April is the month most visitors picture when they imagine Japan: cherry blossoms in the first week, mild days (Tokyo high 19.4°C / 67°F), long light and fresh green everywhere. It is also a wetter month than people expect, with rain in Tokyo on one day in three, and the start of Golden Week at the end of the month brings the year’s heaviest domestic travel.
Here is 58 years of Japan Meteorological Agency data for 12 cities, the blossom calendar from Kyushu to Hokkaido, what to pack for cool mornings and warm afternoons, and a tool to check the weather odds on your dates.
- Tokyo: high 19.4°C (67°F), low 9.8°C (50°F), sunny days 48%, rain days 33%, 30°C days 0%, snow days 0%
- Coldest of the 12 cities: Sapporo (high 11.7°C (53°F)); warmest: Naha (Okinawa) (high 24.3°C (76°F))
- Wettest: Kanazawa (rain on 39% of days); driest: Sendai (26%)
- Verdict: One of the two best months of the year: cherry blossoms in the first week, mild temperatures and long days.
Check the weather odds for your exact dates (58 years of records)
Choose a city, a date and a window, and the tool counts every April day since 1968 at that weather station: how often it was sunny, how often it rained or snowed, how often it hit 30°C, and what the last dozen years actually looked like. It is the same data set the rest of this page is built on, narrowed to your itinerary.
April weather in 12 Japanese cities
Japan stretches 3,000km from Hokkaido to Okinawa, so a single national figure means little. The table runs north to south. “Sunny days” is the share of days whose daytime weather log starts with clear or sunny; “rain days” is days with 1mm or more.
| City | High / low | Rain days (1mm+) | Sunny days | Rainfall | 30°C+ days | Also |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sapporo | 12 / 3°C 53°F / 38°F | 30% | 45% | 55mm | 0% | snow 14% |
| Sendai | 16 / 6°C 60°F / 43°F | 26% | 52% | 90mm | 0% | – |
| Kanazawa | 17 / 8°C 63°F / 47°F | 39% | 49% | 144mm | 0% | – |
| Tokyo | 19 / 10°C 67°F / 50°F | 33% | 48% | 134mm | 0% | – |
| Chiba (Tokyo Disney Resort) | 19 / 11°C 66°F / 51°F | 32% | 44% | 110mm | 0% | – |
| Nagoya | 20 / 10°C 68°F / 49°F | 33% | 52% | 128mm | 0% | – |
| Kyoto | 20 / 9°C 68°F / 49°F | 33% | 49% | 117mm | 0% | – |
| Osaka | 20 / 11°C 68°F / 52°F | 32% | 50% | 102mm | 0% | – |
| Hiroshima | 20 / 10°C 68°F / 50°F | 31% | 51% | 141mm | 0% | – |
| Fukuoka | 20 / 12°C 68°F / 53°F | 32% | 49% | 118mm | 0% | – |
| Nagasaki | 20 / 12°C 68°F / 53°F | 33% | 50% | 153mm | 0% | – |
| Naha (Okinawa) | 24 / 19°C 76°F / 66°F | 34% | 39% | 161mm | 0% | – |
Hokkaido and Tohoku (Sapporo, Sendai)
Sapporo is cool at 12°C with blossoms only at the very end of the month; Sendai peaks around 13 April. Sapporo 11.7°C (53°F) / 3.4°C (38°F), rain 30%, sunny 45%; Sendai 15.5°C (60°F) / 6.3°C (43°F), rain 26%, sunny 52%.
Sea of Japan coast (Kanazawa)
Kanazawa is mild and at its sunniest, with blossoms around 9 April. Kanazawa 17.3°C (63°F) / 8.2°C (47°F), rain 39%, sunny 49%.
Tokyo, Nagoya, Kyoto and Osaka
Blossoms peak in the first week from Tokyo to Osaka; afternoons reach 20°C. Tokyo 19.4°C (67°F) / 9.8°C (50°F), rain 33%, sunny 48%; Kyoto 20.1°C (68°F) / 9.2°C (49°F), rain 33%, sunny 49%; Osaka 19.9°C (68°F) / 10.9°C (52°F), rain 32%, sunny 50%.
Western Japan and the south (Hiroshima, Fukuoka, Nagasaki, Okinawa)
Fukuoka and Nagasaki are warm and green; Okinawa is 24°C with the beach season on. Fukuoka 19.9°C (68°F) / 11.5°C (53°F), rain 32%, sunny 49%; Naha (Okinawa) 24.3°C (76°F) / 19.1°C (66°F), rain 34%, sunny 39%.
What April feels like, and why
Spring highs bring the sunshine, spring lows bring the rain. Migrating high-pressure systems dominate April and give the classic blue-sky blossom days, but a stalled front to the south can produce a run of grey, showery days known as natane-zuyu. Rainfall in Tokyo is 134mm, more than double January, and the humidity starts to climb.
A 10-degree day. Tokyo’s average low is 9.8°C and the high 19.4°C, so mornings need a jacket and afternoons do not. Kyoto swings more: 9.2°C to 20.1°C. The UV index jumps to summer levels by the end of the month even though it does not feel hot, and sunburn catches out a lot of visitors.
Blossoms move north through the month. Tokyo and Kyoto peak in the first week, the Tohoku cities (Sendai 13 April, Hirosaki late April) follow, and Sapporo opens around 1 May. Meanwhile Okinawa is already summer-like at 24°C with sea temperatures rising, and Hokkaido is finally free of snow in the lowlands.
What to pack for Japan in April
The rule of thumb: dress for Tokyo’s average low in the morning and its average high in the afternoon, then adjust north or south. Indoor spaces are heated hard in winter and cooled hard in summer, so removable layers matter in every month.
| City | Feels like | What to wear | Rain gear |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sapporo | Chilly | a coat and sweater, scarf on windy days | folding umbrella |
| Tokyo | Cool | a jacket or light coat, a sweater for mornings and evenings | folding umbrella |
| Kyoto | Mild | long sleeves or a T-shirt with a light jacket; evenings need the jacket | folding umbrella |
| Fukuoka | Cool | a jacket or light coat, a sweater for mornings and evenings | folding umbrella |
| Naha (Okinawa) | Mild | long sleeves or a T-shirt with a light jacket; evenings need the jacket | folding umbrella |
- Carry a light jacket even on warm days; evenings drop to 10°C.
- If your trip overlaps Golden Week, book every train and hotel now and expect Kyoto to be at capacity.
- Sunscreen from April: the UV index is the same as August.
- Hay fever eases in Tokyo by mid April but cypress pollen continues.
Events and seasonal highlights in April
- Cherry blossom peak: Tokyo 31 March, Kyoto 4 April, Kanazawa 9 April, Sendai 13 April, Hirosaki late April, Sapporo early May.
- Takayama Spring Festival (14 to 15 April) and Miyako Odori in Kyoto (all month).
- Golden Week begins 29 April (Showa Day); through 5 May trains and hotels are at their busiest and most expensive.
- Wisteria and azaleas (late April): Ashikaga Flower Park, Kawachi Fuji-en in Kitakyushu.
- Fuji Shibazakura (mid April to late May): pink moss phlox with Mt Fuji behind.
- Okinawa: beach season is fully open; Naha averages 24°C.
Compare any two cities, month by month
Pick two of the 12 cities to see their highs, lows, rain days, sunny days, hot days and snow days side by side for the whole year. April is highlighted.
How April compares with the rest of the year in Tokyo
| Month | Tokyo high / low | Rain days | Sunny days | 30°C+ days | Snow days | Rainfall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 10 / 1°C | 14% | 70% | 0% | 6% | 60mm |
| February | 11 / 2°C | 20% | 61% | 0% | 10% | 57mm |
| March | 14 / 5°C | 29% | 51% | 0% | 3% | 116mm |
| April | 19 / 10°C | 33% | 48% | 0% | 0% | 134mm |
| May | 24 / 15°C | 32% | 43% | 1% | 0% | 140mm |
| June | 26 / 18°C | 39% | 27% | 11% | 0% | 168mm |
| July | 30 / 22°C | 33% | 34% | 53% | 0% | 156mm |
| August | 31 / 24°C | 27% | 46% | 73% | 0% | 155mm |
| September | 28 / 20°C | 37% | 35% | 27% | 0% | 225mm |
| October | 22 / 15°C | 32% | 43% | 1% | 0% | 235mm |
| November | 17 / 9°C | 22% | 55% | 0% | 0% | 96mm |
| December | 12 / 4°C | 15% | 67% | 0% | 1% | 58mm |
In Tokyo, April ranks 6th of 12 for sunny days and 9th of 12 for fewest rain days. The previous month, March, averages a high of 14.2°C (58°F); the next, May, 23.6°C (74°F).
April’s reliable pattern is high pressure every three or four days. Cherry blossom petals fall fastest in rain and wind, so the perfect viewing day is the first clear day after a front; the second-best is the one before it.
Frequently asked questions
How cold or hot is Japan in April?
Tokyo averages a high of 19.4°C (67°F) and a low of 9.8°C (50°F) in April. Sapporo in the north averages 11.7°C (53°F) / 3.4°C (38°F), while Naha in Okinawa averages 24.3°C (76°F) / 19.1°C (66°F). Kyoto and Osaka run a degree or two warmer than Tokyo in summer and slightly colder on winter mornings.
Does it rain a lot in Japan in April?
In Tokyo, 33% of April days get 1mm or more of rain (about 10 days), and 33% have a rainy weather log. Kyoto is at 33% of days and Naha at 34%. Sapporo records 30% of days with precipitation, much of it rain.
Is April a good month to visit Japan?
One of the two best months of the year: cherry blossoms in the first week, mild temperatures and long days. Book early, and avoid the start of Golden Week (29 April onwards) if you dislike crowds.
Can I still see cherry blossoms in April?
In the first week in Tokyo and Kyoto (peak 31 March to 4 April), in mid April in Sendai and Kanazawa, in late April in Hirosaki and Hakodate, and in early May in Sapporo. The petals fall about a week after full bloom.
What is Golden Week and should I avoid it?
A cluster of national holidays from 29 April to 5 May when most of Japan travels. Weather is usually fine, but expect full trains, doubled hotel rates and long queues. If you can, arrive after 6 May.
How warm is Japan in April?
Tokyo averages 19°C by day and 10°C at night; Osaka 20°C / 11°C; Fukuoka 20°C / 12°C; Sapporo 12°C / 3°C; Naha 24°C / 19°C.
- Tokyo averages 19.4°C (67°F) / 9.8°C (50°F); sunny on 48% of days, rain on 33%
- North to south range: Sapporo 11.7°C (53°F) to Naha 24.3°C (76°F)
- One of the two best months of the year: cherry blossoms in the first week, mild temperatures and long days.
- Use the date tool above to check the odds for your own dates
Sources: Japan Meteorological Agency climatological normals (1991 to 2020) for temperatures, precipitation and sunshine; JMA daily observations 1968 to 2025 (58 years) compiled by this site for the share of sunny, rainy, snowy, hot and cold days. Written by a certified Japanese weather forecaster (気象予報士). Percentages are the share of days in the month; a 30 percent rain-day figure means roughly 9 days a month.