Japan Trip Planning Q&A: Part III - Miscellaneous

A series of posts on Japan trip planning, Part III: Miscellaneous—ten final questions.

Good afternoon,

I hope all is well on your side of the world, whether it is spring or autumn there. After the first two posts in the Japan Trip Planning Q&A series, I am back to wrap it up with a third monthly/annual subscriber-only post that covers ten additional questions that did not make it into the first post, focusing on transportation, and the second post, which focused on accommodation.

All three Q&A posts, along with the previously published Japan Travel Guide, have also been added to the subscribers-only page on my website (right below the Travel Diaries section). You can unlock the posts on this page using the password you received automatically (or in this post) upon becoming a monthly or annual subscriber: Letters from Japan Subscribers.

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Since the second post in the series that I emailed in mid-March, Sakura has arrived in Tokyo, with the first day of full bloom coinciding with sunny skies on a Sunday. The forecast for the rest of the week is rainy, and since cherry blossoms have a short-lived peak—just four to five days—this past Sunday was likely our best chance to enjoy the fleeting season this year. To make the most of it, I biked to Mizumoto Park and spent the day among hundreds of cherry trees.

But in all honesty, and despite the welcome distraction, my mind has been far from Japan lately—drawn back to my country by events that are both terrifying and hope-inducing, events that could either eventually lead to the end of a systematic 22-year assault on democracy or pull us deeper into darkness. While the global political climate offers little reassurance, I hope you are spared from the pain of watching your country descend into despair under authoritarian rule, haunted by the constant thought of how it was and what could have been. Maybe more on this in the next edition of the newsletter, if I can find the right words.

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But now, onto lighter topics—starting with a quick update on what’s next for Letters from Japan, followed by the final ten questions as we wrap up this series.

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As mentioned in the previous post, the March edition of Letters from Japan will be posted a little later than usual—sometime next week—as it will cover Sakura. I’d like to visit a few more places (maybe even a quick trip to Kyoto), if the sun cooperates, so I have more to share.

Shikoku

Later in April, there will be an exclusive series for monthly and annual subscribers about my upcoming coastal walk in Shikoku during the Golden Week. While the walk will partially cover temples along the famous Shikoku Pilgrimage Route, the focus will be more on the Shikoku Nature Trail and its coastal sections, as the island is known for its dramatic coastal landscapes and charming fishing villages.

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Now, let’s start this final and third post in the Q&A series with the most common question I receive.

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#1 When is the best season to visit Japan?

My favorite season in Japan is autumn, which begins as early as mid-September in Hokkaido and lasts until early December, when the vibrant autumn colors reach major cities like Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto. With typhoon season typically ending by late October, autumn is also one of the most reliable seasons weather-wise, offering mild temperatures and less eventful skies. However, while not as extreme as the Sakura season, accommodation can be quite expensive during this time.

Seasons in Japan

If you’re looking to reduce accommodation costs (unless you’re visiting one of the many ski resorts across the country), January is one of the most affordable times to visit Japan. It brings chilly weather but mostly sunny skies and significantly fewer crowds—again, outside of ski resorts. February, similar to January in terms of costs, is an excellent month to visit, with the added bonus of plum blossoms in late February, which you might even mistake for Sakura.

Spring officially begins with the plum blossoms in late February and gradually builds to its grand crescendo with Sakura in late March. If you’re planning a trip during cherry blossom season, booking accommodations well in advance is essential, as is preparing for high costs and large crowds. Additionally, full bloom dates have become increasingly unpredictable in recent years, shifting significantly from historical averages. So, if experiencing Sakura is the main purpose of your trip, a bit of flexibility with your travel dates or destinations might be necessary (cherry blossoms bloom earlier in the south and much later in the north).

Once the Sakura season is over (which you can still catch as late as May in Hokkaido), there’s a brief window in April and May when the weather is heavenly—until the rainy season begins (around mid-May in Okinawa and mid-June in Tokyo). The rainy season in Japan, particularly in Tokyo, is not like the monsoon season in Southeast Asia, where heavy downpours are often followed by rainbows and sunny skies. Instead, it’s a usually non-stop, dreary rain—far from atmospheric or romantic.

I also strongly recommend avoiding July and August, as well as much of September, due to Japan’s oppressive humidity, which covers almost the entire country. While Hokkaido remains somewhat breathable, major cities like Tokyo and Osaka—dominated by concrete buildings—feel overwhelmingly hostile to both humans and any other breathing organisms. Summer is also the typhoon season, which tends to have an impact on flights and sometimes even Shinkansen, depending on the severity of the typhoon.

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#2 Can you tell a little more about the luggage forwarding service you mentioned in the first post?

One of the most convenient travel tricks in Japan is using TA-Q-BIN, a luggage/package delivery service by Yamato Transport. It allows you to send your bags from the airport to your hotel, between hotels, or back to the airport for a reasonable fee. In December, I paid around 2,300 yen to send my luggage from Tokyo to my hotel in Hokkaido.