July is a month of two halves. The first half is the tail end of the rainy season, with rain in Tokyo on a third of days and heavy downpours in Kyushu; then, around 19 July, the rainy season ends and summer arrives at full strength. Tokyo averages a high of 29.9°C (86°F) and a low of 22.4°C, 30°C days come on 53% of July days, and Kyoto records 35°C on one day in five.
This guide covers 58 years of Japan Meteorological Agency data for 12 cities, the big summer festivals (Gion Matsuri, Tenjin Matsuri, the first fireworks), how to cope with the heat, and a tool to check the odds for your travel dates.
- Tokyo: high 29.9°C (86°F), low 22.4°C (72°F), sunny days 34%, rain days 33%, 30°C days 53%, snow days 0%
- Coldest of the 12 cities: Sapporo (high 25.4°C (78°F)); warmest: Kyoto (high 32.0°C (90°F))
- Wettest: Sendai (rain on 41% of days); driest: Sapporo (24%)
- Verdict: The rainy season ends around 19 July and then it is hot and humid with festivals (Gion Matsuri, fireworks).
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 July 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.
July 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 | 25 / 18°C 78°F / 64°F | 24% | 40% | 91mm | 12% | – |
| Sendai | 27 / 20°C 80°F / 68°F | 41% | 27% | 178mm | 23% | – |
| Kanazawa | 30 / 23°C 85°F / 73°F | 40% | 39% | 233mm | 51% | 35°C+ 4% |
| Tokyo | 30 / 22°C 86°F / 72°F | 33% | 34% | 156mm | 53% | 35°C+ 5% |
| Chiba (Tokyo Disney Resort) | 29 / 23°C 85°F / 73°F | 29% | 33% | 137mm | 45% | tropical nights 23% |
| Nagoya | 31 / 24°C 89°F / 74°F | 39% | 38% | 211mm | 64% | 35°C+ 14% |
| Kyoto | 32 / 24°C 90°F / 74°F | 38% | 35% | 224mm | 71% | 35°C+ 21% |
| Osaka | 32 / 25°C 89°F / 76°F | 32% | 42% | 174mm | 73% | 35°C+ 12% |
| Hiroshima | 31 / 24°C 88°F / 75°F | 33% | 42% | 280mm | 60% | 35°C+ 5% |
| Fukuoka | 31 / 25°C 88°F / 76°F | 35% | 42% | 299mm | 67% | 35°C+ 7% |
| Nagasaki | 30 / 24°C 87°F / 76°F | 35% | 45% | 293mm | 58% | tropical nights 44% |
| Naha (Okinawa) | 32 / 27°C 89°F / 81°F | 31% | 66% | 188mm | 89% | tropical nights 90% |
Hokkaido and Tohoku (Sapporo, Sendai)
Sapporo is a pleasant 25°C with no tropical nights; Furano lavender peaks. Sapporo 25.4°C (78°F) / 17.9°C (64°F), rain 24%, sunny 40%; Sendai 26.6°C (80°F) / 20.2°C (68°F), rain 41%, sunny 27%.
Sea of Japan coast (Kanazawa)
Kanazawa’s rainy season ends around 23 July, later than the Pacific side. Kanazawa 29.5°C (85°F) / 22.9°C (73°F), rain 40%, sunny 39%.
Tokyo, Nagoya, Kyoto and Osaka
Rainy season ends around 19 July and full summer heat follows; Kyoto is the hottest. Tokyo 29.9°C (86°F) / 22.4°C (72°F), rain 33%, sunny 34%; Kyoto 32.0°C (90°F) / 23.6°C (74°F), rain 38%, sunny 35%; Osaka 31.8°C (89°F) / 24.6°C (76°F), rain 32%, sunny 42%.
Western Japan and the south (Hiroshima, Fukuoka, Nagasaki, Okinawa)
Kyushu gets the heaviest rain of the year in early July; Okinawa is sunny, hot and at the start of typhoon season. Fukuoka 31.2°C (88°F) / 24.6°C (76°F), rain 35%, sunny 42%; Naha (Okinawa) 31.9°C (89°F) / 27.0°C (81°F), rain 31%, sunny 66%.
What July feels like, and why
The rainy season ends with a bang. The heaviest rain of the season often falls in early July as warm, wet air feeds the dying front; Kyushu (Fukuoka 299mm, Nagasaki 293mm) gets the worst of it and flooding happens somewhere in western Japan most years. When the Pacific high finally pushes the front away, the sky turns hazy blue and the temperature jumps five degrees in a week.
The heat is humid heat. Tokyo’s 30°C with 75% humidity feels like 35°C; Kyoto, in a basin with no sea breeze, is the hottest of the big cities with 35°C on 21% of days and tropical nights (a low above 25°C) on 26%. Osaka is close behind. Heatstroke warnings are common from mid July; read our summer heat guide for the coping strategies locals use.
Cool alternatives exist. Sapporo averages 25.4°C by day and 17.9°C at night with almost no tropical nights, and Hokkaido’s lavender fields peak in mid July. The mountains (Kamikochi, Nikko, Karuizawa) run five to eight degrees cooler than Tokyo. Okinawa is hot but breezy and at its sunniest, with typhoons beginning to appear.
What to pack for Japan in July
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 | Early summer | short sleeves by day, a light long sleeve for evenings | folding umbrella |
| Tokyo | Early summer | short sleeves by day, a light long sleeve for evenings | folding umbrella |
| Kyoto | Full summer | light, breathable clothes, a hat, sunscreen and a thin layer for over-chilled trains and shops | umbrella essential |
| Fukuoka | Full summer | light, breathable clothes, a hat, sunscreen and a thin layer for over-chilled trains and shops | umbrella essential |
| Naha (Okinawa) | Full summer | light, breathable clothes, a hat, sunscreen and a thin layer for over-chilled trains and shops | folding umbrella |
- Do outdoor sightseeing before 10am and after 5pm; spend the middle of the day in museums, arcades and department stores.
- Drink more than you think you need; convenience stores sell oral rehydration drinks (Pocari Sweat, OS-1).
- Book a hotel with a pool or near a river if you are in Kyoto or Osaka; the nights do not cool down.
- If your dates fall in the first half of July, keep a rainy-day plan and check for heavy rain warnings in Kyushu.
Events and seasonal highlights in July
- Gion Matsuri (all July, parades 17 and 24 July) in Kyoto: the float parades happen in 33°C heat.
- Tenjin Matsuri (24 to 25 July) in Osaka with a river procession and fireworks.
- Sumida River Fireworks (last Saturday of July) in Tokyo, about a million spectators.
- Mt Fuji climbing season opens 1 July (Yamanashi side) and 10 July (Shizuoka side).
- Furano lavender peaks mid to late July; Hakata Gion Yamakasa in Fukuoka ends 15 July at dawn.
- Sea Day (third Monday): beaches open nationwide.
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. July is highlighted.
How July 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, July ranks 11th of 12 for sunny days and 10th of 12 for fewest rain days. The previous month, June, averages a high of 26.1°C (79°F); the next, August, 31.3°C (88°F).
Once the Japan Meteorological Agency declares the rainy season over, the pattern flips within days to hot, hazy sunshine and afternoon thunderstorms. Heatstroke alerts are issued a day ahead; treat them like a weather warning.
Frequently asked questions
How cold or hot is Japan in July?
Tokyo averages a high of 29.9°C (86°F) and a low of 22.4°C (72°F) in July. Sapporo in the north averages 25.4°C (78°F) / 17.9°C (64°F), while Naha in Okinawa averages 31.9°C (89°F) / 27.0°C (81°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 July?
In Tokyo, 33% of July days get 1mm or more of rain (about 10 days), and 33% have a rainy weather log. Kyoto is at 38% of days and Naha at 31%. Sapporo records 24% of days with precipitation, much of it rain.
Is July a good month to visit Japan?
The rainy season ends around 19 July and then it is hot and humid with festivals (Gion Matsuri, fireworks). Fine if you plan around the heat; Hokkaido is the comfortable choice.
When does the rainy season end in July?
The average end is 19 July for Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka and Kyushu, 23 July for Hokuriku and 28 July for northern Tohoku. It varies by a week or two each year; the Japan Meteorological Agency announces it as it happens.
How hot is Kyoto in July?
The average high is 32°C (90°F) with 35°C reached on 21% of days and the humidity around 70%. It is regularly the hottest of Japan’s big cities. The Gion Matsuri parade on 17 July is famous for heat exhaustion cases.
Is July typhoon season?
It is the start of it. On average one or two typhoons approach Japan in July, mostly Okinawa and Kyushu. August and September are the peak; see our typhoon season guide.
- Tokyo averages 29.9°C (86°F) / 22.4°C (72°F); sunny on 34% of days, rain on 33%
- North to south range: Sapporo 25.4°C (78°F) to Naha 31.9°C (89°F)
- The rainy season ends around 19 July and then it is hot and humid with festivals (Gion Matsuri, fireworks).
- 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.