VacationSage
The year at a glance
ExcellentGoodFairPoor Click a month to compare destinations.
The short answer
Go in May, October. The least comfortable stretch is December–March, July–August.
- Warmest month: August, average high 33°C (91°F).
- Coolest month: January, average high 9°C (48°F), lows near 1°C (34°F).
- Wettest month: July, about 204 mm (8.0 in) of rain.
- Driest month: December, about 73 mm (2.9 in).
Quick facts
- Currency
- Yen
- Language
- Japanese
- Plugs
- Type A, Type B
- Drives on the
- left
- Calling code
- +81
- Airports
- Osaka International Airport (ITM)
Kobe Airport (UKB) - Population
- 1,448,964
Temperature and rain through the year
Average highAverage lowRain (mm, right axis)
Top sights in Kyoto
- Kiyomizu-dera Buddhist temple in Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto
- Kinkaku-ji Temple Zen Buddhist temple in Kyoto, Japan
- Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto World Heritage Site
- Fushimi Inari-taisha Shinto shrines in Kyoto, Japan
- Kyoto Imperial Palace former imperial palace
- Ginkaku-ji Temple temple in Sakyo ward of Kyoto, Japan
- Enryaku-ji Temple Buddhist temple in Shiga Prefecture, Japan
- Ryōan-ji Temple temple in Kyoto, Japan
Ranked by how widely each place is covered across Wikipedia's language editions, a rough measure of fame rather than a recommendation.
UNESCO World Heritage nearby
- Kyoto Prefecture
- Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto
- Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara
- Buddhist Monuments in the Hōryū-ji Area
- Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group: Mounded Tombs of Ancient Japan
Travel advisories
United States
Level 1 Exercise Normal Precautions
Read the full advisory at travel.state.gov
Checked 2026-11-02.
United Kingdom
No FCDO warning against travel to any part of Japan.
Latest change (2026-10-07): Addition of information about flooding and heavy rain ('Safety and security' page).
Checked 2026-11-02.
Recent earthquakes nearby
Magnitude 4.5 or more in the past 30 days, shallow and within 200 km, or magnitude 6 or more within 300 km. Source: USGS, checked 2026-11-02.
- M6 2026-10-31, 58 km SSE of Shima, Japan (173 km from Kyoto, 352 km deep)
Advisories are summarised from official sources and can change quickly; always read the source before you travel.
Month by month
| Month | Score | High | Low | Rain | Cloud | Dew point | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1.1 Poor | 9°C 48°F | 1°C 34°F | 82 mm 3.2 in | 33% | 0°C32°F dry | 9.9 h |
| February | 1.8 Poor | 10°C 49°F | 1°C 35°F | 74 mm 2.9 in | 36% | 0°C32°F dry | 10.7 h |
| March | 3.3 Poor | 14°C 56°F | 4°C 39°F | 114 mm 4.5 in | 42% | 2°C35°F dry | 11.7 h |
| April | 6.5 Good | 19°C 67°F | 9°C 48°F | 131 mm 5.2 in | 42% | 5°C42°F dry | 12.9 h |
| May | 7.7 Good | 24°C 76°F | 14°C 57°F | 142 mm 5.6 in | 47% | 12°C54°F comfortable | 13.8 h |
| June | 6.5 Good | 27°C 81°F | 19°C 66°F | 190 mm 7.5 in | 57% | 17°C62°F sticky | 14.3 h |
| July | 3.7 Poor | 31°C 88°F | 23°C 74°F | 204 mm 8.0 in | 49% | 21°C70°F oppressive | 14.1 h |
| August | 4.1 Poor | 33°C 91°F | 24°C 75°F | 138 mm 5.4 in | 36% | 22°C71°F oppressive | 13.3 h |
| September | 6.4 Fair | 28°C 83°F | 20°C 68°F | 185 mm 7.3 in | 40% | 18°C65°F muggy | 12.2 h |
| October | 7.8 Good | 23°C 73°F | 14°C 57°F | 151 mm 5.9 in | 35% | 12°C54°F comfortable | 11.1 h |
| November | 6.2 Fair | 17°C 63°F | 8°C 46°F | 79 mm 3.1 in | 32% | 7°C45°F dry | 10.1 h |
| December | 2.8 Poor | 11°C 52°F | 3°C 38°F | 73 mm 2.9 in | 29% | 2°C35°F dry | 9.7 h |
Public holidays in the next 12 months
Holidays can mean closures, festivals and busier transport. National public holidays for Japan; school holidays are not included.
- November 2026
- 文化の日
- 勤労感謝の日
- January 2027
- 元日
- 成人の日
- February 2027
- 建国記念の日
- 天皇誕生日
- March 2027
- 春分の日
- 振替休日
- April 2027
- 昭和の日
- May 2027
- 憲法記念日
- みどりの日
- こどもの日
- July 2027
- 海の日
- August 2027
- 山の日
- September 2027
- 敬老の日
- 秋分の日
- October 2027
- スポーツの日
More in Asia & Pacific
Temperature, rain and dew point are 1991–2020 averages from a ~4 km climate grid; cloud cover is a 1981–2010 average. Recent years run warmer in most places, and a single trip can differ a lot. How this is calculated.