Tokyo edges it in May. Tokyo averages 15–24°C with moderate crowds; Kyoto 14–25°C with moderate-high crowds.
By Daan · Last reviewed October 2026
Tokyo and Kyoto
The verdict for May
Excellent once Golden Week ends
+Warm, dry and green with crowds falling away after the first week.
–Golden Week (late Apr–early May) is unbookable and expensive.
Mid-to-late May is one of the year's best-value windows.
Fresh green and riverside dining
+Great weather and lush scenery
–Golden Week is very crowded and expensive
Golden Week is busy, but once it ends the city eases into warm, dry, brilliantly green days. Kawadoko terraces open along the Kamogawa and the Aoi Matsuri procession runs on 15 May.
Scores and crowd levels are my own judgement; temperatures are monthly averages. Higher scores are better: quieter, cheaper and more pleasant.
Another month