Worst Times to Visit Tokyo

Everyone should visit Tokyo if they have the chance. There's just so much to do, and so much to see, and so much to experience. That being said, there are definitely a few times of the year we'd give visiting Tokyo a hard pass. Golden Week is when the whole country takes about a week off starting from April 29th to celebrate a string of holidays like Children's Day. And then every train, museum, and park becomes a battle royale. It can be an agoraphobic nightmare. To make matters worse, hotels will often hike up their prices around this time too. Hey, did you know Japan has four seasons? Or wait, maybe it was five. Eh, let's just say 27. Late May and early June heralds the beginning of tsuyu, or plum rains, a torrentially rainy season that stretches on most of the month. The upside to being perpetually wet and having to dodge umbrellas all day if you're tall is that a lot of places are practically devoid of crowds. If you love the idea of Japanese matsuri, wearing yukata, and watching fireworks, then summer in Japan is probably right up your alley. If you hate sweating, humidity, and tropical heat, then summer is probably not the season for you. It's a lot like walking through miso soup, made worse on the trains where people press their moist flesh together like a can of sardines. Hey, but at least all the salarymen will be dressed for cool biz, right? Yeah, it's still really hot in September. You'll still be experiencing sweat, humidity, and tropical heat, only now you get to mix in a couple of typhoons for fun. Early to mid-winter in Tokyo is kind of great. It's not really that cold yet, and the rare snowfall can be part of the experience. The mistake lies in visiting Tokyo during New Year's, when everyone, including the government, shuts down and bounces Tokyo for about a week to visit family and watch TV. Not only is travel intense, but everything from attractions, stores, restaurants, banks, and even ATMs are shut down until about January 4th. Hey, if you like what you just watched, subscribe to our channel for more videos like them. And if you'd like to learn about the best and cheapest times to visit Tokyo, don't forget to visit tokyocheapo.com.