Tokyo Autumn

May 18, 2004 5:01 AM

Can anyone give me some subjective or anecdotal information about the weather in Tokyo during autumn? [more inside...]

I'm planning a vacation to Tokyo this year, ideally during September or October. My personal preference is towards warm, dry weather - but apparently that might be hard to find in Japan during this period.

Days of Googling have left me overwhelmed and even more confused than when I started. It seems that the Japanese are even more obsessed with the weather than the English. Perhaps this is because Tokyo seems to suffer more rainfall than London.

June and July is apparently "rainy season", when from what I read it's either unbearably humid and muggy or it's raining.

September marks the start of "typhoon season" - though I haven't been able to discern whether this means it's more or less likely to rain than in June or July. Are typhoons likely to affect the weather in Tokyo?

October seems to be a little calmer, meteorologically speaking - but also cooler... and as stated I prefer the warmer temperatures. Can anyone make sense of this for me? Am I headed for tempest, storm and flood if I choose to visit Tokyo during the early autumn?

posted by skylar to travel & transportation (3 comments total)

When I went in October, it was unbearably humid. I walked around in tank tops despite the stares of everybody else, who were dressed in fall clothes. Over there, the season dictates what you wear, no matter what the temperature. And they all looked cool as a cucumber in their long sleeve suits while I was sweating like a hog.
posted by parrots at 7:57 AM on May 18, 2004

October is one of the best months to visit, weather-wise. Go for it. In late September around the equinox it should start cooling off from the hot and humid summer, but it certainly won't be cold; too hot will be more likely than too cold. Rainy season is indeed mid-June to mid-July, but this country is moss covered and never goes long without rain. Stones are an essential design material in Japanese gardens, and they only reveal their full personalities when wet. You should hope for rain at least once during your visit. As for typhoons, they are never likely, they are occasional; September-October is within typhoon season, but it's never something to plan around. We're expecting an out-of-season typhoon tomorrow, oddly enough.
posted by planetkyoto at 7:59 AM on May 18, 2004

Tokyo weather averages.

I'm heading over tomorrow. Looks like a lot of rain in the forecast.
posted by adamrice at 9:02 AM on May 18, 2004