Most people think Japan has four seasons. They’re wrong. In a country celebrated for its four distinct seasons, Japan adds a fifth, lesser-known season that bridges spring and summer: tsuyu, the rainy season. Nobody talks about it on travel blogs. Nobody posts it on their itinerary. Honestly, that’s exactly why you should go.
I traveled through Kyoto during tsuyu, and I came back a different kind of traveler. What I found wasn’t rain-ruined plans. It was a city that breathes differently when the tourists thin out, when the air smells like wet moss and ancient cedar, and when you can actually hear yourself think inside a thousand-year-old temple. Be prepared to rethink everything you assumed about “bad” travel weather.
What Tsuyu Actually Is – Japan’s Most Misunderstood Season
In early summer, most parts of Japan are visited by a rainy season called tsuyu, literally meaning “plum rain,” because it coincides with the season of plums ripening. It sounds poetic. It is poetic. It is caused by the collision of cold northerly and warm southerly air masses, which results in a relatively stable bad weather front over the Japanese archipelago.
Japan’s rainy season comes to most of Japan from early June to mid-July. The heaviest rain typically hits central Japan at the end of June. Rainfall usually comes occasionally and rarely lasts a full day, so you can still have wonderful experiences in between the rain if you prepare well with a flexible itinerary.
Here’s the thing most travel guides forget to mention: it doesn’t rain non-stop. Even in June, the month of water, the sun still shines for about 15 days. That’s half the month. Think about that next time someone tells you to skip Kyoto in June.
The Crowd Problem Kyoto Can’t Escape – Except in June
Let’s be real. Kyoto has a serious crowd problem. Overtourism in Kyoto is a controversial topic, and that’s because no city has been as impacted by Japan’s rising tourism numbers. Crowds are colossal during peak seasons and holidays, top temples are packed, buses are bursting, and areas are impassable due to congestion.
The number of foreign visitors to Kyoto hit 10.88 million in 2024, setting a new record. In total, Kyoto welcomed 56.06 million visitors, the second highest on record after 2015, according to data published by city government. That’s not a destination anymore. That’s a human traffic jam.
According to Mastercard’s report, overcrowding is most pronounced in four places: Kyoto, Tokyo, Osaka, and Okinawa. In April 2024, Kyoto had the highest proportion of foreign guests, with 68% compared to Tokyo’s 36%. June changes the math entirely. Since June falls between the cherry blossom season and the summer holidays, iconic sites such as Fushimi Inari in Kyoto tend to be less crowded.
Fewer People, Same Magic – The Case for Rainy Season Temple Visits
If you don’t mind braving the rain, tsuyu is the perfect time to do some sightseeing. Popular places like Fushimi Inari Taisha in Kyoto are a lot less crowded than usual. I’ve been to Fushimi Inari at peak season. It looked like a queue for an amusement park ride. In June, it looks like something out of a Miyazaki film.
Due to the bad weather, the rainy season is not considered the most suitable season for visiting Japan compared to other times of the year, even though it can have its advantages. For example, travel activity is rather low during June, which clears many popular outdoor attractions of the many visitors that are usually present. Furthermore, some sights can be particularly attractive in rain, especially some temples, gardens, and hot springs.
Rainfall can make your trip more atmospheric: listen to the pitter-patter of rain as you partake in a tea ceremony or taste an elaborate kaiseki feast. With few crowds, you could slow down and appreciate Kyoto’s iconic temples and shrines in peace. That sentence deserves to be on every Japan travel poster, honestly.
The Hydrangea Season Nobody Warned You About
Forget cherry blossoms for a moment. Tsuyu’s silver lining is undoubtedly the spectacular blossoms of hydrangeas that paint Japan in shades of blue, purple, and pink during this season. These flowers thrive in the humid conditions, creating stunning displays in gardens and temples across the country.
Kyoto is famous for its colorful ajisai or hydrangea season, which is in full bloom from June to July. Many shrines and temples in Kyoto hold special viewing sessions for visitors to give them an opportunity to enjoy the floral displays and experience the local culture and cuisine. In June, the Mimuroto-ji Temple, popularly known as the Temple of Flowers, opens up its breathtakingly beautiful gardens with almost 20,000 hydrangeas of more than 50 varieties to visitors.
Perched on the western mountains of Kyoto, Yoshimine-dera blends dramatic landscape with over 8,000 blooming hydrangea bushes. Unlike flat gardens, this hillside temple offers unique angles – look up at the flowers from the steps below, or gaze down from elevated walkways for sweeping views. Rain makes those petals shimmer. Sunny days cannot compete.
What the Weather Actually Feels Like in Kyoto During Tsuyu
June is Kyoto’s rainy season and marks the beginning of summer. Daytime temperatures rise above 25°C (77°F), and it feels warm and a bit sweaty. Most days are cloudy with light showers, so it can feel a bit sticky, especially in the afternoons.
Temperatures can be warm, often ranging from 22 to 30 degrees Celsius. Rain can vary from light drizzle to heavy downpours. It’s not uncommon for it to rain for several days, but it rarely rains continuously all day long. There will often be breaks in the rain.
During this period, the humidity increases until it reaches its summer level. Count on a humidity level that can go beyond 70%. Pack light, breathable clothes, a sturdy umbrella, and mentally prepare for frizzy hair. That’s honestly most of it.
The Hidden Bonus: Kyoto’s Moss Gardens Come Alive
I’m going to make a bold claim here: Kyoto’s moss gardens are more beautiful in the rain than they are on a clear spring day. Think of it like the difference between looking at a painting under fluorescent lights versus natural soft light. The rain is the natural soft light.
Raindrops also mean seas of blue hydrangeas in full bloom, Kyoto’s moss gardens glistening like emerald carpets, and temples and shrines that feel blissfully uncrowded compared to peak travel months. The countryside and temple gardens explode into vibrant shades of emerald, especially Kyoto’s moss gardens, which glisten beautifully in the damp weather.
In Kyoto, with its many temples that coexist with mountains and forests and beautifully maintained gardens, you can feel the vibrant beauty of nature everywhere, which becomes even more alive when touched by the rain. That’s not marketing copy. That’s just what it looks like.
Festivals and Culture That Only Happen in June
Held at the Fushimi Inari Taisha shrine on June 10th, the Taue-sai is a traditional festival closely tied to rice cultivation. Fujinomori Shrine in southern Kyoto hosts an Ajisai Matsuri (Hydrangea Festival) and holds a month-long special opening of its two hydrangea gardens from the beginning of June.
At the Taue Festival, Miko (female shrine attendants) perform dances praying for abundant harvests, dressed in formal attire from the Heian court that lasted approximately 400 years from the 8th century. Then, led by women called Saotome, participants enter the shrine’s rice paddies in traditional work attire and perform rice planting by hand. The elegant dances accompanied by rhythmic rice planting create a scene reminiscent of a Japanese historical film, offering a deeply meaningful experience.
The Nagoshi no Harae, the Purification Ritual of Summer’s Passing, allows people to cleanse themselves of misdeeds committed in the first half of the year and to pray for the latter half yet to come. You won’t find this in your standard spring travel itinerary.
Hotel Prices Drop – And That Changes Everything
Here’s something the travel industry quietly knows but rarely talks about loudly. Tsuyu falls right between Golden Week and the summer high season for inbound tourism. This means hotels are often in a bit of a low point in terms of bookings.
Come tsuyu, the spike in domestic tourism from Golden Week is over and few Japanese will be traveling. Given the summer high season has yet to kick off, you can snag a hotel room for a fraction of what you’d pay otherwise. This is the kind of fact that makes a significant real-world difference when you’re booking a ryokan in Higashiyama versus paying peak-season rates.
With fewer international visitors, airfare and hotels often come at friendlier prices compared to peak cherry blossom or autumn foliage seasons. You get more value for your yen, leaving extra budget for sushi splurges or souvenir shopping. Honestly, that freed-up budget is a reason on its own.
Indoor Kyoto Is Deeply Underrated
Rainy days are not wasted days in Kyoto. There’s a whole indoor city waiting. Rain in Kyoto brings a dreamy, reflective mood to its old streets and wooden machiya houses. There’s no better time to slow down and enjoy a warm bowl of matcha in a teahouse or explore indoor food markets.
While in Kyoto, you can learn and try some ancient techniques from the Samurai and Ninja Museum, or enter the manga world at the Kyoto International Manga Museum. Traditional teahouses offer the tranquility of a Japanese tea ceremony while raindrops create natural music on temple roofs. It’s one of those rare situations where bad weather is actually part of the experience, not a disruption to it.
The rainy season is the best time to admire Kyoto’s gardens when they’re full of lush greenery. Think of it like this: you’re not settling for a consolation prize. You’re accessing a version of Kyoto that most visitors will simply never see.
Practical Tips for Traveling Kyoto in the Rain
Bring a sturdy umbrella or equip yourself with the many rainwear options filling the 100-yen shop during this time. That alone solves about 80 percent of the practical problems people worry about.
One of the top travel tips for Japan is to bring a pair of comfortable, broken-in shoes. For the rainy season, it is better to pack two pairs to be able to change if one gets wet. Pack only light summer clothes that are preferably quicker to dry. Beyond clothing, timing your outdoor visits matters enormously. June is much wetter than July or August, so be prepared for humid and rainy days. Early June is usually sunny, but both temperature and rainfall start to climb from mid-month.
Thanks to the constant moisture, gardens, rice fields, and even city parks become unbelievably lush and green. It’s actually pretty stunning. Go early in the morning to famous sites, save the afternoon for teahouses and museums, and let the rain set the rhythm.
Conclusion: The Kyoto Tourists Leave Behind
Kyoto in the rain is not a compromise. It is a completely different city, one that rewards patience and curiosity over crowd-following instincts. The temples are quieter. The gardens are greener. The prices are lower. While Kyoto is famous for its cherry blossoms in spring and vibrant foliage in autumn, those seasons also bring heavy crowds. June, on the other hand, offers a quieter, more reflective side of the city. The rainy season brings out the deep greens and pastel colors of hydrangeas, creating a soft and peaceful atmosphere across temple gardens. It’s the perfect time to slow down, avoid the tourist rush, and enjoy a more intimate connection with Kyoto’s natural beauty and historical charm.
There’s a beauty to tsuyu that makes Japan feel softer, slower, and more intimate. Whether you’re visiting as a traveler or just curious about life in Japan, tsuyu can be seen for what it really is: a peaceful pause between spring and summer. Most visitors leave Kyoto having seen it. The ones who go in June actually feel it.
Would you trade a cherry blossom selfie for an entire ancient city nearly to yourself? Tell us what you think in the comments below.
<p>The post I Traveled Through Japan’s “Hidden Season”: Why You Should Visit Kyoto in the Rain first appeared on Travelbinger.</p>