TL;DR
Every page on the site about Japan's seasons: when cherry blossom and autumn leaves arrive, the rainy season and typhoons, snow and drift ice, the public holidays including Golden Week, and the Mount Fuji climbing season. Dates come from the Japan Meteorological Agency and other official sources, cited on each page.
For a single prefecture, start from Japan by prefecture.
Spring and autumn
- Cherry blossom dates in Japan: 2026 dates and averagesWhen cherry trees opened and reached full bloom in 2026 at the official station in each of the 47 prefectures, with days early or late and the 1991–2020 averages.
- Autumn leaf dates in Japan: 2025 observed dates and averagesWhen maple leaves turned red and ginkgo yellow in autumn 2025 at the official station in each prefecture, with days early or late and the 1991–2020 averages.
Summer
- Japan's rainy season (tsuyu): normal dates by regionWhen Japan's rainy season normally starts and ends in each of its 12 regions, from the Japan Meteorological Agency's 1991–2020 averages.
- When is typhoon season in Japan? By month and regionHow many typhoons come within 300 km of Japan each month, and which months and regions see most, from Japan Meteorological Agency 1991 to 2020 averages.
- Climbing Mount Fuji: 2026 season, fee and trail rulesWhen the four Mount Fuji trails opened in 2026, the 4,000 yen fee, the night-time entry rules and the booking systems, from Japan's Ministry of the Environment.
Winter
- Snow in Japan by prefecture: yearly snowfall normalsHow much snow falls each year at the Japan Meteorological Agency's main station in each of Japan's 47 prefectures, from its 1991–2020 normals.
- When does drift ice reach Hokkaido? JMA averagesWhen drift ice arrives, reaches the shore and leaves at Abashiri and other Hokkaido stations: the Japan Meteorological Agency's 1991–2020 averages.
Holidays and crowds
- Public holidays in Japan 2026 and 2027: dates and weekdaysEvery public holiday in Japan for 2026 and 2027, with the weekday, the ones next to a weekend. From the official source.
- Japan off season: least crowded months, 47 prefecturesJapan off season: February was the least crowded month nationally in 2025 and August the busiest, by guest nights. All 47 prefectures, month by month.
- Japan's least-visited prefectures, ranked (2025 data)Which Japanese prefectures get the fewest foreign visitors? All 47 ranked by 2025 foreign guest nights and per resident, from Japan Tourism Agency and census figures.
Before you go
- Visit Japan Web: what it is for, per the Digital AgencyWhat Japan's Visit Japan Web service is for (immigration, customs and tax-free shopping), who can use it, who runs it and where the official site is.
- Japan's travel taxes in 2026: departure and hotel taxesJapan's International Tourist Tax rose from ¥1,000 to ¥3,000 per departure on 1 July 2026. Plus Kyoto's and Tokyo's accommodation taxes, from their ordinances.
- Japan tax-free shopping from 1 November 2026: new rulesFrom 1 November 2026 Japan's tax-free shops refund consumption tax once customs confirms the goods are leaving Japan. The 90-day limit and the kiosk step.
- Bringing medicines into Japan: what the ministry saysPersonal-use amounts Japan's health ministry lists before an Import Confirmation is needed, and what its Narcotics Control Department says on controlled drugs.
- Driving in Japan with a foreign licence: what countsWhich International Driving Permits Japan accepts, the six licences that need an approved Japanese translation instead, and the one-year limit.
- Bringing a dog or cat into Japan: the quarantine rulesJapan's Animal Quarantine Service rules for dogs and cats: ISO microchip, two rabies vaccinations, an antibody test, the 180-day wait and 40 days' notice.
Key takeaways
- Season dates are long-term averages; each year differs.
- Holiday dates come from Japan's Cabinet Office list.
- What we would skip: planning around one year's blossom or leaves date.
Sources
Each linked page lists its own sources. See how we research.
Each linked page states its sources and method.