When is the best time to visit Hokkaido…? While you might think that Japan is not a relatively huge country (it’s roughly the same size as the state of California), the truth is that Japan does surprisingly have vast seasonal changes throughout the regions!
From the subtropical weather of Okinawa up to the frigid temperatures of the North a.k.a. Hokkaido, Japan has a wide variety of climates throughout the seasons.
There are many blogs talking about the best time to visit Japan. However, not many of them take into account the climate differences around Japan. This is especially important for those wondering when is the best time to visit Hokkaido for specific seasonal viewings (such as Spring sakura blossoms, or Winter snowfall, etc). Relying on a ‘general Japan’ seasonal forecast means a high chance of making mistakes when choosing which dates you should come to Hokkaido.
Therefore, I will give you some tips about the best times for visiting our beautiful island in the north of Japan. Depending on your needs, what you want to see in particular, and your preferred temperature among other things. This information should definitely help you pick the right dates for your trip to Hokkaido.
First, let’s talk about what activities are particularly popular in Hokkaido during each of its four seasons
4 Seasons in Hokkaido
Hokkaido along with the rest of Japan is lucky enough to get an intense feel of each season with each of them being fully defined, as opposed to many countries.
With beautiful pink cherry blossoms and great lukewarm weather in Spring. Festivals and outdoor activities at the beach or nature amongst a warm but green Summer. A fresh Autumn where the trees and scenery change into a yellow-brownish ‘momiji’ (which by the way is worth experiencing as much as the cherry blossoms). And a Wintery wonderland where you can spice things up with some warm meals, snowboarding and skiing as you take on the frozen scenery.
Spring
Spring is a little delayed around here compared to the rest of Japan. While the lower & central parts of the country welcome spring around March, Hokkaido is still covered with snow and tourists skiing around this time! Mid-April is when Hokkaido’s spring season starts and around late April – early May is when the cherry blossoms start to bloom. Temperatures are mild, typically hovering around the 10s (°C).
During this season people start to get their BBQs ready and begin really enjoying the nature again with the warmer weather that spring offers. Although the weather now is definitely starting to warm up, I highly recommend that you still bring sweaters, or some warm clothes with you as spring weather can still be a little chilly in Hokkaido up until May.
Summer
Some might argue that in comparison to the rest of Japan, Hokkaido actually gets the best out of this season! Unlike the other prefectures, Hokkaido is on the cooler side. Which means that we skip out on some of that annoyingly hot and humid weather during Summer (if you have been to Japan around June through to August you will understand ;)). Our summer has usually mild temperatures and sunny weather. Which makes most days perfect to enjoy sightseeing without having to worry about the heat in a sweaty t-shirt all day.
The warmest months are July and August which are around 25- 26°C. So it’s still warm, but the Sapporo Beer Festival at Odori Park will have you nice and refreshed midday, or even in the evening after a long day! I would advise you to bring light clothes and to purchase an umbrella here in Hokkaido if there is the odd rainy day. Some of my most memorable experiences have been during summer, there’s just so much to do!
Talking about the summer, Hokkaido also avoids the infamous Japanese rainy season. While most of Japan gets hit by a month full of rain, Hokkaido mostly avoids it. This tends to hit Japan during June – July. Definitely, Hokkaido is your escape from the daily rain and humidity provoked from the rainy season!
Autumn
Autumn usually starts mid/late September. This is when the temperatures start to drop to around the low 20s, with an average low at about 14°C. The leaves turn into bright autumn colors and honestly, they deserve to be seen by more people – they are gorgeous. The different hues of Hokkaido during this season makes for arguably the most charming scenery for all outdoor adventures.
Temperature wise, weather here will quickly change – a steep drop to 5°C degrees can be expected! You may even see some snow as early as November. Just like spring, bring some warm clothes with you and definitely prepare for colder weather during the last parts of this season (this means nice warm jackets!)
Winter
As for Winter, Hokkaido will quickly go into winter mode starting December and lasting all the way up to March! Expect below 0°C temperatures from here on out and a drastic change of scenery (again..) as the streets get covered by a thick white cape of snow from the rain being replaced out by snow fall. Even the seas will freeze!
Hokkaido will retain most of that snow for the entire 4 months and with it many new possibilities open! Ski resorts, the famous Sapporo Snow Festival and other ice related ones across Hokkaido are held, and all of the red and yellowish nature freezes! Prepare well and bring your winter clothes, winter boots and gloves. Remember the more east you go the colder it will get!
In Short…
Hokkaido is perfect for people who prefer the cold and/or winter activities as the winter season lasts longer than the others. Nonetheless, for people who want to enjoy summer activities such as the Furano lavender flowers or outdoor summer adventures. But do not like hot weather (especially the overwhelming summer mugginess) Hokkaido offers a slightly cooler option for summer! Spring and Autumn are great times to come to Hokkaido, as the landscape is beautifully colored in the season of the time. But there aren’t such big crowds like there are in places like Tokyo (if you’ve tried to get shots at Meguro River during sakura blossoms, you’ll know what I mean!)
So take this as a reference when planning a visit to Hokkaido. Which season do you want to see? Do you mind cold or hot weather?
Make sure you check out some of our previous posts for the best activities to do during each season here in Hokkaido! I will leave some blog posts below, so make sure you check them out too.
Things To Keep In Mind…
Some factors may be important for your travel plans – the most common are usually about the weather or when special events are happening. So here is a quick summary of the facts that you should know about Hokkaido
Weather related:
- While the cherry blossom season starts in the main island of Honshu Mid-late March. The blooms in Hokkaido start almost a month later – late April – early May, plan accordingly!
- Unlike the lower parts of Japan, Spring in Hokkaido actually starts at the beginning of May
- During Spring, daytime will have nice weather but nights can be chilly – so bring another layer for the evenings!
- Unlike Honshu, Hokkaido won’t suffer from the rainy humid season in June (yay!)
- Avoid the humid & hot weather in Honshu by coming to Hokkaido during summer. You should expect to see some increased heat and humidity by late July/August, but a lot less than the rest of Japan.
- Lavenders are best seen in Hokkaido around Summer season!
- August is one of the most crowded times in Hokkaido due to the summer holidays (which are the longest holiday break in Japan)
- September is typhoon season in Japan. All of Japan gets affected by it but again compared to other parts of the country, Hokkaido is affected the least. But be aware of bullet train cancellations!
- October is the best time to see the autumn foliage in Hokkaido! Perfect for hiking, sightseeing and camping.
- Temperatures drop fast, especially in November!
- Winter weather lasts around 4 – 5 months in Hokkaido (Dec – Mar)
- Expect by Mid-December for the ski-resorts to start opening up until late March
Event related:
- Sapporo Snow Festival (a must see) is held in early February for about 2 weeks, but this isn’t the only winter festival to enjoy. Many other festivals across Hokkaido also open around February; Otaru Canal Snow Light Path and Lake Shikotsu Snow Festival to name a few more.
- Along with the Spring cherry blossoms, the Plum festival is a popular event in Hokkaido around late April – mid May!
- Summer is filled with great festivals in Japan, and Hokkaido is no exception! Sapporo Beer festival, Obon Festival (Buddhist ancestor veneration) will both happen around August.
- More festivals are held in Autumn as well! Food stalls and music in Odori Park at the Sapporo Autumn Festival is the most popular.
- Be careful with some of Japan’s busiest seasons: the holiday season (Golden Week, Silver Week), Obon season and New Year. Transport may be congested and bookings may be high, so plan in advance!
High season in Hokkaido:
Summer (June through to August) and Winter (December up until February) are Hokkaido’s busiest seasons. Summer is a popular time due to the nice weather and great nature. While winter attracts a lot of people wanting to see the winter wonderland that is Hokkaido.
Off-peak season:
Spring (March – May) and Autumn (September – October) is when you’ll see less people visiting. However, in all honesty these are some of the best seasons to see Japan. Expect moderate prices & less crowds whilst you enjoy some spectacular Hokkaido scenery.
Best Time to visit Hokkaido?
Let’s be real, there really is no clear answer… what will be the best time to visit Hokkaido will depend on what you’d like to see the most and for what purpose.
Hokkaido is one of those places that is honestly perfect to visit all year round. The biggest upsides compared to Honshu is the milder summer weather. It’s always going to be less crowded and it has stunning nature each season. There really is no ‘bad time’ to visit Hokkaido!
However, the purpose of this article is to let you know the best time to visit Hokkaido, right?
My personal recommendation would be – if you are looking for the cheapest times to come here I would say March up until June or September & October, which is are the quieter seasons up here.
Spring offers great fresh weather, the spring flowers start to bloom and sightseeing becomes more convenient. Another hidden gem is autumn! The changing colors of the leaves mark some seriously impressive Hokkaido scenery. With all of the nature spots to go to around here, the great weather, awesome festivals and just general autumn vibes, autumn (specifically those dates) are some of the best in the country!
For people who want to avoid the miserable summer heat, Hokkaido is easily your best spot to see Japan. The number of festivals and outdoor activities to do over summer enormous which makes it such a fun time!
Although I am not the biggest fan of skiing, if you are or want to try, Hokkaido is the Winter spot to visit in Japan. People who love winter most must go at least once – December to February is especially good!
In conclusion..
The best time to visit Hokkaido, in my opinion are the months of May and September-October, which is my recommendation for most people. But, if you must travel to Japan during summer then I would 100% say that summer in Hokkaido is the best. For winter lovers there is no other city in Japan that can top Hokkaido’s wintery wonderland in February… so there you go!
