Japanese people are proud of the fact that their country has four seasons. You might think: don’t all countries have four seasons? What they mean is that, unlike tropical countries where it’s warm year-round, Japan has four clearly distinct climates. Or rather: five. I’ll explain:

In spring, cherry blossoms (sakura) bloom across Japan. Viewing the blossoms – the annual springtime activity – often goes hand in hand with picnicking outdoors, as the weather is usually very pleasant (around 15–20°C). People spread plastic sheets under the trees, bring snacks and drinks, and make an afternoon or evening of it. This tradition is called hanami and coincides with the end of the Japanese school year. It symbolizes change, impermanence, and new beginnings. What also adds to this feeling is how short-lived the blossoms are: after about a week the petals already begin to fall, and within ten days everything is gone.

To track when the first blossoms open and when trees are in full bloom, forecasts are published – similar to a weather map, but for cherry blossoms. Sakura does not bloom everywhere at the same time. Blossoms appear first in the warmer south, followed by Tokyo around late March or early April, and only about a month later does the colder island of Hokkaido come into bloom. In short: if you missed the blossoms in one place, you might be able to travel after them. Japan also has many other types of blossoms, such as plum blossoms. There are even early-blooming cherry varieties, like those in Kawazu on the Izu Peninsula, where trees often start flowering as early as February.

During sakura season, Japan can be very busy. Hotel prices rise, and at famous blossom spots such as Ueno Park in Tokyo, Maruyama Park in Kyoto, or the cherry-lined walks along the Meguro River, it can feel overwhelmingly crowded. Fortunately, cherry trees grow almost everywhere. You don’t need to visit a famous spot to enjoy the blossoms. Nearly every local park has at least a few cherry trees, so my advice is simple: explore the city, and the blossoms will appear along the way.

Also in spring, roughly from late April to early May, there is Golden Week. This period consists of a series of national holidays that line up in such a way that many Japanese people – sometimes by taking just one extra day off, sometimes because their company simply closes – suddenly have more than a week off. The result: complete chaos.

During Golden Week, it is extremely busy everywhere. Many trains, including the Tokaidō Shinkansen, are fully booked days in advance and can only be used with a seat reservation. At airports, queues can easily last for hours. Theme parks such as Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea often reach maximum capacity during Golden Week; the parks may temporarily stop admitting visitors (and even if you do get in, it’s usually not very enjoyable). Hotels in popular tourist destinations are often sold out months in advance.

The one place where things tend to be relatively manageable is Tokyo itself. Many Japanese people actually leave the city during this period. Do keep in mind, however, that museums and attractions may have different opening hours, or may be closed altogether.

Golden Week falls slightly differently each year. If you want to know the exact dates, simply search for “Golden Week 20XX” for your travel year. After Golden Week, by the way, is an excellent time to travel. Schools have started again, there are no major holidays for a while, and many Japanese people hit their annual May slump – while you get to enjoy shorter lines and lower prices.

Before summer truly begins, there is an unofficial fifth season: tsuyu, or the plum rain season. This period runs from early June to mid-July, when it can rain heavily for days on end. Temperatures are already quite high by then, turning large parts of Japan into a humid, sticky mess. Typhoons occasionally pass through as well – on those days, staying indoors is usually the best option.

After tsuyu, it’s mostly about sweating. In July and August, temperatures in Tokyo are above 30°C almost every day, and on some days they climb close to 40°C. Humidity remains high, which means sweating does little to cool you down. Sadly, people die from heatstroke every summer, so the advice is simple: drink plenty of water, take breaks, and regularly seek out cooler places.

September is still warm, but evenings tend to be more comfortable. This can also be true in July and August if you’re in the right location: northern Japan and mountainous areas are often much cooler, with far more pleasant evening temperatures.

Summer in Japan is known for kakigori (the Japanese version of shaved ice), countless firework festivals, and matsuri – traditional festivals where people wear yukata and snack on food from small street stalls.

Autumn may well be the best season to visit Japan. Yes, you can still encounter the occasional typhoon, but the pleasant temperatures and spectacular autumn colours more than make up for it. The first snow appears on Mount Fuji, it gets dark around six o’clock, and once Halloween is over on November 1st, it’s suddenly Christmas – full-blown Christmas. So don’t be surprised if you find yourself sitting on a terrace in 22-degree weather, sipping a gingerbread latte with Mariah Carey playing in the background.

The autumn colours, known as kōyō in Japanese, are an attraction in their own right. From the forests around Nikko to temple gardens in Kyoto and the hiking trails of Mount Takao, this season is filled with reds, oranges and golds. Do keep in mind that popular spots can get very busy during this time.

In winter, temperatures in Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo usually range between 0 and 10°C, with crisp mornings and evenings. On Okinawa (often described as the Hawaii of Japan), the weather remains pleasantly spring-like, but in the Japanese Alps and on Hokkaido it gets truly cold. Temperatures of –5 to –15°C are entirely normal there, with snow that can remain on the ground for weeks. As a result, winter sports are a big deal in these regions.

Up until New Year’s Eve, Japan is wrapped in Christmas decorations, with some streets, buildings and shopping centres beautifully illuminated. During the first week of January, many shops, restaurants and businesses close for the New Year holidays. At the same time, Shinto shrines become extremely busy, as people head out en masse for their first shrine visit of the year, known as hatsumōde. On New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Night, trains and subways in many cities run all night long. This allows people to travel safely to and from shrines, and also to catch the first sunrise of the new year.

After the first few days of January, things quiet down again, and January and February are generally relaxed months to travel. These months are especially known for clear blue skies and good views of Mount Fuji. Occasionally, snow can also fall in Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo, but it usually doesn’t stay on the ground for long.

In a future blog post, I’ll tell you more about where to stay in Japan. Hotels or ryokan, busy neighbourhoods versus quieter areas – stay tuned for the next post!