Why shoulder season in Japan is the best time to visit

The land of the rising sun often keeps its best secrets for the less busy months.

Avoiding peak season could be the best decision you'll make when visiting Japan. 

What is shoulder season?

Shoulder season refers to the period of time between peak season and off. This can last months or weeks depending on destination. For example, if summer is the peak season and winter is the off season, shoulder seasons are spring and autumn.

Mount Bandai in the spring time.

When is shoulder season in Japan?

Shoulder season in Japan - particularly Tokyo - runs from early April to mid-June and the middle of September through to December. It is an excellent time to visit Japan for mild weather. The risk you take, however, is that typhoon season runs from May to October, with most activity from July to September. From June to August you will be dealing with hot and humid summers.

Spring scenery at National Alps Azumino Park in Nagano prefecture, Japan.Flower field of this park is very beautiful, many local people and tourist come to see this scenery every spring.

The choice of hotels is better

Once the cherry blossom crowds have disappeared after the peak bloom dates, you not only have a wider array of hotels in your chosen city but some of the iconic properties have more vacancies too. If you want to kick it old school in Tokyo for example, check out the iconic Park Hyatt Tokyo from Lost in Translation (pictured but undergoing renos right now) or funk it up at any of the Trunk hotels.

Click here for our list of the 12 most stunning hotels in Japan.

Your Lost in Translation moment is more likely to happen in shoulder season.

The flights are cheaper

According to Skyscanner, the cheapest time of year to fly from Australia to Japan has historically been May. One way fares start at just over $500.

May in shoulder season is the cheapest time to fly to Japan.

It's less crowded

It’s only logical right? If you want to experience the hot springs and snow monkeys in Nagano or Skytree in Tokyo, there will certainly be fewer foreign tourists around. In September and October, you can still walk around many gardens and shrines in just a light jacket. Don’t miss Tokyo’s incredible  Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden and Ueno Park. 

Check out this list of the best gardens to visit in Japan.

A wild 'snow monkey' walks near a hot spring in Central Honshu.

Best things to do in Japan in May and June

The first thing to know is that you want to avoid the chaos and crowds that is Golden Week - which this year runs from April 29 to May 6 and crams four national holidays in the the space of seven days. 

Dodge this and you can even score some sakura season in Hokkaido and northern Tohoku where they last until mid-May. And don’t just be fixated on the sakura, this is prime wisteria season and in early June the Kawachi Fujien Wisteria Garden in Fukuoka is a legit rival to the cherry blossoms.

There is also serious sumo action in Tokyo from mid to late May and stunning hiking in the Japanese alps when the Kurobe Gorge Railway opens.

June, meanwhile, is called minazuki “the month of water” but all it takes is a raincoat to get a stellar Japanese experience without the throngs. As with cherry blossoms season, rainy season begins and ends earlier in the south and starts later and lasts longer in the north. Again, Hokkaido is a great bet as it doesn’t rain much there at all. Can’t say the same for sodden Kyushu and Shikoku.

This time of year is perfect for exploring the culture with a Kabukiza kabuki performance in Ginza and shopping up a storm in the biggest department stores you’ve ever seen - hello Uniqlo, or the museums and art galleries north of Ginza at Ueno.

Shoulder season is wisteria season.

Best things to do in Japan in September and October

Sounds a bit odd but Tokyo throws an incredible three day Caribbean carnival every September called Soca in Japan. Out of the capital, Hokkaido is particularly good with a combo of autumn leaves plus even some beach time. Osaka’s colourful Kishiwada Danjiri Festival is in full swing, as are the baseball and sumo seasons. Also check out the beach resorts on the Izu Peninsula as they double as hot springs. The best time to visit Japan depends on your interests, so bear this in mind when looking at shoulder season travel.

Shoulder season autumn foliage ablaze in Jonzake in Hokkaido.

When is the best time to ski in Japan?

Shoulder season and ski season in Japan do not coincide. Snow sports - and events like the Sapporo Snow Festival - begin to hit their straps in early December and the season stretches to early March, (mid March if you're lucky). Winter sports are pretty much done by late March when the shoulder season looms.

Skiing in Japan does not quite cross into shoulder season. territory. It's a whole other trip.

Originally published as Why shoulder season in Japan is the best time to visit