Published on March 31, 2018
Last updated on January 20, 2025

Weather in Kyoto

It's important to know the climate if you would like to travel comfortably.

Here’s basic climate and temperature information of Kyoto.

January

In January, the average lowest temperature is 1.2℃ and the average highest temperature 8.9℃. During the new year’s celebration (January 1st to 3rd), many Japanese people visit shrines to wish for a good New Year and it can get quite crowded. But it’s a good opportunity to experience Japanese style New Year’s celebration. Some shrines offer sake or sweet sake (called Amazake, but usually non-alcohol). It may snow a little in Kyoto. If there is snow on the ground, you can enjoy a different view of Kyoto. The temples and shrines look different when they are covered with snow.

February

In February, the average lowest temperature is 1.4℃ and the average highest temperature 9.7℃. It’s still cold, so you should dress warmly. The weather is similar to January. It’s dry and cold. You should bring gloves for walking around the town.

March

In March, the average lowest temperature is 4.0℃ and the average highest temperature 13.4℃. It starts getting warm. It’s a nice season to travel. It’s not hot and humid. But it can get chilly in the morning and at night. There is a big difference in temperature between day and night. So, you should wear some layers and take off one layer when you feel warm. In early-March, you can enjoy plum blossom whose color is pink, and you can enjoy the coming of spring.

April 

In April, the average lowest temperature is 9℃ and the average highest temperature is 19.9℃, so you should bring a jacket. It's cold in the morning and at night. It’s recommended that you go to Kyoto especially in the first week of April because you can enjoy cherry blossoms, Sakura. Kyoto used to be the old capital of Japan, so you can find cherry trees everywhere you go.

May 

In May, the average lowest temperature is 14℃ and the average highest temperature is 24.6℃. It can get hot during the daytime walking around. Short sleeves might be a good idea when you walk around the city, but you should bring a cardigan or some kind of a light jacket because it can get cold at night in May. May is also a pleasant time to travel because it's dry and not humid. However, in early-May (from May 3^rd to 5^th), everybody takes a vacation due to a national holiday called Golden Week, so it can get really crowded at some sites.

June

In June, the average lowest temperature is 18.8℃ and the average highest temperature is 27.8℃. It starts getting humid and from mid-June to mid-July, it's a rainy season in Japan, so it rains a lot. The best way to travel in Kyoto is to walk around the town, so it's not so pleasant to walk around when it rains heavily. However, the number of tourist decreases around this time of the year, so maybe it’s good to travel if you prefer less crowd. During June, you can enjoy hydrangea flower which looks stunning with temples.

July

In July, the average lowest temperature is 23.2℃ and the average highest temperature is 31.5℃. It can get hot and humid. The rainy season continues until the mid-July, so it rains a lot. However, when it’s sunny, it’s not as hot and humid as August, so it’s not bad for traveling.

August

In August, the average lowest temperature is 24.3℃ and the average highest temperature is it 33.3℃. It's quite hot and humid, so you may want to bring a sunshade umbrella and a towel. It’s recommended to drink a lot of water not to get dehydrated in this humid and hot weather. The downside of mid-August is in Japan everybody takes a vacation during the obon period which is usually from August 12th to 15^th. So many people travel around this time of the year. The popular sites can get really crowded.

September

In September, the average lowest temperature is 20.3℃ and the average highest temperature is 28.8℃. It can get hot, but it’s not extremely hot and less humid, so it may be a nice time to travel. But September is a typhoon season, so it can be really rainy and windy when a typhoon is near or reaching.

October

In October, the average lowest temperature is 13.6℃ and the average highest temperature 22.9℃. It’s very comfortable to travel because it's not humid anymore. It's dry and not too hot, not too cold. However, it’s still in the typhoon season. So, it can rain heavily when a typhoon gets closer.

November

In November, the average lowest temperature is 7.8℃ and the average highest temperature 17.0℃. The temperature can drop less than 10℃. It’s recommended to bring a jacket or light coat, especially at night. From mid-November, you can enjoy autumn leaves. The leaves change their colors to red. It’s amazing to see the beauty of colorful gradation from green, yellow to red. Japanese people love autumn leaves, “Koyo,” so it will be crowded everywhere in Kyoto.

December

In December, the average lowest temperature is 3.2℃ and the average highest temperature 11.6℃. You need a warm coat for walking around the town. In most of the temples, you need to take off your shoes, and the windows are open. So, you need to dress warmly for visiting temples. If you are spending the New Year’s Eve in Kyoto, you should go to a temple to ring the bell when it turns to January 1st.

In each season, Kyoto has a different face of its beauty. For sure, you can enjoy traveling in Kyoto any time of the year. If you have visited Kyoto before, it’s recommended to go to Kyoto in a different season.

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