Tokyo in April: what to expect

April is one of the two best weather months in Tokyo, alongside October. Days are mild and often clear, the humidity is still low, and the rain that does fall usually arrives as a short front rather than the grey drizzle of June. Mornings and evenings stay cool enough for a jacket.

The month warms quickly. The first week behaves like late March; by the last week you can sit outside in a T-shirt at midday. Rain is more likely in the second half of the month. Pollen from cedar and cypress is heavy in Tokyo in early April, which matters if you have hay fever.

Daylight runs from about 12.5 hours at the start of the month to about 13.5 hours at the end, so late-afternoon sightseeing is easy.

April has two separate crowd peaks. The first is cherry blossom, when Tokyo hotels reach their highest rates of the year and parks fill from early morning. The second is Golden Week, from 29 April to 5 May, when domestic travel peaks and Shinkansen reserved seats and hotels sell out.

Between the two, roughly 15–25 April, there is a genuine lull: blossom is over, Golden Week has not started, and hotel rates drop noticeably. If your dates are flexible, this is the window to take.

Book accommodation two to three months ahead for blossom weeks. For transport, reserve Shinkansen seats as soon as your dates are fixed; unreserved cars on the Tōkaidō Shinkansen are standing-room only on peak days.

Cherry blossom viewing (hanami) is the event of the month rather than a single festival. Tokyo's official blossom forecast is published in advance and updated weekly; dates shift by up to two weeks year to year, so check before booking flights around a specific park.

Golden Week runs 29 April – 5 May and covers several public holidays in a row. Expect packed trains, higher hotel rates and some small shops closed. Many museums and major sights stay open but sell timed tickets that go early.

Local matsuri and temple fairs appear across the city through the month, mostly at weekends. Check the Tokyo Metropolitan Government or a local listings site for exact dates.

For blossom, the classic Tokyo spots are Ueno Park, Chidorigafuchi near the Imperial Palace, Shinjuku Gyoen and the Meguro River. All are extremely busy at peak; go before 8am or after 8pm for space. Shinjuku Gyoen charges a small entry fee and closes in the evening, so check hours.

Away from blossom, April is a good month for the city's outdoor sights: Meiji Jingū and its forest, the Asakusa temple district, the Yanaka lanes and the gardens at Hamarikyū and Kyu-Shiba-rikyū. Day trips to Kamakura, Hakone and Nikko are comfortable before the summer heat and before Golden Week crowds.

If you are in Tokyo for Golden Week itself, stay in the city rather than travelling: day trips and Shinkansen routes are at their busiest.

Pack for a mild spring with cool mornings: a light jacket or shell, a couple of long-sleeve layers, and one short-sleeve option for warm afternoons late in the month. Comfortable walking shoes matter more than anything else; you will cover a lot of ground.

Add a compact umbrella or a packable rain shell for the wetter second half of the month, and a mask or antihistamine if you are sensitive to pollen. A small coin purse is useful: many smaller shops and some lockers still run on cash.

March is cooler and cheaper, with blossom arriving late in the month; prices jump as soon as the forecast firms up. May is one of the best months of the year once Golden Week ends: warm, green and calmer. June turns grey and humid with the rainy season, and is better spent in Hokkaidō.