Takayama Weather

Takayama, in the north of Gifu Prefecture, is surrounded by high mountains. It basically falls in the inland climate zone in the middle of Japan, and deeply influenced by the Japan Sea coastal climate. It is cooler in Takayama than in Tokyo, Kyoto and more big cities throughout the year, meanwhile the winter is somewhat longer, colder and snowy there, as it would warm up until mid-late March.
Coldest month: January, -5~3℃ (23-37.4℉) averagely
Hottest month: August, 19-31℃ (66.2-87.8℉) averagely
Rainiest months: July & September, 12-14 rainy days

Best Time to Go to Takayama

Comparatively, April - May in spring and October - November in autumn are the best time for the more pleasant weather. Cherry blossoms and Takayama Spring Festival are the highlights of Takayama, attracting a number of visitors in April. Also, the Takayama Autumn Festival is also grand in October, making Takayama a popular destination in addition to the stunning fall foliage.

Cherry Blossoms in April

Temperature

The highest temperature rises up to 36℃ (96.8℉) in August, while the lowest temperature is around -13 ~ -10℃ (8.6-14℉) in January. Takayama is also featured with big temperature gap between day and night, especially in summer. In August, the lowest nocturnal temperature might be 7-10℃ (44.6-50℉), which is incredibly lower than the daytime temperature of 36℃ (96.8℉). 

Precipitation & Humidity in Takayama 

Why is Takayama So Cold?

As in the central mountains of Japan, Takayama has a higher altitude as well as lower temperature than the coastal plain areas. In addition, affected by cold northwest monsoon, it’s pretty snowy in Takayama in winter.

Is Takayama Worth Visiting in Winter?

Although it’s cold, many visitors go to Takayama in winter. Shirakawa-go is the most visited place there, for the poetic snow scenery in mountains. Besides, ski resorts and onsen towns are also attractive there.

Takayama Climate - Seasons, Clothes, and Top Things to Do

Spring: Mid-Late March to May

Average temperature: 4-16℃ (39.2-60.8℉)
Average rainfall: 376mm totally, light showers on about 10 days every month
As spring comes, the temperature rises up gradually. In March, it’s still possible to encounter a snow in Takayama. Later, the snow cover begins to melt and it gets warmer and warmer. The weather changes lead to more rainfall as well. There might be showers sometimes, which makes the city, especially the surrounding areas close to mountains, misty.

Clothes to Wear: Down coat, thin sweater, and fleece-lined trousers are the musts when you travel to Takayama in mid-late March. Even in April, a thin down coat or an overcoat is also necessary. To May, a hoodie or long shirt and causal sweatpants are enough. Anyway, you need to put on your topcoat as the temperature drops or after night falls, for the bigger and bigger diurnal temperature difference.

Best Things to Do:
1. Admire Cherry Blossoms: Sakura are in full-bloom in mid-April, which is the best time to enjoy the natural beauty of Japan.
2. Takayama Spring Festival (Sanno Matsuri): Held at Hie Shrine on Apr. 14-15th, Takayama Spring Festival is well-known and lively.

Blossoms are Blooming in Spring.

Summer: June to mid-September

Average temperature: 17-28℃ (62.2-82.4℉)
Average rainfall: 568mm, 14 rainy days a month at most
As in mountains, it’s not very hot in Takayama in summer. The temperature is no more than 30℃ (86℉) on average, much cooler than in coastal cities like Tokyo and Osaka. However, the highest temperature can reach 36℃ (96.8℉) sometimes, especially in July and August. The temperature difference turns to be pretty large in summer, when it drops to 15℃ (50℉) at night averagely. It is the rainiest time in Takayama, when rainy season begins in mid-June and lasts until mid-July. Sometimes there are short rainstorms in late summer, and the place is shrouded in mist when it is raining.

Clothes to Wear: Thin breathable clothes like T-shirt and shorts are proper for Takayama weather in summer, paired with a sun-proof outerwear. If you climb mountains there, a windproof thin jacket can be taken in case of reduction of temperature.

Top Things to Do:
Hiking: Takayama is a good hiking destination to explore the mountains in Japan. Mt. Norikura & Goshikigahara Forest in the east of Takayama city and Kamikochi nearby are the top hiking places there.

Takayama in Summer

Autumn: mid-late September to November

Average temperature: 8-19℃ (46.4-66.2℉)
Average rainfall: 468mm, about 10 rainy days every month
As it comes to autumn, the temperature decreases gradually. In September, it’s still somewhat hot during the day, while it cools down to 3-13℃ (37.4-55.4℉) averagely in November. The color of tree leaves is changing, and the wonderful fall foliage scenes, at Mt. Norikura, Takayama Jinya, Hie Shrine, Shirakawa-go, etc., attract a lot of shutterbugs. Typhoons may attack the shore of Japan, especially in September, which won’t affect Takayama much but a lot of rains. Thus, September becomes one of the rainiest months in Takayama.

Clothes to Wear: A long-sleeve shirt or hoodie is suitable for the autumn weather in Takayama, and plus a jacket on the top. In late autumn, at night or the temperature goes down suddenly, you can replace the jacket with a thicker coat, even a thin down coat is also proper. Take your scarf and gloves just in case.

Top Things to Do:
Takayama Autumn Festival (Hachiman Matsuri): On October 9-10th, Takayama Autumn Festival is held around Sakurayama Hachimangu Shrine, to celebrate the harvests.

Autumn Leaves in Takayama

Winter: December to mid-March

Average temperature: -3-6℃ (26.6-42.8℉)
Average precipitation: 285mm, one third of the days are snowy.
It is freezing in Takayama in winter, as the temperature is usually below 0℃ (32℉), especially in January and February. In the daytime, the temperature often is not more than 5℃ (41℉). In some extreme situation, the temperature would be as low as -13℃ (8.6℉) at night. It often snows in Takayama, and the first snow comes even in mid-late November in some years. You can see the snow cover there in winter, especially in rural areas.

Clothes to Wear: For the severely cold weather, thick winter clothes are the best when travelling to Takayama. Down coat, sweater, thermal underwear, winter pants, scarf, cotton hat, warm gloves, boots, etc. are necessary to keep warm.

Top Things to Do:
1. Admire snow-covered landscapes in this historical city of Takayama and the countryside.
2. Onsen, the hot spring bathing, is welcomed in domestic Japan in winter. Visitors can try it if interested.

Snow-Covered Takayama

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