Comfortable temperatures in May?

Hi. I know that the �gWhat�fs the weather like in�c?�h question is asked quite frequently (I have searched) and I know that there are temperature statistics on this site too, but I�fm hoping someone can give me a more wordy description of the weather in central Honshu in mid May.

So does it start to get a bit �esticky�f by May or is it still pleasant for walking around cities like Tokyo and Kyoto? And should I expect much in the way of rain? I�fm planning my second visit to Japan and I�fm stuck between March and May. March is a little too soon really but I don�ft want to go in May if I�fll be dripping with sweat or always avoiding rainfall.

Also, is it a busy time for tourism in Japan? Are there any school holidays that will make it busier and more expensive?

Thanks in advance

We visited Japan in mid to late May this year. We were in Kyoto, Tokyo, Nara, Hakone, Matsumoto and Nagoya. We had no rain at all. Most days were sunny and pleasant. Got a little hot one sunny day in Nara, but nothing extreme. Naturally, our experience is not a guarantee, but by and large May is a good time to travel in Japan.

I have been to Japan from mid-May to early June every year for the last seven years, and every time has been fairly good weatherwise. Some days are a little hot, and every trip I've had some rain but not an awful lot. The rainy season really doesn't start this early. I love this time of year; in the countryside the newly planted rice fields reflect the sky and I find this very beautiful from the passing train.

It's generally a slow time in terms of tourism, although it's a time of school trips so you may encounter hordes of schoolchildren if you go to famous tourist places.

May is probably the most pleasant month of the year. You won't be dripping with sweat unless you do a lot of hill-climbing and you may in fact still need a warm sweater. Rainy season has not started by May and it is one of the more settled months weather -wise. I would say temps around 15- 25 degrees in an average year. It doesn't start to get really hot until mid to late July.

Avoid Golden Week Holday in the first week of May if you can as Accommodation and transport are likely to be crowded.

And as they were all positive I can now book for May in (reasonable) confidence regarding the weather.

I�fm booking the 8th to 19th so luckily I�fll miss Golden Week.

One other thing, Uma mentioned �ehordes of schoolchildren�f at famous tourist spots. This isn�ft a particularly bad thing is it? I get the impression that the vast majority of Japanese schoolchildren are very well behaved individuals.

I never found them to be a nuisance in any way. The kids are well behaved and also well supervised. If you have really bad luck they might be a minor hindrance somewhere, but this is unlikely.

Have a great trip! Hopefully you won't catch a truly strange period with freaky weather, but odds are in your favor.

I've been to Nara and Kyoto in October, another big school trip month, and apart from frequent "what's your name" "how old are you" etc from junior high school kids practicing English they were fine.

In fact, if they sometimes try and practise their English by asking questions, that actually sounds quite a nice thing. I had read that younger Japanese, especially school kids, often chat to western tourists to practise their English. But in my brief visit to Tokyo in November it never happened. But then neither did salarymen buy me drinks in Izakaya nor did several other similar things guidebooks said might happen. So maybe it�fs just me?

Thanks again everyone for the information.