Going to Tokyo in the summer. Is this itinerary doable with the heat?

33 comments

1. I’ve been all over japan these past two weeks, and it’s been quite hot. It’s also been very rainy complete with shinkoshen cancellations today due to excessive rain.

   Drink water. Do your thing. It’s just heat.

2. The heat is a state of mind, you gotta make peace with it and embrace it lol.

   Traveling in Japan, if I can I’ll pop back to hotel late afternoon and shower before dinner and evening sightseeing, really helps.

3. We went during the deadly heat wave in July 2018. Drink a lot of water. Carry an umbrella during the day. Eat snacks— onigiri from Lawsons/Family Mart/ 7/11 are perfect. Don’t push yourself too hard. For the days where you have a lot going on in different places, figure out whatever outdoor thing you are OK with skipping so you know what to drop if you need to rest.

4. I’m also going soon! End of august! I’ve been in July as well. It was hot but I survive! Let me know if you’ll be there in august and maybe we could say hi!

5. The heat is pretty unbearable to me living here but just try to take it easy and get rest and stay hydrated! I personally wouldn’t schedule out your travel so much to the minute and hour, but if that’s how you want to do things then go ahead.

6. Currently here, the heat literally has me sweating buckets as a foreigner. My best tip is to don’t let your hopes up, expect things to not go exactly the way you’ve planned (sometimes you can find something cooler or take that time to rest, you’ll be very tired with all the walking around + the excessive heat) and to give yourself at least an extra 20-30 mins of alot of (uhhhs???) and getting spun around because you’re trying to figure out where to get to your next spot.

7. Something you may know but is worth mentioning – Japan doesn’t really open for business til at least 10 am in terms of service businesses. So if you plan to eat or visit somewhere with admittance gates, it’s pretty likely that nothing will be open til 10 or 11. Some businesses are open at 9 am but those are the early risers. However, nearly all convini’s are open 24 hrs.

   For example, right next to asakusua station there’s a Denny’s and two Starbucks – none were open at 8 am on a Sunday morning. Very surprising for someone from the states 😂

8. The thing I found the most difficult about the Tokyo heat is that you’re generally in between a bunch of big buildings that reflect the heat and block the wind. So you’re hot from the sun but also from the heat radiating from the concrete and sweating doesn’t do much good because there is no breeze.

   Use a parasol and have a breathable hat. A fan of some kind is great – I saw lots of people with traditional fans but also those personal electric ones.

   And Pocari Sweat from the vending machines is your friend. It’s kinda gross but will hydrate you very effectively

9. I went last month (June) when the heat was picking up. Buy loose-fitting cotton clothes from Uniqlo (Airism line is legit), buy/bring a handheld fan with a power bank to recharge, and drink lots of water!

10. If you’re from Manilla, it’ll be less hot and humid in most of Japan so you’ll be fine.

11. Having been to Japan twice and about to go a 3rd time (in Aug). I’m going to honestly say the large glaring part (to me), is that you are staying in Shinjuku, and going everywhere else. Especially the Day to Disney (exact opposite side of Tokyo).
    I have personally stayed IN Sunshine City on the back half of my first trip and I found myself with a lot of traveling away to everywhere else I wanted to be. I felt the same way when I stayed in Shinjuku my second trip. Yes, there are fun things to do there (Shinjuku Area), but you can travel to THAT end of town and stay on the other.

    Looking at your Itinerary PERSONALLY… I would humbly suggest staying somewhere around the Akihabara/Kanda Area (this is what I will be doing in Aug), OR between Shimbashi Station. & Hamamatsuchō Station Area. Try to make sure that you have NO MORE than a 10 min walk from your hotel to the nearest station on the Yamamoto line.

12. coming from Manilla i don’t think the heat will be a major problem unless you spend all your time inside under the air con… main thought is your giving your self no time to just relax n recoup your energy, being out all day on your feet can get exhausting,

13. If you’re from Manila, Tokyo should be roughly comparable in terms of heat and humidity, give or take a couple of degrees and percentage points of humidity.

    Basically, just take the same sort of precautions as you would when walking around back home, and you should be fine.

14. It looks doable to me as long as you ensure enough sleep. The heat will make u tired.

15. I’m in Japan right now with my wife and I have to be honest, we had to cut so much out of our plans due to heat and humidity. Constantly running back to the hotel to change out of sweaty clothes. You can definitely do it but try to stay hydrated and cool. Also I’m hoping you already bought tickets to ghibli, if not they are one of the hardest ticks to get. We tried the website right when they opened the line and there were already 8000 people ahead of us. Good luck on your travels!

16. Even in May we had some tough days with 30 degrees and lots of humidity. The heat really wears you out. Hydrate with electrolyse drinks instead of water. You will feel much better because of the replenishment of the salts which you will lose by sweating. I recommend Pocari sweat or cc lemon, but there are many other electrolyte drinks available from the vending machines.
    Wear loosely fitted clothes with breathable natural materials. And an umbrella is a must!

17. Personal opinion…stay away from any “long” outdoor activities such as Disney. I just got back last week, and the heat was oppressive for me. It wasn’t even so much the heat as the humidity. I was taking 3 showers a day, and lost a lot of time going back to the hotel.

    Depends on your heat threshold though…I probably won’t visit in the summer again though, for what it’s worth.

18. Drink water, a lot of water. Try to go into air conditioned buildings as much as possible. You’re doing a lot, so be willing to be flexible, you may have to ditch some plans. Disney is going to be hot between rides and the queues are often outside. Just take it at a measured pace and stay safe.

    I thought my family and I were built for this heat, Florida is hotter and more humid, but even we’ve wilted in it. It’s hot-hot right now. My daughter got dehydrated at Disney then started to have a fever 24-hours later. Turns out, the dehydration led to a UTI and we ended up in Minato at an English speaking clinic. Great way to spend your vacation, let me tell you….

    The complications from this heat are many fold and can really fuck up your trip. Take it slow and if you can’t do it, don’t do it and take some time to relax and recharge.

19. Here currently, FYI we spent about 3.5 hours getting out of Narita, going through customs and getting train tickets. If you are buying bullet train tickets at the airport, make sure you go to the ticket counter (not the vending machines) around the corner. Or you will end up waiting in another long line.

20. I’m going to be slightly different from others and say that I just came back from Japan last Tuesday after spending 2.5 weeks there and though it was hot, it wasn’t nearly as hot as I expected it to be. I thought it was going to be like Singapore, Thailand, or Vietnam and that just wasn’t the case for me. It was still hot, I was still sweaty, but I don’t know. It just didn’t feel hellish like Southeast Asia.

    I did 2 days of Disneyland and DisneySea as well as an entire day of Universal Studios in Osaka. I thought it was fine and perfectly doable, although it did rain in Osaka that day but we had an umbrella it was fine.

    Anyhow, if we needed any escape from the heat, we always ducked into a random convenience store and walked around for 15 minutes or so. We always brought water with us and it was fine.

21. Ugh Tokyo heat is something else. If you’re doing Disneyland, make sure you wear good shoes, hat, sunscreen, and a water fan/spritzer.

22. They sell neck cooling devices you can wear. Helps drop the temps. Also many other portable ice packs.

    I second that you need to be careful. Just had my first round of heat sickness and lost five days while recovering in the AC. Be careful and exercise caution.

23. Is the heat in Tokyo similar to Seoul? I am leaving for Tokyo this week, just came back from Seoul – heat was doable. Also from the Philippines where the humidity wrecks me lol

24. You should be going to disney sea, not disneyland. I love disneyland, but it’s almost a carbon copy of the one in anaheim.

    I spend 4 days at tokyo disney btw 2.5 DS, 1.5 DL

25. If you’re a sipper, that is, you buy a drink and take a sip from it now and then, change your habit. You slam that bottle and in about 30 min to an hour later, get another one and slam it too. If you’ve ever been truly dehydrated, you know you’re NOT coming back from it with a some rest and some fluid, or even a lot of fluid. Better not take the chance. There’s nothing more stupid than being dehydrated while holding a water bottle, so don’t take that chance. There’s vending machines and conbini everywhere. You’re much more likely to stop by and get a bottle if you slammed your last bottle. If you have a half a bottle left, you may already be on your way to dehydration and still think you don’t have to get a bottle because you have a half a bottle left. Drink, drink, drink. They teach you that in survival class; drink your water and don’t ration it. True, you’re not going to die of dehydration in middle of Tokyo, but you can get dehydrated if you don’t stay ahead of the curve, and that’s going to ruin your trip.

26. Wondering how much walking you’re used to since it will be compounded by the heat radiating off the pavement and through the still, moist air.

    Since there are no dates as far as I can see, maybe schedule going to some of the more crowded places for weekdays? Not sure how much of a difference that would make but you definitely don’t want to be at a theme park on a Sunday or a national holiday.

    As for an electrolyte drink, I prefer the Salt & Lychee one which seems to be seasonal to summer. If you have trouble finding ice packs, throw a few bottles in the freezer and carry those around during the day. Unlike frozen tea (also sold at conbini), they melt into a nice drinkable slush.

27. I love Japan in October, it was very similar to the Bay Area for me. I always recommend visiting in the fall to avoid that heat and be a lot more comfortable

28. I’m in Japan rn and there was a heat stroke warning or something today which warned people to be extra careful but it’s really not that bad this year. You should definetly have a handkerchief to wipe your sweat cause your probably gonna sweat a lot

29. Yes but you’ll be covered in sweat all day

30. I think most of you are transport times are a bit long. Probably could cut most of them in half.

    I want to second what other poster said about most stores are not open until 10:00 a.m. finding non convenience store breakfast can be especially hard. Do some research beforehand in the areas you want to go to find breakfast place or if you’re on the cheap by bento supermarket.

    I think you might do yourself a favor and rewrite the times in a 24-hour style, or at least add a.m. and p.m. I was quite confused with your Disney plan of 1 hour at Disney.

    Umbrella for shade at Disney wouldn’t be a terrible idea. You are going to be standing outside in long lines in the hot sun and you will appreciate a little bit of personal shade.

    Make sure to get tickets for all these things that you want to go to because they often sell out Way in advance.

    Hope you have a wonderful time

31. I just spent two weeks here in Tokyo and leaving today. I was in Manila for 4 weeks prior.

    The heat was tolerable coming from Manila. It is slightly less humid and the evenings get cooler. There’s been some rain so pack a small umbrella, especially if you’re carrying a camera

    Your schedule is really planned out and that’s great, but don’t expect to hit the mark all the time.

    You might also know this, but you can’t just turn up to the Ghibli museum and walk in. Tickets go on sale once a month for the following month so I hope you have tickets!

    Drink a lot of pocari sweat and water! Carry some snacks too. You WILL be walking a lot in Japan!

    Enjoy!

32. Summertime is my least favorite time to go to Japan. I’ve been there in October twice…IMHO the best time of year to go. I’d love to go for Cherry Blossom season and winter time. I would never go June, July, or August.

33. currently here in the July heat — we had a much more packed itinerary and was able to complete it! just take it easy on yourself, drink lots of water, purchase a fan and take lots of rest 🙂