Tokyo’s cherry trees bloom, on average, on 24 March. In 2027, Maundy Thursday falls on 25 March. Read those two dates again, because for anyone flying out of Manila they add up to the best trip of the year: Holy Week lands almost exactly on top of sakura season, and three days of leave can turn it into nine days in Japan.

That kind of timing is what this guide is about. Below is the best time to visit Japan, month by month, built on the Japan Meteorological Agency’s own 30-year averages for blossoms, autumn leaves, rain and temperature, plus the holiday calendars of both Japan and the Philippines and what fares from Manila actually did over the past year. It works for any traveller, wherever you fly from. The Filipino details (visa timing, long weekends, prices in pesos) are woven in where they change the plan.

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Quick answer: the best time to visit Japan

If you can only go once, go in late March to early April for cherry blossoms or late November to early December for autumn leaves. Both have mild weather (Tokyo averages a high of 14.2°C in March and 16.7°C in November) and both are busy for exactly that reason.

• Best for blossoms: last week of March to first week of April in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. Later in Tohoku and Hokkaido.
• Best for autumn colour: late November to early December in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. Late October in Sapporo.
• Best for snow: January and February in Hokkaido and the Japan Alps.
• Hardest months: June to mid-July (rainy season), August (heat,…

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