Japan in September
Still hot, with public holidays clustered around the autumn equinox in mid-September. Wait for the last week. The wettest month in Tokyo, in the middle of typhoon season.
Temperature
28°C (82°F) / 20°C (68°F)
in Tokyo, afternoon and night
Crowds
very busy
across the cities we track (checked Oct 16)
Ryokan booking
not open yet
traditional inns · from Feb 27
Japan weather in September, north to south
| City | Afternoon / night | Rain or snow |
|---|---|---|
| Sapporo north (Hokkaido) | 23°C (73°F) / 15°C (59°F) | about average 142 mm, one day in 3 |
| Tokyo central (Kanto) | 28°C (82°F) / 20°C (68°F) | very wet 225 mm, one day in 3 |
| Kyoto central (Kansai) | 29°C (84°F) / 21°C (70°F) | very wet 179 mm, one day in 3 |
| Osaka central (Kansai) | 30°C (86°F) / 22°C (72°F) | very wet 153 mm, one day in 3 |
| Naha far south (Okinawa) | 31°C (88°F) / 26°C (79°F) | very wet 275 mm, one day in 3 |
August and September are the two months when typhoons come closest to Japan: 3.3 on average, against 0.8 in June. See “The rain comes in two waves” in the month-by-month overview
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
61%
Price range per night
per night, two people
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The dates in September
September 2027 has 2 public holidays and one date when something is happening, and the nights before those holidays are the most expensive of the month: ryokan charge their Saturday rate for them.
September sumo tournament (Aki-basho), Tokyo
Fifteen days at the Ryogoku Kokugikan. Tickets go a month ahead, the weekend dates first.
Tokyo fills up
Public holiday: Respect for the Aged Day
Often joined to the autumn equinox to make a break of several days.
everything fills up
Public holiday: Autumnal Equinox Day
As in spring, many Japanese visit the family grave on this day.
everything fills up
quiet
nothing to plan around
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 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 September
What is the weather like in September?
In Tokyo, 28°C (82°F) in the afternoon and 20°C (68°F) at night on average, while at the same moment Sapporo sits at 23°C (73°F) and Naha at 31°C (88°F). August and September are the two months when typhoons come closest to Japan: 3.3 on average, against 0.8 in June.
Is September 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.
Is September still summer?
It is, and it is the wettest month in Tokyo, at the peak of typhoon season. Aim for the last week, once the equinox has passed.
Going further
Calendar
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.
Calendar
How to book hotels in Japan: when sales open
The costly mistake is reading an empty calendar as a full one.
Calendar
Sumo 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.
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.