Best season to visit Japan (& why I prefer November)

I’ve been writing about serious topics in the last few months, so let’s chill a bit this time.

(And tell me if there’s anything you want more of)

Japan is most famous for its cherry blossom at the end of March and beginning of April. But for me it’s not the best season. It’s windy, rainy, and a bit cold.

While November is the best for me, let’s look at every option.

What's the best season to avoid tourists?

Look at any visitor graph. The truth stares back: Japan stays packed year-round.

Fushimi Inari (temple with 1000 gates) at 2pm in July looks like a human conveyor belt. Shibuya Crossing feels like performance art for cameras.

August offers a break, but only because of the heat. Picture 35°C with 80% humidity. Your clothes stick to your skin before you leave the hotel. Walking feels like swimming through hot soup.

Cherry blossom season brings the Instagram zombies.

Want the real move? Hit the famous spots at 5:30am. The tour buses haven't arrived. The influencers are still in bed. You get twenty minutes of actual peace before the circus starts.

What's the best season for nature?

Spring delivers variety if you know where to look. Plum blossoms beat the sakura crowds by weeks. Wisteria drapes purple curtains in late April. May brings azaleas painting entire mountainsides pink while everyone else fights for cherry tree photos.

But autumn plays a longer game. The leaves don't just change; they perform a three-week gradient shift from green to gold to deep burgundy. You watch the same tree transform daily.

Three years in Osaka. I saw Kyoto covered in snow exactly once. If you want winter landscapes, forget big cities. Go to Takayama. Go to Hokkaido. Go where winter actually happens.

What's the best season for food lovers?

Japan treats seasonal eating like religion. Everything tastes like cherry blossoms in Spring because marketing. Summer means cold soba to survive the heat, and shaved ice that melts before you finish paying.

Eating hot food in Japanese summer feels like self-harm. That incredible ramen place you bookmarked? At 35°C, the broth turns into torture. Your body rebels. Sweat drips into the bowl.

Winter food hits different. Nabe bubbling on your table while snow falls outside. Oden from the convenience store at midnight (which sadly becomes a rarity). Hot coffee from vending machines becomes a survival tool, not just caffeine.

Autumn splits the difference perfectly. Cool enough for ramen. Warm enough for outdoor yakitori. Everything tastes like it should.

What's the best season for budget travelers?

If you visit during Golden Week, Obon, New Year: your wallet will scream. Hotels triple their rates. You pay luxury prices for business hotel rooms.

Late September delivers the sweet spot. Official off-season means prices are affordable. The humidity finally breaks. The heat becomes tolerable instead of oppressive.

January after New Year week? Empty and cheap.

Early December before the holiday madness works too. Winter illuminations start up but the crowds haven't arrived. Hotels still charge normal rates. You get the atmosphere without the markup.

What's the best season for festivals?

Summer festivals look incredible in photos. Living them means suffocating crowds, impossible logistics, and more time in line than actually experiencing anything.

Gion Matsuri (probably the largest festival) sounds romantic until you're pressed against sweaty strangers for three hours.

Autumn festivals happen for locals, not cameras. Smaller crowds. Real community energy instead of performance.

What's the best season for city exploration?

This is why November owns everything else.

• Temperature sits at 15-20°C. Warm enough to walk all day. Cool enough that you don't arrive everywhere drenched. You can wear actual clothes instead of just surviving in moisture-wicking athletic gear.

• The leaves turn gradually. Every week the same street looks different. You notice details: how certain trees change first, how the light shifts golden in late afternoon, how locals slow down to appreciate what tourists rush past.

• November brings Japan's most reliable weather. Your plans actually happen. No sudden downpours sending everyone scrambling for shelter. No typhoon warnings canceling trains.

• The daylight works with you. Not the 5pm darkness of winter or the brutal noon sun of summer. You get usable light from 7am to 5pm. Golden hour happens at reasonable times.

Japanese cities were built for walking and seasonal observation. November lets you experience both without compromise.

Tree-lined streets become galleries. Park paths turn into meditation walks. Even concrete neighborhoods develop character when autumn light hits them right.

The concept of forest bathing works better in cities during autumn than in actual forests during summer. You get the benefits without the mosquitoes, the restorative effects without the humidity. The city provides convenience while nature provides the show.

November doesn't shout. It just delivers everything Japan promises without the suffering other seasons demand.