What's on in Fukuoka, Japan through the year

Busy — Winter break (fuyuyasumi) in Japan, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in January.

Shoulder season — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in February.

Peak crowds — Cherry blossom, Spring break (haruyasumi) in Japan

• Hazard

  Yellow sand season

  1 Mar – 15 May · usuallyDust season

  Dust off the Asian mainland reaches Kyushu first and the worst days leave a film on parked cars. It is forecast like pollen, and it overlaps exactly with the weeks you would want to be outside. Source ↗

• Nature

  Cherry blossom

  18 Mar – 5 Apr · usuallyCrowded

  Fukuoka is usually among the first big cities the front reaches. Maizuru Park inside the castle walls is lit at night and the peak rarely lasts a week.

Peak crowds — Cherry blossom, Spring break (haruyasumi) in Japan

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Yellow sand season (1 Mar – 15 May (usually)), Cherry blossom (18 Mar – 5 Apr (usually))

Peak crowds — Hakata Dontaku, Golden Week in Japan

• Festival

  Hakata Dontaku

  3–4 MayMajor festivalCrowdedBook early

  Two million people over two days in the middle of Golden Week. Anyone can join the parade down Meiji-dori clapping rice scoops, which is the point of it. Source ↗

Still on: Yellow sand season (1 Mar – 15 May (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

• Season

  Tsuyu, the rain front

  5 Jun – 20 Jul · usuallyMonsoonRisk

  Northern Kyushu takes the heaviest of the rainy season and the inland valleys are where the warnings land. In the city it is mostly humidity and a wet afternoon rather than a washout.

Peak crowds — Hakata Gion Yamakasa, Summer break (natsuyasumi) in Japan

• Festival

  Hakata Gion Yamakasa

  1–15 JulMajor festivalCrowded

  Decorated floats stand around the centre for two weeks, then teams race one-tonne versions through the streets from 4:59am on the 15th. Be in place by four or you will see nothing. Source ↗

Still on: Tsuyu, the rain front (5 Jun – 20 Jul (usually))

Busy — Summer break (natsuyasumi) in Japan, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Hazard

  Typhoon season

  1 Aug – 30 Sep · usuallyClosures

  Kyushu sits in the path more often than anywhere else on the main islands. A direct hit stops the shinkansen and the ferries to Korea for a day, and the forecast is worth watching from a week out. Source ↗

Quiet — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Typhoon season (1 Aug – 30 Sep (usually))

Busy — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in October.

Busy — one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in November.

Busy — Winter break (fuyuyasumi) in Japan, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in December.