Best time to visit Japan for a honeymoon

Tracey
22 hours ago
5 min read

A couple walking up stone steps to a Japanese temple in autumn with colourful maple trees lining the path

So, you've chosen Japan as a destination for the most romantic trip of your life - good call! Having lived in Japan for several years, also as newly-weds, we've experienced every season there and know well what works for the perfect loved-up holiday. Here's our guide to getting the timing just right.

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Best time for a honeymoon in Japan

I'm going to emphasise here that you'll have an amazing trip at any time of the year - after all, you don't necessarily want to be scheduling your wedding just for the sake of your honeymoon. The best time of year to visit Japan also depends on what your interests are. But here are what I would say are the most honeymoon-compatible seasons:

Cherry-blossom season (end of March / beginning of April)

Yes, it's the most popular time of year for both international and domestic tourism in Japan but it is GORGEOUS, there's no denying it. And here's the thing: there's more than enough cherry blossom to go round, so it's easy to avoid the spots all of the other tourists swarm to (although you'll have to go to them too, because there's a reason they're so popular) and have yourselves a romantic stroll or a picnic under the sakura off the beaten path. The best tip I can give you here, though, is to book everything, absolutely everything, as far in advance as possible - from flights, to accommodation, to restaurants, to activities. It all gets booked up or at least very expensive far in advance.

I'm not going to dwell on the costs, because it's your honeymoon and you're probably ready to splurge a wee bit, right? But cherry-blossom season is by far the most expensive time to visit Japan, especially if you're doing the Golden Route of Tokyo-Osaka-Kyoto and Okinawa too.

Koyo (autumn colour) season (mid-November / early December)

I think this is my favourite time of year in Japan and, while sakura season is romantic in a cute, pink, fluffy kinda way, the autumn colour season is romantic in a grown-up, plaid-and-knits, hot cocoa sort of way. Spectacular scenery, usually very decent weather (few rainy days, cool but not freezing), and temples and shrines looking absolutely on fleek! Not gonna lie: koyo season is almost as popular as cherry-blossom season, but it lasts longer so crowds are thinned out a little more. Still, I would book accommodation in, or tours to, the koyo-hotspots as early as you can: places like Nikko, Hakone, Kamakura, Fuji Five-Lakes, Kyoto.

Winter (December - February)

Winter, in my opinion, is one of the most romantic times to be in Japan. In December/early January, you've got all of the seasonal illuminations everywhere, you've got snow-capped Mount Fuji, blue skies and little rain (for the most part) and the chance to enjoy onsen culture at it's very best, including those outdoor, snow-surrounded hot-spring baths. I would just avoid the Christmas / New Year week, if possible - Christmas in Japan is a bit of a downer if you're used to the Hallmark-type holiday (it's just a normal working day in Japan) and everything stops for New Year, including a lot of transport, a lot of shops/restaurants and very many facilities.

Bonus: this is one of the cheapest and least crowded times to visit Japan, too!

Worst times for a honeymoon in Japan

As I said above, there's no terrible season to visit Japan, and you'll be on your honeymoon, so it's going to be super anyway. But, if you can work around them, there are a couple of times of year that are not absolutely ideal:

Summer (July, August, most of September)

Let's get this one out of the way, since it's a big chunk of the year right there... and unfortunately peak wedding season in the northern hemisphere. Well, it's not awful, but I do have my problems recommending this time of the year, I have to be honest. First of all, the logistics: you've got Obon in mid-August, which sees the entire country travelling around and filling up every available Shinkansen and flight, and August is school summer holidays, too, so anything you can imagine yourself wanting to do in the summer - beaches, Okinawa, Disneyland, pools - is going to be jam-packed. Then, of course, there's the weather - it's mega-hot (35°C+ is not rare) and mega-humid every day without exception. I've heard Singaporeans complaining about the heat and humidity in Japan. If you're used to weather like this or are that rare species who actively enjoys it, then all power to you. But for the rest of us: you'll be eaten alive by mosquitoes, you'll be exhausted and dripping in sweat 10 minutes after leaving the delicious air-conditioning of your hotel room and, with your hair stuck to your head, your make-up sliding off your face and giant sweat patches all over your 'fit, the photos won't be your most flattering.

July, August and September are also peak typhoon season in Japan and your once-in-a-lifetime trip could be rained out or severely disrupted (transport was at a virtual standstill for several days this summer, 2026, for example, across the country from Okinawa to Tokyo).

On the upside, the summer atmosphere, with fireworks and matsuri, are lovely.

Rainy season (June, early July)

If we haven't put you off the summer months already anyway, just a heads-up about June. June is by far the wettest month as Japan's rainy season sets in - you can expect to see little sunshine and persistent drizzle if not absolute downpours. It's also really quite hot already at this time of year: not the sort of steamy you have imagined for your honeymoon. I have to admit a bit of a weakness for this time of the year, though: everything is peak-verdant and wonderfully atmospheric, and the tourist crowds dwindle to about as low as they get. Imagine yourselves wandering hand-in-hand around a misty, mountain shrine or temple with the hydrangeas in full bloom, bamboo groves almost luminously green, and you'll get the picture.

Golden Week (end of April / beginning of May)

This is the biggie everybody will warn you about. Golden Week is a week-long cluster of public holidays in Japan when everything is either super-crowded or potentially shut. It's not all bad because lots of special events are scheduled for Golden Week but at the very least you'll have to plan carefully and well in advance. If you are hitting Japan during Golden Week, reserve your seats on the Shinksansen or domestic flights as soon as you can.