Unfortunately, COVID-19 still looms large in our world right now. People are generally staying closer to home these days, but I’m hopeful that things will calm down and open up more eventually. When that happens, I highly suggest you add Japan to your bucket list– if you haven’t been already!
My husband has spent a lot of time in Japan; some of it before we were married and some after. We visited Japan together as a couple (in late November), and years later with our boys as a family (in early February). We are in agreement that winter is a secretly great time to tour this incredible country! Here’s why:
Warm Foods & Drinks Abound!
Japanese ramen is completely divine. There is no better way to experience it than on a chilly day when your soul needs to be not just filled, but nourished, and given a warm hug.
Tonkatsu (fried pork cutlet), curries, miso soup, and udon noodles are other warm foods I’d recommend finding. Foods that were designed specifically for these colder months! Come experience them in their natural … climate.
There are plenty of warm beverages in Japan to consume if you’re visiting in winter. Coffees, teas (black, green, ginger, arrowroot, etc.), and cocoas are very easy to find, and very popular. Stop in one of the many cafes and get cozy with a nice drink and give your legs a rest from all of the walking, hiking, and touring!
Unlike in America, restaurants and casual eateries often offer warm water or herbal tea along with your meal. In fact, good luck finding ice water…which leads me to #3:
Winter is Not Summer
Summer in Japan is very hot, and very humid. And there are 125 million people in the geographically small country, most of them trying to fit into the same subway car. So… I’ll let you determine which season you’d prefer to experience that coziness. 😉
There are also a lot of opportunities for hiking around the hills and mountains of Japan. Many temples & welcome gates exist in hard-to-reach locations after many stairs etc.. When your body is moving that much, you’ll warm up naturally. I love hiking in cooler weather as opposed to hot & humid!
Winter is Not Spring 😉
Don’t get me wrong. Cherry blossoms in Asia are other-worldly, and are likely worth your time and energy. BUT there is an advantage to side-stepping the massive crowds that flock to see them.
As you’d imagine, if you visit off-season you will also be looking at better flight prices & hotel rates.
Data from 2018 & 2019 shows April as the busiest month of the year for foreign tourism; September, November, and February are the least busy months of the year.
Public Transport is Excellent
Public transportation is excellent throughout Japan; you’ll have no need to navigate treacherous roads or figure out driving in snow! With any luck, you won’t even need to walk for extended periods of time- depending how remote of a location you choose to visit. Buses and subway stops are everywhere it seems! Certainly in Tokyo or the other major cities you won’t be waiting around in the cold for too long. Subways come very frequently, and many stations are indoors.
If anything, the bullet trains and subway rides provide a great warm respite from the chilly weather outdoors!
Bright Lights Shine!
If you plan to spend a decent amount of time in Tokyo, you’ll find bright lights for days…and nights. 😉 Restaurants and shops are open late into the night. Dark, early evenings won’t matter like they would in more remote and isolated destinations.
Many Iconic Japanese Tourist Activities are Naturally Indoors, or Open Year-Round
So much of what we did in Japan was unaffected by cold weather. You’ll likely want to enjoy activities specific to Japanese culture, such as: playing games at the large arcades, hopping into the cutesy photo booths for some pictures, singing karaoke, or enjoying cute cafes.
Traditional temples, fortresses and other older attractions in Kyoto and historical towns are all open throughout the winter months.
Where many Asian countries are centers of tourism because of their proximity to surf & sand (I’m looking at you, Thailand and Vietnam), Japan isn’t really a beach destination (with the exception of Okinawa…which is likely a whole other trip anyways).
The port cities and Japan’s proximity to the sea are certainly unique, and you can still visit those coastlines anytime of the year. In fact, the sea breeze keeps the coastal temperatures pretty moderate. We enjoyed temperatures in the 50’s (F) at the beginning of February.
Basically, you aren’t missing anything integral to Japanese tourism by visiting in the colder months.
Tokyo Disneyland & Disney Sea Designed for Inclement Weather
Speaking of indoor activities, the world-class Tokyo Disney theme parks were designed specifically with rain & cold weather in mind. The rides & activities continue on, rain/snow or shine. Not to mention, crowds are LOW most of December & January (with the exception of the weeks of Christmas & New Years), making winter a great time to visit.
A surprisingly large portion of Ikspiari, the “Downtown Disney” of Tokyo, is indoors. You can find plenty of restaurants and shops to explore while staying warm. There’s even a movie theatre there– a great way to spend a winter day. And please please don’t miss enjoying ramen at Ippudo while you’re there! Learn more about that restaurant and other Ikspiari options here.
Tokyo Disneyland has the following indoor attractions:
- Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters
- Stitch Stitch Encounter (& other theatre/audience style attractions)
- Mickey & Minnie’s houses in ToonTown
- Pooh’s Hunny Hunt
- Mickey’s Philharmagic
- …and the entire “Main Street”, called World Bazaar, is covered too!
At Tokyo DisneySea you can warm up at the following indoor attractions:
- Toy Story Mania!
- Mermaid Lagoon (the entire land is indoors and “under the sea”… lots of attractions and a theatre show with Ariel that, obviously, is in Japanese)
- lots of theatre shows in Arabian Coast (one featuring Aladdin)
- 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
- and obviously all of the other shows & restaurants!
Last, but not least… Sapporo is a Winter Playground
When we lived in Korea we often had friends visit Sapporo (the northern part of Japan, the Hokkaido area) in the winter to go on weekend ski trips! Sapporo gained popularity for its winter sports after it hosted the 1972 Winter Olympics.
Sapporo Snow Festival is held for a week every February (except during COVID times FYI), and is extremely popular. Large ice sculptures are the major draw. You’ll also find tons of snow slides, local foods & beverages. Learn more about the Festival here.
That’s it!
What do you think?? If you’ve visited Japan, what season was it? Would you recommend that time or not? Are the cherry blossom crowds worth the hassle??
I would love to hear your experiences in the comments below!
Check out our related travel posts, too!
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HERE ARE 4 FANTASTIC WEEKEND GETAWAYS NEAR SEOUL (FAMILY FRIENDLY!)
