Early autumn visit?

[ia909]

Hi all,

 

I'm keen to visit Japan this year but the only vacation time available is the last week of September and the first week of October. This would be my first visit, and as Mrs ia909 will be with me it'll probably be general sightseeing than rail-fanning, and based in Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo.

 

The thing that I'm unsure about is the weather; Wikipedia mentions possible typhoons (!), whilst the general climate charts shows that to be the rainiest time of year. Does anyone know is the rain sub-tropical as it can be in Florida (by this I mean is it generally nice, throws it down for an hour in the afternoon, then clears again), or is it likely to be miserable for hours (or days)? Would I be better waiting until March / April especially as this will be a first visit?

 

Many thanks in advance.

 

Ian

[bikkuri bahn]

The weather will be variable- late September and early October will still be warm, but not oppressively humid like August and early September.  There will be typhoons, but their courses vary and may even miss the areas you visit.  Best to monitor the weather reports, and adjust your in-country travel plans as needed.  If you are in a typhoon area, expect rainy weather and high winds for one to two days as the typhoon transits through.  Basically, outside of the dry winters of the Pacific Ocean side of Japan, you will always be at risk of rainy/heavy precipitation days when visiting Japan.

[ia909]

Thanks for the information! I'll discuss with Mrs ia909.

[spacecadet]

I pretty much second the info you've been given, except to also add that it *can* still be oppressively hot *and* very rainy/windy around that time.  Basically, you are still in some danger of extreme weather, although not as much as if you were to visit in the middle of summer.

 

The time you're going is actually around the time when I usually go. I've been caught in three typhoons around that time (out of about 10 visits in late summer/early fall) and usually the weather is still pretty humid even if it isn't all that hot. It can really *feel* hot if you're not used to it, especially if you're moving around a lot like tourists tend to. I usually plan for an extra change of clothes per day.

 

Typhoons are not usually that big of a deal. They last about a day and then they're gone, and through most of them you can even still be out doing certain things. It's unlikely you'll get stuck in a strong typhoon and get a direct hit on exactly where you are. Just plan some things that are indoors and don't require train service (the subways are usually ok). In my experience, the Japanese don't really freak out about typhoons unless it's a very strong one and they're in the direct path, so the cities keep running as much as possible.

 

My experience with regular rain in Japan is that it can be annoyingly persistent. If it's going to rain, it's going to rain off and on for days. If that's the weather pattern, then you need to be prepared for rain at any time until the skies clear up. I haven't experienced the sort of sky-clearing big waterfalls that last for 30 minutes and then clear everything out like we get here in the northeast US in summer. The typhoons are really the closest thing to that - I'd almost rather have a typhoon than one of Japan's regular annoying rain patterns.

 

There's not really a perfect time to visit Japan weather-wise... you kind of just have to take whatever comes. It's always going to be really hot or really cold, snowy, rainy, windy, humid or whatever.  

[ia909]

Thanks Spacecadet. Our first choice for vacation was New England and / or Quebec, (we're in the U.K.), but this year it's cheaper to get to Japan than it is to fly to Boston and a lot cheaper than to Montreal. Surprisingly  accommodation seems very reasonably priced compared to some places in the larger cities in the U.S.

 

I'm now leaning towards maybe Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine in September and Japan at the end of February or beginning of March next year. I'd rather be cold and dry than damp inside and out!

 

Regards,

 

Ian

[spacecadet]

Surprisingly  accommodation seems very reasonably priced compared to some places in the larger cities in the U.S.

 

I've always found some really good hotel deals in Tokyo. Kyoto can be a little harder because there just seem to be more tourists per square foot and fewer hotels. But Tokyo has a ridiculous number of hotels and you can always find a couple of really good ones practically giving away rooms because they're trying to fill up.

 

I'm now leaning towards maybe Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine in September and Japan at the end of February or beginning of March next year. I'd rather be cold and dry than damp inside and out!

 

I actually just went in March and it was my first time at that time of year. It wasn't bad, although there were still a few crazy weather days when it got rainy and inexplicably windy to the point of breaking my brand new umbrella within the first 30 minutes I tried to use it. The energy in Tokyo is different around that time of year; I'm used to late summer when everybody's just hanging out everywhere and having a good time. In March, it seems like that only really happens in the big hangout districts like Shibuya; most of the rest of the city's pretty quiet. Also for some reason Tam Tam's stock selection was really poor compared to my trip last July, which could be seasonal or could have just been bad luck (and I didn't try any other train stores).

[KenS]

March is the end of Japan's fiscal year, and most new models start coming out around May or June.  Stores probably let inventory run down in anticipation of new product.

[ia909]

March is the end of Japan's fiscal year, and most new models start coming out around May or June.  Stores probably let inventory run down in anticipation of new product.

 

So there might be some "last season" bargains!

 

Well I think either late summer or spring will come down to a toss of a coin. Thanks guys.