Japan in April
Blossom across the whole country, on different dates from south to north. Kyoto and Tokyo fill months ahead, and Golden Week takes over from April 29. The best of the year, and the most expensive. Peak bloom in the first week. Golden Week starts April 29 and everything sells out at once.
Temperature
19°C (66°F) / 10°C (50°F)
in Tokyo, afternoon and night
Crowds
very busy
across the cities we track (checked Oct 16)
Ryokan booking
already open
traditional inns · don't wait for a discount
Japan weather in April, north to south
| City | Afternoon / night | Rain or snow |
|---|---|---|
| Sapporo north (Hokkaido) | 12°C (54°F) / 3°C (37°F) | little rain 55 mm, one day in 3 |
| Tokyo central (Kanto) | 19°C (66°F) / 10°C (50°F) | about average 134 mm, one day in 3 |
| Kyoto central (Kansai) | 20°C (68°F) / 9°C (48°F) | about average 117 mm, one day in 3 |
| Osaka central (Kansai) | 20°C (68°F) / 11°C (52°F) | little rain 102 mm, one day in 3 |
| Naha far south (Okinawa) | 24°C (75°F) / 19°C (66°F) | very wet 161 mm, one day in 3 |
Thirty-year averages (1991-2020) recorded by the Japan Meteorological Agency, which tell you the month's usual climate and not the weather you will actually get on the dates you have chosen. Last checked August 8, 2026.
Roughly what it costs
Occupancy (official statistics, 2023-2025)
busy
64%
Price range per night
per night, two people
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The dates in April
April 2027 has one public holiday and one date when something is happening, and the night before that holiday is the most expensive of the month: ryokan charge their Saturday rate for it.
Takayama Matsuri (spring), Takayama, Gifu
Decorated floats parade through the old town of Takayama, some of them carrying mechanical puppets.
Takayama, Gifu fills up
Day before a holiday
ryokan rates go up
Public holiday: Showa Day
The first day of Golden Week. The whole country starts moving.
everything fills up
Bridge day
likely bridge day
quiet
nothing to plan around
If your dates can move: shift by a day to miss the nights before a holiday.
If they are fixed: book those nights first, they are the ones that go fastest. The rest of the month can wait.
Where to start
The order matters more than how early you get to it.
Kyoto and the small stops first
Kyoto, Kanazawa, Takayama, and any night in a ryokan: few rooms, and the whole of Japan is aiming at the same dates, so this is where rooms run out first, not in Tokyo.
Tokyo and Osaka can wait
Tens of thousands of rooms. These cities are never really full. The simplest approach is still to book it all in one go, on free cancellation rates for whatever might still move.
Three questions about April
What is the weather like in April?
In Tokyo, 19°C (66°F) in the afternoon and 10°C (50°F) at night on average, while at the same moment Sapporo sits at 12°C (54°F) and Naha at 24°C (75°F).
Is April cheaper?
Across the cities we track, this is one of the four months when hotels are fullest. The price range for the month is in the budget block, city by city.
Should you avoid Golden Week in April?
Golden Week only starts on April 29. The first three weeks are peak bloom, the finest stretch of the year. It is the last week that fills up all at once.
Going further
Calendar
How to book hotels in Japan: when sales open
The costly mistake is reading an empty calendar as a full one.
Calendar
Cherry blossom season in Japan, and fall foliage
Somebody counts the flowers by hand. First bloom is 5 or 6 flowers open on one marked tree, full bloom is 4 buds in 5, and they sit 5 to 10 days apart.
Calendar
The worst time to visit Japan, week by week
Three weeks carry almost all of the pressure, and one of them is not even a public holiday. The other 49 are far more open than the month-level lists suggest.
The next step
Which site to book on
Every site holds a different slice of Japan. See which site holds what.
Before you book: what a ryokan rate includes. It counts people rather than rooms, and dinner is nearly always part of it, served at a fixed time that you pick when you book rather than on the evening itself. Read the ryokan page.
Bookings for your dates open on a fixed date. We write that day.
Say you're after the cherry blossoms in April 2027: ryokan inns open around October. On the day, you get an email, you book, and it's done.
Temperature and rainfall: 1991-2020 normals from the Japan Meteorological Agency. Occupancy from Japan's official tourism statistics, public holidays from the official calendar. Tanuki Trip never books on your behalf. You book it yourself, wherever you want.