Погода: Хиросима, февраль

Regulars are consistent that snow itself is genuinely unlikely here, even in the back half of the month, but the cold still arrives regardless - the standard advice is to pack properly warm layers rather than count on a mild version of the month. Our row backs that cool, still-snow-light read, 12.3C over 4.2C nights feeling 1C, with 58.7mm of rain across 9.6 days and a trace of snow, 4.2cm, matching regulars' sense that it happens but isn't the norm. Regulars are specific this month runs a degree or two colder at night than nearby Osaka, worth noting for anyone comparing the two on the same itinerary. The sea sits at a cool 15C. The record: humidity 75 percent, 6.9 hours of sun, a 14.2 kph wind and AQI 44.

Asked whether mid-March is busy for the blossom here, regulars answer that it is too early even this far south - the city usually peaks in the first week of April, and the island across the water, being warmer, runs slightly ahead of it. March is still winter weather: our row reads 15.7C by day feeling 13C, 6.2C nights feeling 4C, with 113.7mm of rain across 11.5 days and 1.8cm still in the snow column. The blossom date moves with the season's warmth and a storm at peak can end it early, so the year's forecast is the only planning tool. The record: humidity 73 percent, 8.5 hours of sun, an 11.6C sea and AQI 62.

Regulars aiming at the Miyajima colour name a five-day window, the 13th to the 17th of November, while saying outright that nobody can predict the peak - one visitor on the 24th found it well past. Autumn is the island's busiest season for exactly this reason, and they suggest staying overnight rather than day-tripping. On weather they are warm about the month: often sunny, dry and crisp, with a light jacket wanted on the ferry and at the end of the day. Our row agrees at 18.6C days over 9.5C nights feeling like 7C, with 60.3mm across only 6.5 days. The record: humidity 77 percent, 7.9 hours of sun, a 19.4C sea and AQI 41.

May in Hiroshima sits in the gap between Golden Week and the rains: the tsuyu does not reach cities like this one until about 7 to 10 June, and the weeks from around 10 May onwards are the ones regulars name as the best of the year. Warm to hot, and changeable - their description is three days of sun then a day or two of rain, with late May delivering some perfect days, a few hot and humid ones and one or more wet. Our row carries 147.8mm across 9.6 precipitation days, which is heavy rain concentrated rather than constant drizzle. Pack across the range: short sleeves to light jacket, waterproof shoes and a folding umbrella. The record: 24.6C days that feel like 26C, 15.5C nights and an 18.4C sea.