My family (h/w with 2 boys 19 and 17) just returned from 22 days. We were based in Kyoto first, then the Kii Pennensula, then Tokyo, then Nagoya for Sumo, finally in Osaka. Our oldest was in Kyoto for a month before we got there. Since I've been following this thread for a long time, I'll add a few observations. First, we had such a great time! We just loved Japan: the people, the food, the sites, all were incredible. It was hot, with many days around 90-100 F (37 C or so), with high humidity. Even in the hottest conditions, mornings and evenings were pretty pleasant. My wife and I would get moving quite early and meet the boys out when things started to open up (around 11:00 in most places, though earlier in Tokyo and Nagoya). We usually had one thing planned for the day, then the boys would go thrifting at places with Second Street and we'd cool off in the hotel. We'd always have an evening walk/dinner out as well. In terms of handling the weather, we found rain jackets to be almost useless. Umbrellas are ubiquitous and worked well for us. When it rained, you can't tell tell the sweat from the rain water anyway. I would have loved to have carried a spare dry shirt, but that would have necessitated a backpack. My wife and one son wore mostly Birkenstocks, sometimes with socks, and sometimes with socks in her purse. While we brought pants, we wore mostly shorts. We never felt uncomfortable. Indeed, we saw a ton of locals dressed much like us. Those little portable electrictronic fans are everwhere as well and are really effective, especially where the air is still like on the subway or in an arena. Body Glide worked really well to prevent chaffing. Crowds really weren't a problem, despite our fears from the news and other posts. We didn't have a choice on when to visit, and we have no regrets going when we did. We can't wait to go again. Cheers!
by tuscon666