Japan in July
Hot and humid. The big summer festivals run now. Gion Matsuri fills Kyoto all month. Brutal in the south, ideal in Hokkaido. The rains lift around July 20. Then the heat settles in. Kyoto fills up around the 17th and the 24th. Those are the two Gion Matsuri parades.
In Tokyo, 30°C (86°F) in the afternoon and 22°C (72°F) at night on average, while at the same moment Sapporo sits at 25°C (77°F) and Naha at 32°C (90°F). Across the cities we track, this is one of the four quietest months of the year for accommodation.
Japan weather in July, north to south
| City | Afternoon / night | Rain or snow |
|---|---|---|
| Sapporo north (Hokkaido) | 25°C (77°F) / 18°C (64°F) | little rain 91 mm, one day in 4 |
| Tokyo central (Kanto) | 30°C (86°F) / 22°C (72°F) | very wet 156 mm, one day in 3 |
| Kyoto central (Kansai) | 32°C (90°F) / 24°C (75°F) | very wet 224 mm, one day in 3 |
| Osaka central (Kansai) | 32°C (90°F) / 25°C (77°F) | very wet 174 mm, one day in 3 |
| Naha far south (Okinawa) | 32°C (90°F) / 27°C (81°F) | very wet 188 mm, one day in 3 |
The rainy season ends around July 19, in Kansai as around Tokyo. The typhoons take over: 2.1 typhoons approach Japan on average over the month. See The rain comes in two waves on the pillar page
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
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The dates in July
July 2027 has one public holiday and 2 dates when something is happening, and the night before that holiday is the most expensive of the month: ryokan charge their Saturday rate for it.
Shoulder-carried floats are run across Fukuoka early on the morning of the 15th, the last day of the festival.
Fifteen days at the Dolphins Arena in Nagoya. Tickets go a month ahead, the weekend dates first.
For many families this traditionally marks the start of the school summer holidays.
If your dates can move: shift by a day to miss the nights before a holiday, once booking opens.
If they are fixed: those nights will be the first to go on the day booking opens. 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 it is decided 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 July
Is July hot in Japan? In Tokyo, 30°C (86°F) in the afternoon and 22°C (72°F) at night on average, while at the same moment Sapporo sits at 25°C (77°F) and Naha at 32°C (90°F). The rainy season ends around July 19, in Kansai as around Tokyo. The typhoons take over: 2.1 typhoons approach Japan on average over the month.
Is July cheaper? Across the cities we track, this is one of the four quietest months of the year for accommodation. The price range for the month is in the budget block, city by city.
Is July worth avoiding because of the rain? The rainy season lifts around the middle of July, but the typhoons take over after that, and in between Kyoto holds its biggest festival, the Gion Matsuri, all month long.
Going further
Climbing Mt Fuji: four trails, two rulebooks
Four trails reach the summit, under two rulebooks. The one you reach from Tokyo shuts at 4,000 climbers a day; the other three demand a briefing first.
CalendarSumo tickets: six tournaments, six sale dates
Six 15-day tournaments a year. Three sit in Tokyo. Each has its own sale date, and the gap between that sale and the first bout runs from 29 to 57 days.
CalendarHow to book hotels in Japan: when sales open
The costly mistake is reading an empty calendar as a full one. Inns open about 6 months out, train seats 1 month out, and nothing exists before that.
Which site to book on
Every site holds a different slice of Japan. We tell you which one holds what.
See who gives access to what →What a ryokan rate includes
It counts people rather than rooms, and dinner is nearly always inside 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.