Hello! I am starting to plan our first ever trip to Japan, with the focus on Tokyo, with a detour to Ghibli Park near Nagoya.
For this first trip, we are hoping to find the time when the country isn’t completely inundated with tourists like ourselves. Based on my very preliminary and very limited research via guide books, it seems that November and February are some of the quieter months.
Based on your experience, is there a sweet spot to go? Or is it even not a huge concern and we shouldn’t worry about crowding? All we are hoping to do is not to come at the peak travel season and contribute even more to the problem (if such problem exists)
Thank you!
13 comments
November is/was peak season for autumn foliage. Now it is shifting towards end of November, early December. I suggest going mid January February.
You’re gonna want to choose February if you’re trying to avoid crowds. November is very much the second busiest time, besides cherry blossom season in the spring.
I literally just got back from Tokyo a few days ago, and there were crowds everywhere, especially if you plan on going to both the Disney parks. But then again, Tokyo is crowded all the time, especially in Shibuya. Almost all of the nearby towns that are modernized will have crowds (i.e. Ikebukuro, Shinjuku, Harajuku, Akihabara, Ueno), so you may just need to work your way through.
I would imagine February being a better time to go, but can’t say for sure as I always thought November was a good time (to my surprise this time).
Biggest advice is if you don’t want crowds just wake up earlier and the difference is massive. Also yes December and January, February are less crowded except for the new years week. But it does snow a lot in the mountains. Japan is a very crowded island so even places outside of the golden route will have many Japanese tourists but if you venture into the Northern or western region it is much more peaceful. Personally I like to go to Kanazawa a lot but i live here. A decent size city that isn’t too crowded.
Thing is, the difference between February and the more popular months is like 10% less. The low season si not so low.
Both will be busy, but different locations might be busier in February other more busy on November.
Also avoid Chinese New year.
Saturday, February 10th, 2024 and the following 7 days can be quite busy.
First Sunday in March is Tokyo marathon. Lots of people come the week prior (last week of Feb) for sightseeing.
Popular places with international tourists will be crowded year round. So the solution to avoid the crowds is to stay more off the beaten track. Plenty of great places that foreign tourists rarely go.
The school year in Japan begins in April; a few weeks thereafter, there the week-long Golden Week string of holidays; summer holidays last from the third week in July to about the first week in September. There’s another break for about two weeks around the new year holidays, and the school year ends in the third week in March. When there are no school holidays are when domestic tourism is at its least popular.
February and early March are good times in the Tokyo area, and September through November are not so bad. Expect, however, the number of tourists in the popular places (including Ghibli Park and, likely, whatever else you’ve heard of) to be high year round, at least until the yen strengthens against other currencies.
Went in the end of Feburary of this year, it was very cold but easy to manage by bundling up. We focused in Tokyo. We did luck out with a few cherry blossom trees and crowds were mild IMO. Prices were also low for hotels and flights. Just be prepared for the chill, and bring wind-proof outerwear.
Oct is pretty good, Halloween is off its head
I was in Japan the first half of November. Very crowded. especially in Kyoto.
Here’s a warning about January/February: When Chinese new year hits (CNY is never set, it floats around mid January to mid February every year, depends on Lunar Calendar), a lot of Chinese/Hong Kong/Taiwan people will travel to Japan, so it will get busy for sure, and hotel room will be booked out). Mid-November tends to be a better time, as the crowd tends to be a bit less compare to rest of the year, I literally just came back from Japan a week ago, and while Tokyo and Osaka is busy (shudder to think about Shinsaibashi), the more outside/suburb area (like Nara and Hakone) is not that busy. And depends on where you go, you might catch some of the fall foliage too (I caught some on my last day when I am at Ghibli Museum at Mitaka)