When to go · Tokyo
Tokyo in August
Avoid month. Extreme heat; Obon.
Key facts
- Verdict
- Avoid
- Temperature
- 31° / 24°
- average high / low
- Rain days
- 9
- Crowds
- High
- Japan overall
- Prices
- High
- Japan overall
Verdict
Extreme heat; Obon.
Weather in August
- TokyoHighs around 31 °C, lows around 24 °C, rain on about 9 days
- Honshū cities, Japan · Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshimahot
Rainy season June to mid-July; humid heat July–August; typhoon risk peaks in September.
Summer season
Hydrangeas in the rainy season, Sumida River fireworks (late July), bon-odori dances, beer gardens on rooftops.
Watch: Heat-stroke alerts from July; typhoon days.
Festivals and holidays
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.
Obon
About 13–16 August · Nationwide
Trains out of Tokyo full, some small shops shut; the city itself is quieter.
Kōenji Awa Odori check
Late August weekend (check) · Kōenji station streets
Thousands of dancers; the Chūō line stops are crushed in the evening.
Typhoon season
Peaks late August–September · Whole city
Trains can stop for half a day; Hakone, Fuji and island trips are the first cancelled. Watch the forecast two days out.
Crowds and prices
- Crowds · Japan overall
- High
- Prices · Japan overall
- High
Japan overall: Hottest month and Obon travel peak: go north (Hokkaidō, Tōhoku) or plan short outdoor windows.
High-price month: see what to book ahead.
What to pack
- Light, breathable clothes, a sun hat and sunscreen