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My Japan trip, date by date

Pick your dates: I show you everything happening in Japan during your stay, the best and the traps, with a score.

How it works: holidays follow the official rules, cherry blossoms and autumn leaves come from the model behind my two season maps (estimates, not promises), the rainy season from Japan Meteorological Agency normals, and festivals from their organizers. The score blends season, festivals, crowds and weather, day by day.

My Japan Trip, Date by Date

A trip to Japan changes from one week to the next. Ten days in late March means the cherry blossom frenzy and fully booked hotels; ten days in early May means Golden Week, when the whole country travels at once; ten days in late June means the rainy season and its hydrangeas. This tool takes your dates and tells you everything that will happen during your stay, the best and the traps.

What the tool looks at

Japanese public holidays and the long weekends they create, Golden Week, Obon and New Year, when the Japanese travel too. Cherry blossoms and autumn leaves, from the model behind my two season maps. The rainy season, region by region, from Japan Meteorological Agency normals. Typhoons, brutal heat and deep cold. And the big festivals, from matsuri to fireworks, with a link to my articles when I have been there.

The score blends all of this day by day. It does not say a trip will be a failure: June rain has its charm, and the cherry blossom crowds are sometimes worth it. It says where the trade-offs are. To pick the month before the dates, see my guide When to Visit Japan, Month by Month.