2 Weeks in Japan: When should I go?
2 Weeks in Japan: When should I go?
Hello! My wife and I have finally chosen 2026 as the year we are going to go to Japan for two weeks.
Tokyo -> Kyoto -> Osaka -> Hiroshima -> Tokyo.
We’ve thought about three time periods we could go: April (for cherry blossoms), September (fall foliage) or December (Christmas). I have a type of slow progressing ALS and I’m in a power wheelchair. We’re trying to pick the best time that balances crowds, climate (I don’t do well in the heat or high humidity), and events/attractions.
If you’ve been to Japan, what say you? What is the better choice and why?
- 8 Replies
Hello I went to Japon on october. It was a very Nice wheather. Not to hot ( t shirt by day).
I went to Nagano Nikko Tokyo Hiroshima ( myajima), Kyoto. It was very Nice. One year before, we went there in august, it was so hot.
We Will enjoy it.
I used a powered wheelchair to get around. We chose the last 2 weeks of November and the first week of December. I wanted to see the Autumn colours, which last longer than the spring blossom, which is typically only a week so easy to miss.
The weather was cold but not freezing. If you were in the sunshine and out of the wind, a T shirt and jumper were sufficient.
We were lucky with rain only on 2 days out of 3 weeks.
Kelvin & Julia
I’ve been there during Christmas season before and it’s definitely more tolerable temperature-wise. I am going again Jan 22-Feb 20, 2025 and can give you an update while I am there or after, if you want to consider a similar time range for 2026.
September is too early for the Autumn colours – late November is better
I’m going for about the same amount of time with my best friend. I am also in an electric wheelchair, we’re planning for late March / early April because the weather is more moderate according to my research and there’s also no storm season going on. The cherry blossoms are a big attractor as well.
Hello. I run a taxi service in Osaka that is accessible to people with disabilities. I will tell you about the weather in Japan over the past few years. First of all, the best season for cherry blossoms in the past few years is late March to early April. It can be a little chilly during this time of year. It’s a good idea to bring a thin outer layer. In September, the temperature has been over 30 degrees every day for the past few years, so you can’t expect any autumn leaves. By the way, the best season for autumn leaves in Kyoto this year was after November 20th. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me anytime. I hope your trip will be a good memory.
Tak
We just got back a few weeks ago from our vacation in Japan. We went November 22 until December 6th. Weather was great. Cold enough to wear jackets but only 1 night of rain and the rest were sunny days. I got around in a motorized wheelchair easily taking several different train rides, including Bullet Trains- no crowds with incredibly helpful subway staff. We also had a lot of help and advice from the travel agency we worked with called “Inside Japan.”
The colors of the foliage and ginkgo trees were beautiful! We were in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Hiroshima and Hakone. Had great views of Mt Fugi. Would do all of it again, but I had to give one place up it would probably be Osaka as we are not big “night life” folks.
Enjoy!
We are planning a similar trip,, but we will go Tokyo then train down to Hiroshima for a couple of days (It’s famous for oysters, so I want to get a few meals under my belt ) then up to Osaka with day trips to Nara then Hakone for Onsen and back to Tokyo. We aren’t going to Kyoto because we’ve been several times before I switched to a wheelchair and I don’t want to try going up the steep cobbled road to the main shrine. We’re going October since the weather is good, 15-20C and they’re aren’t any major Holidays in Japan, just local festivals.
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