Calendar
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May 2026 — Golden Week, late spring rituals, and the early rainy whisper
2026-05
May in Japan starts loud — Golden Week's seven-day cluster of national holidays is the busiest travel week of the year — and ends with the first hint of the tsuyu rainy season. Plan around the holiday spike, then enjoy the quiet middle of the month.
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June 2026 — Tsuyu, hydrangeas, and the year's halfway sweet
2026-06
June is the quietest tourist month of the year and the wettest. The tsuyu rainy season arrives around mid-June and hangs through early July, but the trade-off is empty temples, blooming hydrangeas, and one of Japan's most specific seasonal sweets. Bring an umbrella; the country is half its usual price.
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July 2026 — Gion Matsuri, fireworks, and the bullet train opens Mt Fuji
2026-07
July is loud, hot, and one of the most photogenic months of the year. The tsuyu rainy season ends in early-to-mid July and gives way to the festival season — Gion Matsuri runs the entire month in Kyoto, Tanabata covers the country in colored streamers, and the official Mt Fuji climbing window finally opens. Hydration is the only rule.
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August 2026 — Obon, Awa Odori, and the country's largest return migration
2026-08
August is hot, ritual, and crowded in a way that only Obon week can be. Mid-August is when the country goes home — the highways jam at 100km regularly and shinkansen reserved seats sell out weeks ahead. Around it, Japan stages some of its loudest festivals: Aomori's Nebuta, Tokushima's Awa Odori, and Kyoto's Daimonji bonfires. Don't try to travel Aug 11-16; do try to be in a small town for its summer matsuri.