Kyoto is located in the southern part of Honshu Island, with temperate humid climate: quite mild winters and hot and humid summers. Like the rest of Japan, the city is affected by the monsoon circulation. In winter the northwest cold currents will prevail, while in summer they will be replaced by hot and humid currents of tropical origin.
The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 27.9°C. In January, the average temperature is 4.2°C. It is the lowest average temperature of the whole year.
Quick Facts
- The coldest month is January, when temperatures can get fairly cold.
- June is the wettest month. This month should be avoided if you don't like a lot of rain.
- During the months of May, June, September and October you are most likely to experience good weather with pleasant average temperatures.
- On average, the hottest months are July and August.
- The best times to visit Kyoto are October/November (fall) and March/April/May (spring).
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Best Time to Visit Kyoto
The best times to visit, when the climate is pleasant, are from April-May for the famous blooming of cherry blossoms, and October-November for autumn leaves. It can get hot and extremely muggy from July-August. Winter seldom brings snow and only a few days per year do temperatures drop below freezing.
Spring arrives in earnest in April. The first 10 days of the month are the busiest time for sightseeing and the city can be packed. The cherry blossom usually reaches its peak during the first week of April. Temperatures range between 9°C and 19°C. Weather tends to be warm, but be prepared for the odd cold day and cold evenings.
May is arguably the most beautiful month in Kyoto. It is warm and there are many clear days. Lots of flowers bloom and the new green of spring is lovely. Best of all, it’s not particularly crowded. Temperatures range between 14°C and 24°C.
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98.8% positive customer reviews among 10,000+
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Wonderful 10 day trip in Japan!!!
Well planned trip by Alisa . Everything was well scheduled, guides and drivers were excellent!! The cars were extremely comfortable and the hotel she chose for us was beautiful!! Enjoyed planning with her she was very professional and always offered other choices. More
Lianne Stone,
May 2023
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11 days trip to Japan
I am planning my trip to Japan in November with Sharon's help and she has provided amazing customer service.She is very responsive and put together very quickly an incredible plan for 11 days in Japan. She provided recommendations and made changes based on our interests and budget. She also provided information about visa restrictions and the best way to get tickets for transportation services. Thanks so much Sharon, looking forward to this trip! More
LE,
May 2023
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Japan trip
Hi Cathy! I just want to thank you for making our Japan trip so much fun & memorable! We loved everything that you had scheduled for us! All the guides and drivers were great & punctual! We love Japan so much that we’re planning to go back next year to different part of Japan! We’ll definitely contact Asia Highlights for our trip again! Serene More
Serene Storslett,
May 2023
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Quick, easy and detailed service
Alisa was our advisor from Asia highlights and she prepared for us a wonderful 28 day trip to Japan, taking into consideration our needs and desire not to be traveling everyday and to have a mixture of slow and busy days. We've not yet taken our trip, but very much looking forward to it Thank you Alisa for the quick response and wonderful itinerary More
Lynette Whittle,
Apr 2023
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Japan Tour
Sharon Huang did an excellent job in planningour 15 day Cherry Blossom Japan tour. Shewas available during our trip to answer our questions and readily agreed to the itinerary changes.Everything was arranged - accommodation,breakfast, guide, car, entrance fees and train tickets. The guides were knowledgeable, and managed the tour very efficiently. The drivers were punctual and very patient. We visited must see places in and near Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and Hiroshima. We also got to experience Japanese Tea ceremony, Sushi making, Sake tasting, shopping etc.We highly recommend Asia Highlights for your travel needs. More
Madhu,
Apr 2023
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I organized a trip to Japan for my
I organized a trip to Japan for my parents who don’t speak English and Alisa was so amazing helping make an itinerary for them. They needed a Spanish guide and she coordinated everything so they wouldn’t have any trouble when they got there. She was so patient changing and adjusting the itinerary to their needs and wants, it’s been a total pleasure working with her and she always responds promptly to any question I have. I definitely recommend this company and if you can ask to work with Alisa. More
Luisa,
Apr 2023
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Trip to Japan. I have had the pleasure to book with…
For the reasons above, I decided to book again with Asia highlights for our trip to Japan this year in September. Until now it’s been a pleasure dealing with Albee Ning. She was so efficient and pleasant in adjusting our itinerary. Whenever I had any questions I could count on her to answer promptly. I am very lucky to have her as our organiser for our future trip to Japan. I have had the pleasure to book with Asia Highlights when we went to China in 2018. We were extremely satisfied with the exceptional services rendered by our organiser, Robert Hui and private guide William. More
Mrs Cristina Hidalgo Loris,
Apr 2023
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Albee Ning and Asia Highlights - wonderful to work with.
I and my daughter planned a trip to China and Japan. We worked with Albee Ning who was fantastic in developing a itinerary based on our desires and needs. She was extremely responsive, taking into account all of our requests and worked closely with us, it wasn't just selecting from one of several pre-developed itineraries. We decided to postpone the trip until next year and received the guaranteed refund, minus a small deposit on next years trip. We look forward to working with her again on next years trip and trips in the future. We highly recommend Asia Highlights and Albee Ning More
Nancy K,
Apr 2023
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Handcrafted tour of Japan by Asia Highlights
My initial inquiry to this company (based in China) was answered in under 10 hours by an amazing travel consultant, named Alisa. She is such a professional in the ways she conducts herself and serves her clients. Alisa is a great communicator and listener. She is very open to requests for additional experiences which require research on her part to arrange. Alisa also provides very detailed information about each experience, location, guides, private car transfers, trains, hotels. This approach is very appealing since detailed communication is so useful and important to me. Alisa also makes the process simple and easy to follow. Answered tons of questions and created the perfect tour for us. We are looking forward to this once in a lifetime visit to Japan and are so grateful we have had the chance to work with Alisa at Asia Highlights! More
Laurie Lee,
Feb 2023
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Great Overall Experience
Our guide in Tokyo, Fuki, was outstanding. We saw things we would never have otherwise seen, if Fuki had not been there. More
Todd Hankinson,
Dec 2022
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Plenty of options and personalized tours as needed
Monica Mo was very helpful from the beginning after I enquired about my travel plans to Japan. She listened with understanding and took careful notes and clarified things to make sure she got everything. More
Ginybel Belgira,
Sep 2022
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Asia Highlights especially Ms. Kanae Chida superb
Asia Highlights and particularly our Tokyo guide, Ms. Kanae Chida, were the best. When Kanae met us, she asked for details of what we wished to see and she constructed an outstanding combination of visits for the day. More
Geoff Rayner-Canham,
May 2019
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I have arranged a 27 day tour of China, Japan and Hong Kong China
Peggie's English is impeccable and she uses lots of nuances which usually only a native English speaker would know. I have found her very prompt in responding to emails and her knowledge is terrific. More
Ailsa West,
Jul 2018
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Very professional, great customer service
We travelled to Japan this May (2018). We had contacted Asia Highlights to organise our trip for us. Miss Peggie Lyoo was very helpful, super-friendly, very professional and very prompt with all her replies! More
Tibor Marton,
May 2018
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Great job!
Great job!! We had an amazing vacation to Japan. We will use Asian highlights for all of our trips to Asia More
Joe,
May 2018
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Trip-of-a-lifetime
In addition, I want to specifically mention the guides provided in certain locations. Rum, in Siem Reap, made the most memorable experience possible. His positivity was contagious - even when it felt like 1000 degrees and we were tired. He brought it all to life, and created a couple days of Ankor Wat, etc. that we will never forget! He heard my daughter's request for specific Cambodian food, and changed our itinerary to go to a village and eat at a locally known shop. He brought the dessert she asked about to us in the car! Overall, he and his driver "Lucky" were a reason to go to Siem Reap. In addition, the other guides (minus one which was switched out immediately) were stupendous. Mon in Bangkok was friendly and provided a great day there; Eak in Chiang Mai gave us a world-class food-tour and day touring the city and its surrounding temples with lots of laughs; Tommy in Hanoi kept us from getting killed in the traffic and gave a stupendous food and architecture/history tour - so very friendly and funny; the fishing village tour in Hoi An, as well as the side-car tour in Saigon, were both unforgettable! Thank you Sharon, and Asia Highlights. Would definitely use again for future trips! More
Teri Simpson,
Apr 2023
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Cambodia and Vietnam adventure!
Our guide in Cambodia, Meas Darapolaith (Pol), was absolutely amazing. He was knowledgeable, friendly and so helpful. His English was excellent and he shared important insights about history and the magnificent sites we visited. We highly recommend him! More
Jennifer Roth Krieger,
Apr 2023
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My daughter and I wanted to discover SE…
My daughter and I wanted to discover SE Asia. Being the first in that region, we wanted to use a tour service company. We ended up using Asia Highlights. From the beginning we were impressed with their services. We left home with of mind because all the pre-travel arrangements were taking care and communicate to us efficiently. All our questions were answered promptly. Once in the countries, we were welcome by our excellent tour guides. Everything was taking care for us. We did not have one issue. They selected the right tours guides for us, they were highly knowledgeable and so much attentive to our needs. We had Dhat in Vietnam and Borin in Siem Reap, Cambodia. I highly recommend Asia Highlights. I came back home so much rested, and with plenty of wonderful pictures and memories. I will definitely use Asia Highlights again for my next trip to Asia. More
Isabelle Dessaux,
Apr 2023
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Fabulous tour and guide in Cambodia
We have been touring Cambodia, guided by Borin ( and driver 007) for the last 2 days. What a fabulous experience! Borin has been a wonderful guide, the best so far in Southeast Asia, explaining the history and culture of Cambodia through his tours of the temples in and around Angkor, as well as the Landmine museum. He has answered all our questions, made sure we were comfortable, and that we have had great food. 007 made sure we always had enough water and cool towels for our face/neck.We highly recommend Borin as a tour guide for Cambodia!! More
Monica,
Mar 2023
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Best Travel Service for Asia Travel
Alisa Liu was in charge of making the arrangements and she helped us from the start to make all of the arrangements and also helped us when we had questions and requested some adjustments. Her service is of the highest professional level. We are 100% confident that our trip will be perfect. We’re also 100% confident that, if anything comes up during our trip, that Alisa will be there to guide us through and take care of us. We won’t even consider using another agency for travel around Asia and we would like to have Alisa work for us again. More
Leo Pospichal,
Mar 2023
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Kyoto Weather by the Season
Kyoto's climate is classified as warm and temperate. There is significant rainfall throughout the year in Kyoto. Even the driest month still has a lot of rainfall. The temperature averages at 15.4°C. In the whole year, the average rainfall is 1730 mm.
For the majority of the year, the weather in Kyoto City is fairly mild and generally quite pleasant. There is, however, a typhoon season (hurricane or tropical cyclone) that lasts from June till October. During typhoon season the weather can get very bad suddenly when a storm is passing by.
Winter in Kyoto
Winter sets in in December and usually lasts until February. The temperatures vary from cool to cold by day, with cold temperatures in the evening. There are fairly mild periods, with highs above 10°C (50°F), alternating with cold periods, with wind and rain, around 5/7°C (41/45°F) or less, and possible falls of sleet or snow. Snowfalls, however, are usually light, as are nocturnal frosts.
January tends to be clear and cold. It rains or snows a few times during the month. Winter continues into February. It might rain or snow a few times during the month, but the snow doesn’t usually stick. This is a good time to visit if you do not like crowds.
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Spring in Kyoto
It warms up nicely in March and spring usually lasts until late-May. It might be cold, cool or warm during March, so be prepared for anything but hot weather. The temperature ranges from 4°C to 13°C. In mid-March the plum trees and in late March the cherry trees start to blossom. Most of March is uncrowded, but the last week tends to be busy with domestic tourists.
In April, the first 2 weeks of the month are the busiest time for sightseeing and the city can be packed with tourists. Temperatures will be between 9°C and 19°C.
May is probably the best time of the year in Kyoto, with temperatures staying between 14°C and 24°C. June is another good month to visit. It’s usually warm but not hot. There are many sunny days, but toward the end of the month, the rainy season begins.
Summer in Kyoto
Summer in Kyoto normally begins in late-June and lasts through August. Summer days are particularly hot and humid, because of both, the distance from the sea and the heat island effect of the big city. There can be periods of good weather, with temperatures around 35°C (95°F) or above, tropical nights and high humidity, but also periods of bad weather, due to the summer monsoon. August is the hottest month, because of the thermal inertia of the sea and the lower frequency of periods of bad weather.
Autumn in Kyoto
In Kyoto, autumn season is from mid-October to mid-December, with a peak around early November. October has some of the best weather of the year – sunny and warm days are the rule, with cool evenings. It’s a very comfortable time to travel. At the very end of the month, the leaves start to change color. Temperatures range from 13°C to 22°C.
November rivals May as the best time to travel in Kyoto. The weather is usually warm or cool, and sunny skies predominate. Temperatures range from 8°C to 17°C. Kyoto’s famous fall foliage is lovely during mid- to late-November.
Rainfall in Kyoto
The rainy or monsoon season in Japan (tsuyu) usually occurs in June and July for a period of around 40 days and is marked by high humidity and heavy rainfalls.
Kyoto can be pretty wet, and waterproofs are a good idea when out on the temple trail. Hotels, shops and department stores will often provide plastic covers for umbrellas. If you get caught in a downpour without an umbrella, convenience stores will quickly have a supply of clear plastic umbrellas on sale from about 300-500 yen.
Typhoon
Typhoons sometimes occur in Japan. From June to October (but especially from August to early October), Kyoto may be affected by typhoons, the tropical cyclones of Southeast Asia. When a typhoon is approaching or happening, usually it will rain heavily, with very strong winds.
If you are in Kyoto and a typhoon is coming, don’t worry, just remember these things: Be prepared and stock-up on bottled water and food in your hotel. Flashlights and candles are important too, in case the power goes out.
Kyoto Weather by the Month
See this table below to get information about Kyoto’s temperatures and precipitation by the month. It may help you to pack appropriately according to the time of year you travel.
| Average Temperature (°C) | Minimum Temperature (°C) | Maximum Temperature (°C) | Average Rainfall (mm) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5 | 1 | 9 | 50 |
| February | 6 | 1 | 10 | 70 |
| March | 7 | 4 | 13 | 115 |
| April | 15 | 9 | 20 | 115 |
| May | 20 | 14 | 25 | 160 |
| June | 24 | 19 | 28 | 215 |
| July | 27 | 23 | 32 | 220 |
| August | 28 | 24 | 33 | 130 |
| September | 24 | 20 | 29 | 175 |
| October | 18 | 14 | 23 | 120 |
| November | 8 | 8 | 17 | 70 |
| December | 5 | 3 | 12 | 50 |
Explore Kyoto with Asia Highlights
You can visit Kyoto any time you want because it is an all-year round destination; each season has its own characteristics. Enjoy a private tour to Kyoto, crafted especially for you by Asia Highlights. You can go whenever you desire! Please contact us if you have any questions.
Why Travel with Asia Highlights (98.8% positive customer reviews among 10,000+)
- Unique experiences tailored to your interests: Enjoy a premium trip that goes beyond the typical tourist attractions.
- Hassle-free travel and peace of mind: Every aspect of your trip will be carefully planned and organized by your 1:1 travel consultant.
- Experienced and knowledgeable guides: Your guides will be local and love to work for travelers' smiles.
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