in the plan: storms can cancel flights and ferries

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Rated best or good this month

• Hokkaidō

  Best weather of the year (Sapporo, Niseko)

• Sapporo

  Best months: Jun–Sep for cool summers, Dec–Feb for snow and the festival

Better another month

• Okinawa

  Subtropical; rainy season May–June, typhoons July–September.