Tokyo hava durumu: ay ay

Tokyo is classified as lying in the humid subtropical climate zone and has five distinct seasons. * Spring kicks off with plum blossoms in late February, followed by the famous cherry blossoms (sakura) in March–April. Parks, most famously Ueno, fill up with blue tarps and sozzled salarymen. * Rainy season (baiu or tsuyu) in late May to June means a month of overcast skies and drizzle punctuated with downpours, with temperatures in the twenties. * Summer really kicks off in July, with clear skies and brutal steam bath humidity. Daytime maximums tend to average around 31°C with some days around 34°C or higher, but the humidity can make those temperatures feel like 34°C and 41°C, respectively. Overnight lows average around 25°C with some nights at 27°C or higher, but even those temperatures given the humidity can feel like 26°C and 31°C. A short walk outside will leave you drenched in sweat, so this is probably the worst time of year to visit, and is best avoided if you have a choice.…

A resident's description of a typical January day is the most useful thing on the thread: "the day would start very cold around 0°C, but the continuing sunshine could warm the air up to 10°C" — and if it's cloudy instead, "the temperature would stay around 5°C the whole day." So the sun does the work. What surprises people expecting a grey northern winter is how clear it is: dry air, "no snow and no rain, and even no clouds," completely blue skies. Snow is the exception, not the rule — "it usually won't snow apart from 1–2 exceptional days in January and February" — and rain "can happen, but not often." Wind is described as mild. Long sleeves, a sweater and a coat cover it. Our record agrees on the shape: 8.5°C days, 0.3°C nights, only 6.4 rain days and 7.6 hours of sun.

Tokyo-forum threads on February weather describe a month that's genuinely cold but reliably clear - sunny, dry, 'brisk' days rather than the grey damp of a European winter. The packing advice is thorough: a proper coat, thermal base layers, gloves and a scarf for outside, but posters are equally insistent that trains and indoor spaces run heated to the point of overheating, so the layers need to come off easily rather than staying zipped up all day. The payoff for the cold is lower crowds than any other season. The record: 11.6C days feeling like 8C, 2C nights, 48mm of rain across 7.1 days, 3.8cm of snowfall and 8.4 hours of sun - genuinely cold, with enough rain and a little snow mixed through the month's clear stretches.

Late March is my pick: blossom in Meguro and Ueno, 15°C, dry and clear. Early March is still properly cold in the wind. Note that the score doesn't know about hay fever season — cedar pollen is brutal here if you're susceptible.

Tokyo's April threads are mostly one question — will I still catch the blossom? The forum's answer: the standard Somei-yoshino peak usually runs about 25 March to 2 April, takes six or seven days to reach full bloom from opening, and lasts roughly a week once there, less if it rains or blows. Arrive mid-April and you have probably missed the main event, though Shinjuku Gyoen's later varieties carry on into May and Kawaguchi-ko, higher and cooler, tends to peak mid-month. The weather itself is mild — highs around 17°C — but wet on roughly a third of days, which is exactly what cuts a bloom short.

Tokyo-forum threads on Golden Week (the run of holidays through early May) make a distinction worth knowing: Tokyoites leave the city for the break, so ordinary neighbourhoods and trains actually get quieter even as sightseeing spots and shopping districts fill with domestic travellers. Regulars steer visitors toward the second half of the month instead, once the holiday clears, for the same pleasant weather with thinner crowds. May's record: 24.1C days, 14.9C nights, 128mm of rain across nearly twelve days, 8.7 hours of sun and an AQI of 75 - warm and humid enough to read as early summer, not spring.

Tokyo's forum is blunt about July: early in the month it's still rainy season, humid and overcast, with the rains usually breaking around mid-month into properly hot, intensely humid weather — mid-30s°C with the urban heat island making it feel hotter. Regulars' standard advice is frequent stops at convenience stores to rehydrate and ducking into air-conditioned buildings whenever possible.

Tokyo-forum threads asking if August really is that hot get a consistent yes, posters comparing the combination of heat and humidity to Houston or Dallas at their peak, occasionally worse. A long, steady multi-day soak is called rare unless a typhoon happens to track nearby - the more typical pattern is a sudden, heavy afternoon squall once the air turns oppressively muggy, clearing within an hour or so. The Obon holiday falls mid-month, when many businesses close and inter-city trains get noticeably more crowded. Regulars recommend planning around the worst midday heat - museums, department stores and shaded shrine grounds over long outdoor stretches - and treating frequent convenience-store stops for cold drinks as a genuine survival strategy. The record: 32.1C days feeling like a punishing 37C, 24.6C nights, 116mm across 11.6 days, an 28.8C sea, 80 percent humidity and 9.9 hours of sun.

September looks decent and is a gamble: the first half is still summer humidity, and typhoon season peaks now. I've had a perfect week and I've had two days indoors watching trains cancel. Late September is safer than early.

Forum posters consistently rate October as one of the best months to visit Japan, with average Tokyo temperatures around 17C - not too hot, not too cold. Posters describe early October as sometimes still a bit warm, cooling further as the month progresses, with short sleeves comfortable by day and a jacket or sweater needed once temperatures drop at night. Posters generally describe October and November as reliably dry with great weather, though they flag a real caveat: lingering typhoon risk means rainfall totals can vary a lot from year to year even in this generally favorable stretch. Posters consistently note October isn't Tokyo's busiest tourist season, a real bonus alongside the comfortable weather.

Tokyo's November threads are unanimous about timing: the autumn colour arrives mid-to-late month, and the first week or so has hardly any unless you head up to Nikkō. The weather cooperates — highs near 17°C, not especially wet, and a sweater or light jacket enough by day, with something warmer wanted once lows drop toward 9°C in the evening. Peak foliage shifts by a few days each year, so the standing advice is to check that season's reports rather than book on averages.