Avoid Crowds, Study Zen, Travel in June
8 Ways to Avoid Crowds in Japan
Takeshita-dori in Tokyo. Danny Choo photo
The pre-covid crowds are back in Japan, but you can easily avoid them. Here are my top tips for avoiding crowds in Japan:
Avoid the busy months of March/April and October/November.
Consider September, February, May and June.
Don’t pick up your Japan Rail Pass at the airport (wait until you get to the city).
Go to ticket offices or machines early or late in the day.
Use a prepaid IC card for local transport and purchases.
Stay in quieter neighborhoods.
Ride the Kodama shinkansen for shorter trips.
Avoid the “big” sights.
For all the details, check out my new article on InsideKyoto: How to Avoid Lines and Crowds in Japan.
Learn Zen Meditation and Enjoy a Tea Ceremony at Daitoku-ji Temple in Kyoto
Monk Seizan Toda teaching zazen meditation at Daitoku-ji Temple
If you’d like to try zazen, the Zen Buddhist meditation practice, and also sample an authentic tea ceremony, I highly recommend the experience offered by Wabunka. I wrote a full report of the Daitoku-ji Zazen/Tea Ceremony Experience on InsideKyoto.
Want to Save Money? Consider June in Japan
Gio-ji Temple moss garden in Arashiyama, Kyoto
When people hear the words “rainy season” they tend to think of something like the south Asian monsoon. In practice, Japan’s rainy season is a period of unsettled weather that runs from mid-June to mid-July. It does rain more than normal during this season, but it doesn’t rain every day. I’ve spent about 20 rainy seasons in Japan and some years you wouldn’t notice it at all, while in others it rains a fair bit. One nice thing is that the cloud cover keeps the temperatures down so it’s much more comfortable than the steamy summer weather that runs from mid-July into early September. In rainy season, high temperatures in Kyoto and Tokyo average around 27C or 80F.
Some guidebooks warn against traveling during the rainy season and some travel agents and tour companies don’t even sell tours during this time. However, travel is perfectly possible during June and early July. And, because so many people stay away, you can get some amazing deals on airfares and hotels/ryokan. And best of all, you can enjoy Japan without the crowds. Just carry a small folding umbrella in your pack and have a Plan B for each day of sightseeing - if it’s raining, do some shopping, visit a museum, enjoy a tea ceremony, or take a cooking class. Odds are, it won’t rain all day and you can still do some outdoor exploring on most days of your trip.