Japan in July, what to expect?

Hi,
At first I was thinking of travelling during spring in Japan but problem with vacational leave make I might need to go during summer months instead.

I know June is rainy season in Japan and August is apparenly very hot, plus the Obon week with lot of travel. I am not sure about school holidays in summer though.

What can I expect of Japan in July if going there in early July for 2-3 weeks or so?

I suppose there is a big chance of typhoons interrupting as well.

What else can you tell about travelling in July? Crowds, weather, etc. compared to March - May...

Japan is actually quite a long country and it really depends where you visit. If your worried about heat and the wet season, then visit Tohoku and Hokkaido. Hokkaido has some amazing wildflowers up north which are worth visiting.

Japan tends to get a couple of typhoons a year, but they are not normally that strong apart from Okinawa. They normally pass within 24 hours. I've lived in Taiwan so the typhoons in Tokyo are like passing showers compared to the one's I've experienced there. It is still dangerous to travel during typhoon days.

The odd thing about the wet season is it starts south and goes up north. This means the wet season starts in southern Kyushu and might be mainly finished when it is starting in Tokyo. Northern Tohoku and Hokkaido don't tend to get a wet season, but this does not mean it won't rain.

I've found the main problem with southern Japan (Kyushu, Shikoku, Kansai) is the humidity more than the heat. One of the big benefits to the start of July is the lack of crowds. However, I tend to remember the school holidays starts some time in July (google it). This makes it expensive to basically go to the beach and outdoor activities tend to be more busy than normal.

Others will have more to say....

Hi. I've not been in July proper though I've been in June a few times and in earlier September.

Compared to March? Well it would be dreadfully, dreadfully hot and humid. I would plan the trip around whether you can live with the heat. Even our Gold Coast summers have nothing on Tokyo and Kyoto in June and September, and July is hotter still. So personally I wouldnt spend any time in Tokyo or Kyoto (Kyoto = hell in summer in my experience), I'd be looking for cooler areas (north, maybe Nikko, Karuizawa, Bessho Onsen, Kamikouchi, maybe Takayama though even that is pretty warm in summer). But then if you come from Singapore you might find it mild and pleasant, so it is really whatever you are used to.

Crowds I think are not too bad, at least they are pretty good in June. One of our June holidays was my all time favorite and the weather was pretty mild most of the time.

I wouldnt let the heat stop me from going, but I would tailor my trip around it. Check on typhoons. I think generally (according to reports) they are not meant to be as severe earlier in the year, but it has been pointed out that typhoons dont necessarily read the same reports that we do so they can be unpredictable.

I am not sure when exactly to go really, if in beginning or end of June, July or so.

I want to visit Kyushu, Tokyo, Kyoto, Shikoku, Chubu/Ishikawa, but Hokkaido and Tohoku is interesting as well. But I would not want to skip out on the areas either.

If only rain and hot and muggy, maybe not so fun..

I've been going to Japan at the end of June/start of July the last two years... Both trips we did Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and then did some day trips elsewhere, but didn't go very far into Tohoku and didn't visit Hokkaido at all. Is it hot and sunny and humid most days, sure? But is it completely miserable? Well, depends on where you are from and what you are used to. I've been worse places. *cough* Orlando *cough* or the "dry" heat in Anaheim or Las Vegas which is just punishing in the Summer! I live near NYC which can also be pretty hot and humid in the Summer so I might have more tolerance for it? I find the dry heat in the US Southwest and SoCal much more overwhelming because the sun is just so strong! I also make sure to spend some time in AC while in Japan and to enjoy plenty of ice cream and water.

It rained while we were in Hakone, I wished I had a jacket, but the hydrangeas looked brilliant against a gloomy background. We had light rain one of our Kyoto days as well that trip, but it didn't impede any of our activities.

It rained this year while we were at Tokyo Disney and was super windy. This was a huge plus and I can only hope we are so lucky again, as it really limited crowds. It rained when we were in Nara, so the deer were more aggressive for cookies, but I sort of like Nara in the rain. It also rained pretty hard when we arrived in Nagano, that trip, and I so regretted leaving my umbrella in the hotel room. So out of 2 weeks I think we had 3 day where there was rain, but only 2 I would say were 50% or more of the day.

I don't remember any typhoons the past 2 years though there was a typhoon in June '04 when I was there? I mostly remember it raining a lot and spending the day doing karaoke, we were in Tokyo at the time. I don't remember anything closing down, it was just wet and windy.

Everything is more crowded than when I use to go to Japan pre child, but June didn't seem horrifically crowded and I've been able to book my first choice in hotels. I love all the hydrangeas. They're one of my favorite flowers and Japan has some gorgeous hydrangea gardens in June/July.

July.
Expect longer days!

Weather depends where you go. Hokkaidō will be beautiful.

Even our Gold Coast summers have nothing on Tokyo and Kyoto in June and September,
That is an interesting opinion. I found the Gold Coast heat pretty terrible and the reports I get from my friends there from earlier in the year was it was so bad they left for a month.

I like the summers here in Tokyo and when I am travelling to places like Kyoto (even in the hotter months - I'll pick August for 2017), I would still enjoy the outdoors and go for a run. June, July and September are not so bad, and it does depend where you go.

Yeah, it can depend on the time of year. Our late December/January can get very hot, with some days up to near 40 celsius and very sultry with thunderstorms in the afternoons. But I suppose that most of the time I'm in the airconditioning in the house, the car, or the office.

I thought that Kyoto in September and Tokyo in June were much worse, when the sun was out.

I will probably leave around mid-late June, returning in early-mid July.

Apparently more hiking destinations open up during this period. Maybe there is less rain in the mountains? Or at least less mugginess...

One thought however. I will be bringing a Nikon DSLR camera, not weather sealed or so. We don't live in a particularly humid climate so I am a bit afraid the camera might get damaged from the constant humidity...