Peak Season – Expensive Months to Visit Japan

April and November are the peak seasons as well as the most expensive months to visit Japan, because the cherry blossoms and fall foliage are fascinating in a mild weather. During the peak seasons, flocks of visitors from the world, including the domestic tourists, come to the spots. With so many visitors, the prices rise and you would spend more for your Japan tour.

Cherry Blossom Season: usually mid-March – mid-April

Sakura, the oriental cherry blossoms, is the typical scenery to see in Japan, attracting endless tourists for sightseeing. It’s a big peak season in Japan, as the gardens, parks, hotels, ryokans, etc. are full of people. Thus, the prices are rising fast. Nevertheless, the specific time period of the cherry blossom season is varied in different regions, so there are small differences in prices all over the land.

Cherry Blossom Season, Tokyo Ueno Park

Golden Week: last days of April – early May

In Japan, the Golden Week is also a big event as Japanese would enjoy a holiday for one week at least. There are several Japanese festivals during the week, including Showa Day on April 29th, Constitution Day on May 3rd, Greening Day on May 4th, and Boys’ Day on May 5th. The Golden Week is a pleasant time for travelling climatically, and the cities and attractions receive a great number of visitors as well as considerable vacationists from China.

Obon Festival: mid-August

The summer vacation July and August is actually a shoulder season in Japan. The weather is torrid, but hundreds of thousands of people swarm to beaches. As to Obon Festival in mid-August, the passenger flow becomes larger because Japanese have a holiday to get back their hometown for the ancestor worship. There is a tide of travelling during the period, so you would cost more if going to Japan at that time.

Fall Foliage Season: November – early December

It is the other remarkable landscape to see in Japan in addition to the cherry blossoms. From November, the best time to admire the autumn leaves begins gradually all over Japan. As a lot of people go for a sightseeing, it is definitely the peak season in Japan with the not cheap prices.

Fall Foliage Season, Kiyomizu-dera Temple

Fall Foliage Season, Kyoto Kiyomizu-dera Temple

Christmas & New Year: Late December – Early January

Although winter is a slack season for travelling to Japan, the period of Christmas and New Year is not. In addition to colorful celebrations, year-end carnivals, big sales, New Year visit to a shrine or temple, etc. make the nation immersed in a rejoicing festive vibe. The shopping malls are offering discounts, but the prices of air tickets, hotels, etc. rise as the number of visitors increases.

Notes

The exact dates of cherry blossom and fall foliage seasons in every place would be subject to change climatically every year, but there won’t be a big difference. The farther north you go, the later the cherry blossom season comes, while the earlier the fall foliage season.

Generally speaking, winter is the low season of travelling in Japan. But for skiing and onsen resorts, especially in the colder northern regions, it’s the peak season on the contrary.

Tips for Travelling to Japan in the Peak Season

Busy Nakamise Street, Tokyo

Japan weather forecast is useful. In addition to the everyday weather, the date of cherry blossom season and fall foliage season around the country is predicted by the weather bureau, you could find the cherry blossom or fall foliage map of Japan easily.

There are huge crowds of visitors in each attractions of Japan during the peak season. Take good care of yourselves and look after your kids and belongings well especially when taking public vehicles.

Please book the air tickets, hotels, and train tickets early in case that it’s full of people and you couldn’t get one in the peak season.

It’s advised to purchase a local transportation card on arrival, which is convenient to take public transportation and shopping in convenience stores. For instance, if entering Japan in Tokyo, you can apply an online Suica card via your Apple Wallet.