The Seasonal Calendar

A Year in Japan日本の一年

Japan moves to a calendar of its own — blossom fronts and fire festivals, fruit seasons and temple bells. Scroll through the twelve months to see what's happening when, where it happens first, and what to eat while you're there.

Winter 冬

January

Still in season
1
National Holiday

New Year's Day元日

The most important holiday of the year. Families gather over osechi ryori, children receive otoshidama money envelopes, and the whole country slows down for the first days of January.

1–3
Seasonal Food

Osechi Ryoriおせち料理

The lacquered-box New Year feast, where every dish carries a wish — prosperity, health, fertility. Ordered from depachika and restaurants as early as October; the premium boxes run past ¥50,000 and sell out by November.

1–3
Observance

Hatsumode初詣

The first shrine or temple visit of the new year. Millions queue at places like Meiji Jingu and Fushimi Inari to pray for good fortune, draw omikuji fortunes, and buy fresh lucky charms.

2–3
Observance

Hakone Ekiden箱根駅伝

A two-day university relay race from Tokyo to Hakone and back, watched on TV in living rooms across the country — as much a New Year tradition as the food.

Regional differences
  • KantoThe course runs Tokyo ⇄ Hakone along the old Tokaido.
early-Jan – mid-Feb
In Bloom

Rapeseed Blossoms菜の花

Fields of yellow nanohana are the first big colour of the year — at Azumayama Park in Kanagawa they bloom from January with Mt. Fuji in the background. The yellow wave then climbs the country until it reaches Hokkaido in May.

continues into mid-Feb
Regional differences
  • KansaiDaiichi Nagisa Park on Lake Biwa (Shiga) blooms against snowy mountains.
  • KyushuNokonoshima island (Fukuoka) flowers from late February into April.
  • TohokuYokohama-machi (Aomori) turns yellow through May.
  • HokkaidoTakikawa's Ebeotsu fields peak in mid–late May.
7
Seasonal Food

Nanakusa-gayu七草粥

Rice porridge with seven spring herbs, eaten on January 7 to settle the stomach after a week of New Year feasting. Supermarkets sell pre-packaged seven-herb kits in early January, and konbini stock ready-made bowls.

2nd Monday
National Holiday

Coming of Age Day成人の日

Cities celebrate everyone turning twenty with ceremonies, and the streets fill with young people in their finest traditional dress.

Winter 冬

February

Still in season
3
Observance

Setsubun節分

The eve of spring by the old calendar. People throw roasted soybeans to drive out demons — "oni wa soto, fuku wa uchi!" — and eat an uncut ehomaki sushi roll facing the year's lucky direction. Supermarkets and konbini push ehomaki hard in early February.

early-Feb – early-Mar
Seasonal Food

Sakura-mochi & Hina-arare桜餅・ひなあられ

Pink mochi wrapped in a salted cherry leaf, and pastel rice puffs for Girls' Day — wagashi shops and supermarkets fill with both in the run-up to Hinamatsuri on March 3.

continues into early-Mar
early-Feb – late-Mar
In Bloom

Camellia椿

Tsubaki bloom while everything else sleeps, dropping their flowers whole onto temple moss. Around Tokyo the camellia garden at Musashi Kyuryo National Government Park (Saitama) peaks February–March — but somewhere in Japan a camellia is open almost all year round.

continues into late-Mar
Regional differences
  • OkinawaWild camellia forests in Kunigami bloom from October all the way to April.
  • KyushuTsubakiyama Forest Park (Miyazaki) and the Kurume Camellia Garden (Fukuoka) flower through the winter.
  • KansaiReikanji in Kyoto — the "camellia temple" — opens specially for the late-March bloom.
  • TohokuNotoyama (Akita), a famous northern camellia hill, blooms March–April.
  • HokkaidoThe great camellia of Kuriharatei flowers as late as April–May.
early–mid-Feb
Festival

Sapporo Snow Festivalさっぽろ雪まつり

Hokkaido's winter showpiece: enormous snow sculptures along Odori Park, ice bars, and night illuminations in the crisp northern cold.

Regional differences
  • HokkaidoHeld in Sapporo; other snow festivals run across Hokkaido and Tohoku the same weeks.
11
National Holiday

National Foundation Day建国記念の日

Marks the legendary founding of Japan by Emperor Jimmu in 660 BC. A quiet holiday — flags out, most things open.

14
Observance

Valentine's Dayバレンタインデー

In Japan, women give the chocolate — honmei-choco for someone special, giri-choco out of obligation for colleagues. Men return the favour a month later on White Day.

mid-Feb – late-Mar
In Bloom

Plum Blossoms梅

Ume bloom while it is still cold — the fragrant overture to hanami season. Kairakuen in Mito (Ibaraki), one of Japan's three great gardens, holds the most famous plum festival with three thousand trees.

continues into late-Mar
Regional differences
  • OkinawaA brief subtropical bloom around mid-January.
  • KyushuDazaifu Tenmangu (Fukuoka), shrine of the plum-loving scholar-god, blooms late January through February.
  • KansaiKitano Tenmangu in Kyoto peaks late February to early March.
  • TohokuThe "northern-limit plum grove" at Tsugaru Flower Center (Aomori) waits until late April.
  • HokkaidoHiraoka Park's plum grove in Sapporo blooms with the sakura, late April to mid-May.
23
National Holiday

The Emperor's Birthday天皇誕生日

The birthday of the reigning emperor. The Imperial Palace in Tokyo opens its inner grounds for public well-wishing.

Spring 春

March

Still in season
3
Observance

Hinamatsuri雛祭り

Doll Festival, or Girls' Day. Families display tiered hina doll sets and eat chirashi-zushi and sweet hina-arare to wish daughters health and happiness.

early-Mar – late-May
In Season

Bamboo Shoots筍

Takenoko are dug the moment they break ground and cooked the same day. Spring menus everywhere turn to takenoko gohan (bamboo-shoot rice) and wakatake-ni, simmered with fresh wakame.

continues into late-May
14
Observance

White Dayホワイトデー

The answer to Valentine's Day: a month later, men return the favour with chocolate and gifts of their own.

mid-Mar – early-Apr
Season

Sakura Season桜

The cherry blossom front sweeps the country south to north, and for two fleeting weeks everything happens under the trees: hanami picnics, blue tarps, night-time yozakura illuminations. Ueno Park in Tokyo is the classic crowd scene. The defining image of spring in Japan.

continues into early-Apr
Regional differences
  • OkinawaJapan's first sakura: deep-pink kanhizakura at Nakijin Castle Ruins in January.
  • KyushuFukuoka Castle and Maizuru Park bloom late March to early April.
  • KansaiMt. Yoshino in Nara — thirty thousand trees climbing a mountainside — peaks late March to mid-April.
  • KantoTokyo typically peaks in late March; Ueno Park is the busiest hanami spot in the country.
  • TohokuHirosaki Castle Park (Aomori) blooms through April — many call it Japan's finest.
  • HokkaidoThe front arrives last at Goryokaku, the star-shaped fort in Hakodate, late April to early May.
mid–late-Mar
In Bloom

Peach Blossoms桃

Momo bloom a deeper, warmer pink than the cherries they briefly overlap with. Koga Kubo Park (Ibaraki) holds one of Kanto's biggest peach-blossom festivals in mid–late March.

Regional differences
  • KansaiThe Kinokawa valley in Wakayama — nicknamed Togenkyo, "peach-blossom paradise" — flowers late March to early April.
  • TohokuHanamiyama Park (Fukushima) mixes peach, plum and cherry on one hillside, late March to mid-April.
  • HokkaidoBlooms in May alongside almost everything else.
20around
National Holiday

Vernal Equinox Day春分の日

Day and night in balance. Families visit graves during the surrounding higan week and eat botamochi rice cakes.

late-Mar – mid-Apr
In Bloom

Tulipsチューリップ

Tulip fields with windmills are a small Dutch fantasy inside spring in Japan — Sakura Furusato Square in Chiba plants seventy varieties beneath a real one.

continues into mid-Apr
Regional differences
  • KyushuHuis Ten Bosch (Nagasaki), the Dutch theme park, runs its tulip festival from February.
  • KansaiHarvest Hill in Sakai (Osaka) blooms late March to mid-April.
  • TohokuMichinoku Lakeside Park (Miyagi) peaks in mid–late April.
  • HokkaidoKamiyubetsu Tulip Park fills in mid–late May.
Spring 春

April

Still in season
early-Apr – late-May
In Season

Sansai — Mountain Vegetables山菜

Foraged wild vegetables — fuki, warabi, zenmai, kogomi, and taranome fried as tempura. Mountain-village restaurants, ryokan and soba shops serve them through spring; it's the flavour of rural Japan waking up.

continues into late-May
early-Apr – late-Jun
In Season

Hatsu-gatsuo — First Bonito初鰹

The first bonito run of the year has been celebrated since Edo times. Sushi shops and izakaya advertise hatsu-gatsuo proudly, traditionally seared and sliced as tataki.

continues into late-Jun
early–late-Apr
In Bloom

Azaleas躑躅

Tsutsuji bloom in dense, almost artificial-looking mounds of pink, red and white. Nezu Shrine in Tokyo stages the classic display — three thousand bushes below a hillside of torii gates.

Regional differences
  • OkinawaHigashi Village's azalea forest blooms in March.
  • KyushuWild miyama-kirishima azaleas colour the volcanic slopes of Unzen (Nagasaki) into early May.
  • KansaiMt. Katsuragi (Nara) turns entirely crimson in early–mid May.
  • TohokuTokusenjo-san above Kesennuma (Miyagi) — half a million bushes — peaks mid–late May.
  • HokkaidoEsan Azalea Park near Hakodate blooms mid-May to early June.
early-Apr – mid-May
In Bloom

Nemophilaネモフィラ

Whole hillsides turn sky-blue with baby blue eyes — most famously the rolling fields of Hitachi Seaside Park in Ibaraki, where five million flowers blur into the horizon.

continues into mid-May
Regional differences
  • KyushuUminonakamichi Seaside Park (Fukuoka) blooms through April.
  • KansaiOsaka Maishima Seaside Park runs a harbour-side bloom into early May.
  • TohokuYakurai Garden (Miyagi) peaks late May to early June.
  • HokkaidoShikisai-no-Oka in Biei blooms late May to mid-June.
mid-Apr – early-May
In Bloom

Moss Phlox芝桜

Shibazakura — "lawn cherry blossom" — carpets entire slopes in pink and magenta just as the real sakura fall. The hill at Hitsujiyama Park in Chichibu (Saitama) is the famous patchwork view.

continues into early-May
Regional differences
  • KyushuKuju Flower Park (Oita) blooms mid-April to early May.
  • KansaiHana no Jutan — "the flower carpet" — in Hyogo runs April to mid-May.
  • TohokuJupia Land Hirata (Fukushima) peaks mid-April to early May.
  • HokkaidoHigashimokoto Shibazakura Park colours a whole hillside in mid–late May.
mid-Apr – mid-May
In Bloom

Wisteria藤

Cascading purple tunnels and hundred-year-old trellises. Ashikaga Flower Park (Tochigi) is the iconic sight — its great wisteria is floodlit at night and draws visitors from around the world.

continues into mid-May
Regional differences
  • KyushuThe wisteria tunnels of Kawachi Fujien (Fukuoka) open mid-April to early May.
  • KansaiKasuga Taisha in Nara, the shrine of the wisteria crest, blooms the same weeks.
  • TohokuEsashi Fujiwara no Sato (Iwate) flowers through May.
  • HokkaidoMaeda Forest Park in Sapporo blooms late May to mid-June.
late-Apr – early-May
Seasonal Food

Kashiwa-mochi & Chimaki柏餅・粽

The Children's Day sweets: mochi wrapped in an oak leaf in the east, sticky rice in bamboo leaf in the west. Wagashi shops sell them from late April until May 5.

continues into early-May
Regional differences
  • KantoKashiwa-mochi — the oak leaf symbolises an unbroken family line.
  • KansaiChimaki — the older, bamboo-wrapped tradition.
late-Apr – early-May
Season

Golden Weekゴールデンウィーク

Four national holidays in seven days make Japan's biggest travel period. Trains and hotels book out months ahead; prices spike everywhere. Wonderful atmosphere — plan around it or book very early.

continues into early-May
29
National Holiday

Showa Day昭和の日

Birthday of the Showa Emperor and the opening day of Golden Week — the moment half the country starts travelling.

Spring 春

May

Still in season
3
National Holiday

Constitution Memorial Day憲法記念日

Commemorates the postwar constitution of 1947. The middle pillar of Golden Week.

4
National Holiday

Greenery Dayみどりの日

A day for nature. Many public gardens and zoos open free of charge.

early-May – early-Jun
In Bloom

Roses — Spring Bloomバラ

Japan's rose gardens hit their first and biggest bloom in May. Keisei Rose Garden in Chiba — ten thousand plants, sixteen hundred varieties — is the Kanto benchmark.

continues into early-Jun
Regional differences
  • KyushuKanoya Rose Garden (Kagoshima), one of Japan's largest, runs late April to late June.
  • KansaiThe rose garden at Expo '70 Commemorative Park (Osaka) peaks May to early June.
  • TohokuHigashizawa Rose Park (Yamagata) blooms late May to early July.
  • HokkaidoIwamizawa Park Rose Garden flowers mid-June to mid-July.
early-May – late-Jul
In Season

Melonメロン

Japan's luxury fruit, sweet enough to be given as a formal gift. Look for retro melon cream sodas, melon-pan in seasonal flavours, and depachika parfaits served in half a melon shell.

continues into late-Jul
Regional differences
  • HokkaidoYubari grows the most prized (and priciest) King melons.
5
National Holiday

Children's Dayこどもの日

Koinobori carp streamers swim over rivers and rooftops for children's health and success; families bathe in iris leaves and eat kashiwa-mochi. Golden Week's closing day.

mid-May – late-Jun
In Season

Loquat枇杷

Biwa appear briefly in early summer, mostly as glossy gift fruit in depachika food halls. Keep an eye out for biwa kanten jelly and the occasional loquat tart.

continues into late-Jun
mid-May
Festival

Kanda & Sanja Matsuri神田祭・三社祭

Tokyo's rowdiest shrine festivals, a week apart: hundreds of mikoshi portable shrines shouldered through Kanda and Asakusa. Sanja Matsuri alone draws nearly two million people.

Regional differences
  • KantoKanda Matsuri runs in odd-numbered years; Sanja Matsuri every year in Asakusa.
late-May – late-Jun
In Bloom

Hydrangea紫陽花

Ajisai bloom blue, purple and pink in the rain — the flower of tsuyu. Meigetsuin in Kamakura, the "hydrangea temple", is so popular its blue-lined steps get queues at opening time.

continues into late-Jun
Regional differences
  • OkinawaYohena Ajisai Garden blooms first, from mid-May.
  • KyushuHydrangeas frame the Mikaeri waterfall (Saga) from mid-May through June.
  • KansaiMimurotoji in Uji (Kyoto) — twenty thousand plants — peaks in June.
  • TohokuMichinoku Ajisai-en (Iwate), a forest of four hundred varieties, blooms late June into July.
  • HokkaidoHakodate Shimin-no-Mori flowers latest, late July to early August.
Summer 夏

June

Still in season
early-Jun – mid-Jul
Season

Tsuyu — the Rainy Season梅雨

A month of soft, humid rain that turns everything deep green. Fewer crowds, moody temple gardens, hydrangeas at their best — pack an umbrella and lean into it.

continues into mid-Jul
Regional differences
  • OkinawaStarts and ends about a month earlier than the mainland.
  • HokkaidoLargely skips the rainy season — a popular June escape.
early–late-Jun
In Bloom

Japanese Iris花菖蒲

Hanashobu line water gardens in whites and purples through the early rainy season. Suigo Sawara Ayame Park in Chiba shows them the classic way — from a wooden boat poled through the canals.

Regional differences
  • KyushuOmura Park (Nagasaki) blooms late May to mid-June.
  • KansaiShirokita Shobu-en in Osaka opens the same weeks.
  • TohokuNagai Ayame Park (Yamagata) peaks mid-June to early July.
  • HokkaidoNishiki-Onuma's iris garden flowers July into early August.
early-Jun – late-Jul
In Season

Cherries — Sakuranboさくらんぼ

Glossy Sato Nishiki cherries arrive in jewel-box gift packs at depachika. Patisseries follow with cherry parfaits, tarts and clafoutis for a short midsummer window.

continues into late-Jul
early-Jun – late-Aug
In Season

Watermelonすいか

Suika is summer itself — chilled wedges at the beach, watermelon-splitting games, suika kakigori, and limited-edition watermelon drinks everywhere.

continues into late-Aug
early-Jun – late-Sep
In Season

Ayu — Sweetfish鮎

The iconic summer river fish, salt-grilled whole over charcoal at riverside restaurants and ryokan. Most associated with the Nagara, Tama and Kamo rivers.

continues into late-Sep
early-Jun – late-Sep
Seasonal Food

Kakigoriかき氷

Shaved ice in strawberry, matcha, melon or lemon — from festival stalls to refined tea houses. The premium versions use slow-frozen natural ice and fresh seasonal fruit syrups.

continues into late-Sep
early-Jun – late-Sep
Seasonal Food

Edamame & Beer Gardens枝豆とビール

The classic summer izakaya pairing. Rooftop beer gardens open across Japan from late May and stay packed through the humid months.

continues into late-Sep
mid–late-Jun
In Bloom

Liliesユリ

Yuri bloom by the hundred thousand in early summer — Tokorozawa Lily Park (Saitama) fills a forest floor with them in mid–late June.

Regional differences
  • OkinawaThe Ie Island Lily Festival opens the season, late April to early May.
  • KyushuFukuchi-sanroku Flower Park (Fukuoka) blooms in June.
  • KansaiThe lily garden on Mt. Hakodate above Lake Biwa (Shiga) runs July to late August.
  • TohokuDonden-daira Lily Park (Yamagata) peaks early June to early July.
  • HokkaidoYurigahara Park in Sapporo — named for the flower — blooms mid-June to late August.
mid-Jun – early-Aug
In Bloom

Lotus蓮

Hasu open at dawn and close by noon, so lotus ponds are an early-riser's reward. Kodai-hasu-no-Sato in Gyoda (Saitama) grows ancient lotus revived from 1,400-year-old seeds.

continues into early-Aug
Regional differences
  • KyushuKarako Lotus Garden (Nagasaki) blooms late June to early August.
  • KansaiHokongo-in in Kyoto, the "lotus temple", opens early on summer mornings.
  • TohokuThe Chusonji lotus (Iwate) — grown from 800-year-old seeds found in a coffin — blooms mid-July to mid-August.
  • HokkaidoOnuma Quasi-National Park flowers through July and August.
mid-Jun – early-Sep
In Season

Peaches桃

White peaches are the headline summer fruit — whole-peach parfaits at depachika and luxury fruit parlours like Senbikiya, peach daifuku, peach sando, and momo kakigori at the peak in July–August.

continues into early-Sep
late-Jun – late-Jul
In Bloom

Lavender Fieldsラベンダー

Furano's purple rows at Farm Tomita are Hokkaido's summer postcard — cool air, rolling hills, lavender soft-serve.

continues into late-Jul
Regional differences
  • KantoTambara Lavender Park (Gunma), at altitude, blooms mid-July to mid-August.
  • KansaiLavender Park Taka (Hyogo) runs early June to early July.
  • KyushuKuju Flower Park (Oita) blooms late June to mid-July.
  • TohokuMisato's lavender garden (Akita) has an unusually long season, late June to mid-August.
Summer 夏

July

Still in season
early–late-Jul
Festival

Gion Matsuri祇園祭

Kyoto's thousand-year-old festival fills the whole of July, peaking with the grand Yamaboko float processions on July 17 and 24 and the lantern-lit yoiyama evenings before them.

Regional differences
  • KansaiCentred on Yasaka Shrine and downtown Kyoto.
early-Jul – mid-Aug
Festival

Eizan Railway Green Maple Tunnel青もみじのトンネル

In midsummer the Eizan Railway illuminates the fresh green maples of its "Maple Tunnel" between Ichihara and Ninose. Trains dim their carriage lights and slow to a crawl through the glowing leaves — the same trees that blaze red in November.

continues into mid-Aug
Regional differences
  • KansaiOn the Kurama line north of Kyoto; the maples at Ninose, Kibuneguchi and Kurama stations are lit too.
early-Jul – late-Aug
Season

Fireworks Season花火大会

Hanabi taikai light up rivers and bays nearly every summer weekend — Sumida River in Tokyo, Nagaoka, Lake Biwa. Yukata, food stalls, and finales that go on for hours.

continues into late-Aug
Browse events →
early-Jul – late-Aug
Seasonal Food

Somen & Hiyashi Chuka素麺・冷やし中華

When the heat peaks, Japan eats cold noodles: thin somen dipped in chilled tsuyu, and hiyashi chuka — chilled ramen under shredded toppings. The "冷やし中華始めました" ("we've started hiyashi chuka") sign in restaurant windows is a summer cliché in itself.

continues into late-Aug
early-Jul – late-Oct
In Season

Grapes & Shine Muscatぶどう・シャインマスカット

Japan's celebrity grape — seedless, crisp, eaten skin and all — peaks in September. Shine Muscat parfaits are the autumn headline dessert, with muscat sando, tarts and daifuku close behind.

continues into late-Oct
Regional differences
  • ChubuNagano and Yamanashi are the heartland.
7
Observance

Tanabata七夕

The Star Festival, when the celestial lovers Orihime and Hikoboshi meet across the Milky Way. People write wishes on tanzaku paper strips and hang them on bamboo.

Regional differences
  • TohokuSendai holds Japan's grandest Tanabata on August 6–8, by the old calendar.
3rd Monday
National Holiday

Marine Day海の日

Gratitude to the sea, and the unofficial start of beach season — pools and coastlines open nationwide.

24–25
Festival

Tenjin Matsuri天神祭

Osaka's great river festival: a flotilla of torch-lit boats on the Okawa and one of Japan's top-three festival fireworks displays.

Regional differences
  • KansaiHosted by Osaka Tenmangu shrine.
late-Jul
Seasonal Food

Unagi — Doyo no Ushiうなぎ・土用の丑

Grilled eel over rice (unadon, unaju) eaten on the midsummer "Day of the Ox" as stamina food against the heat. The date shifts each year — some years get two — and supermarkets, konbini and unagi specialists all push it hard.

Summer 夏

August

Still in season
2–7
Festival

Aomori Nebuta Matsuriねぶた祭

Vast illuminated warrior floats parade through Aomori while haneto dancers chant "rassera!" — the wildest of Tohoku's summer festivals.

Regional differences
  • TohokuAkita Kanto and Sendai Tanabata run the same week — Tohoku's big three.
early–mid-Aug
In Bloom

Sunflowers向日葵

Himawari fields by the million face the August sun — the Zama fields near Tokyo plant half a million flowers for their festival.

Regional differences
  • OkinawaBlooms in midwinter — the Kitanakagusuku sunflower festival runs late January to mid-February.
  • KyushuNokonoshima Island Park (Fukuoka) flowers from early July through August.
  • KansaiThe Nanko fields (Hyogo) peak mid-July to early August.
  • TohokuSannokura Kogen (Fukushima) — sunflowers on a ski slope — blooms through August.
  • HokkaidoHokuryu's Himawari-no-Sato, two million flowers, runs mid-July to mid-August.
early-Aug – late-Oct
In Season

Japanese Pear梨

Crisp, juicy nashi bridge summer and autumn — mostly eaten fresh and icy cold, with nashi tarts, jelly and sorbet appearing at patisseries.

continues into late-Oct
11
National Holiday

Mountain Day山の日

The newest national holiday, for the mountains that cover most of the country. Peak Fuji-climbing season.

12–15
Festival

Awa Odori阿波おどり

Tokushima's 400-year-old dance festival — "the dancers are fools, the watchers are fools, so why not dance?" Over a million people join in.

Regional differences
  • ShikokuTokushima City; Tokyo's Koenji holds its own version in late August.
13–16
Observance

Obonお盆

The festival of returning spirits. Families travel home to tend graves, light welcome fires, and dance bon odori under lanterns — summer's spiritual heart, and its biggest travel rush after Golden Week.

Regional differences
  • KantoParts of Tokyo observe Obon a month earlier, July 13–16.
Autumn 秋

September

Still in season
early-Sep – late-Oct
In Season

Sanma — Pacific Saury秋刀魚

The "autumn knife fish", salt-grilled whole with grated daikon and a squeeze of sudachi. Supermarkets pile them high and izakaya flip to autumn menus — the smell of sanma smoke is the smell of fall.

continues into late-Oct
early-Sep – late-Oct
In Season

Matsutake松茸

The luxury autumn mushroom — pine-scented, eye-wateringly expensive, sold like treasure in depachika gift sections. Matsutake gohan and dobin-mushi (steamed in a little teapot) are the classic preparations.

continues into late-Oct
early-Sep – late-Nov
In Season

Chestnuts栗

Kuri season means Mont Blanc — the quintessential autumn dessert, sold everywhere from corner patisseries to depachika — plus marron parfaits, marron lattes, and traditional candied kuri-kinton.

continues into late-Nov
early-Sep – late-Nov
In Season

Shinmai — New Rice新米

The year's first rice harvest. Supermarkets label bags with a proud 新米 sticker, restaurants advertise the switch on their signage, and connoisseurs swear they can taste the difference.

continues into late-Nov
early-Sep – late-Feb
In Season

Sweet Potato Seasonさつまいも

The defining autumn–winter flavour: yaki-imo trucks roam residential streets with their drawn-out "yaki-imooo" call, konbini run imo dessert fairs, and cafés pour purple beni-imo lattes. Try daigaku-imo (candied) and the soft cake-like sweet potato pastries.

continues into late-Feb
early-Sep – late-Mar
Seasonal Food

Odenおでん

When the simmering oden pot appears at the konbini register, autumn has officially begun. Daikon, eggs, konnyaku, hanpen and atsuage soaking in dashi — the defining winter convenience food, bubbling away until spring.

continues into late-Mar
early-Sep – late-Oct
In Bloom

Cosmosコスモス

Akizakura — "autumn cherry blossom" — sways in pink drifts through the early autumn. Showa Kinen Park in Tokyo plants over five million of them.

continues into late-Oct
Regional differences
  • OkinawaBlooms in midwinter, early January to early February.
  • KyushuIkoma Kogen (Miyazaki) flowers late September to early November.
  • KansaiHannyaji in Nara, the "cosmos temple", blooms among stone Buddhas into November.
  • TohokuThe Cosmos Berg at Omoshiroyama Kogen (Yamagata) peaks September to early October.
  • HokkaidoTaiyo-no-Oka Engaru Park — ten million flowers — runs mid-August to late September.
mid–late-Sep
Observance

Tsukimi — Moon Viewing月見

The harvest moon is honoured with pampas grass and pyramids of round tsukimi dango — while fast-food chains sell "Tsukimi Burgers", because in modern Japan anything topped with a round egg counts as moon viewing.

mid-Sep – early-Oct
In Bloom

Red Spider Lilies彼岸花

Higanbana flare crimson along rice-field edges right at the autumn equinox. Kinchakuda Manjushage Park (Saitama) floods an entire river-bend forest floor with five million of them.

continues into early-Oct
Regional differences
  • OkinawaAppears later, through October.
  • KyushuThe Tsuzura rice terraces (Fukuoka) edge in red mid–late September.
  • KansaiThe Inabuchi terraces of Asuka (Nara) are the classic countryside scene.
  • TohokuHaguroyama Park (Miyagi) blooms mid–late September.
3rd Monday
National Holiday

Respect for the Aged Day敬老の日

Honouring elders — and marvelling at Japan's tens of thousands of centenarians.

23around
National Holiday

Autumnal Equinox Day秋分の日

The autumn counterpart to March's equinox: grave visits, ohagi sweets, and the first truly cool evenings.

late-Sep – early-Nov
In Bloom

Pampas Grassススキ

Silver susuki plumes catching low autumn light are Japan's quietest seasonal spectacle. The Sengokuhara grassland in Hakone turns a whole hillside gold from late September.

continues into early-Nov
Regional differences
  • OkinawaWaves through October and November.
  • KyushuThe vast grasslands of Aso (Kumamoto) shimmer October–November.
  • KansaiSoni Highland (Nara) is the famous sunset spot, late September to late November.
  • TohokuKanpuzan (Akita) silvers mid-September to mid-October.
  • HokkaidoHamanasu-no-Oka Park starts earliest, late August.
late-Sep – early-Oct
In Bloom

Kochia — Burning Bushコキア

Round green kochia bushes blush deep crimson almost overnight in early October. Hitachi Seaside Park (Ibaraki) — the nemophila hill of spring — repeats the trick in red with thirty thousand of them.

continues into early-Oct
Regional differences
  • KyushuUminonakamichi Seaside Park (Fukuoka) reddens late September to mid-October.
  • KansaiUmami Kyuryo Park (Nara) turns in October.
  • TohokuMichinoku Lakeside Park (Miyagi) peaks late September to mid-October.
  • HokkaidoTakino Suzuran Hillside Park (Sapporo) turns late September to early October.
Autumn 秋

October

Still in season
early-Oct – early-Dec
Season

Koyo — Autumn Leaves紅葉

The autumn-colour front mirrors the sakura front in reverse, sweeping north to south and downhill from the peaks. Maple-red temple gardens in Arashiyama, the gorges of Nikko, golden city avenues — many say it rivals spring.

continues into early-Dec
Regional differences
  • HokkaidoFirst colour in Japan: the Daisetsuzan peaks turn mid–late September, city parks in Sapporo and Hakodate by mid-October.
  • TohokuNaruko Gorge (Miyagi) peaks late October to mid-November.
  • KantoNikko's mountains turn mid-October to early November; Tokyo's gardens and ginkgo avenues wait until late November–early December.
  • KansaiKyoto — Arashiyama above all — peaks mid-November to early December.
  • KyushuAso (Kumamoto) colours late October to late November, the lowlands into early December.
  • OkinawaSubtropical — no real koyo to speak of.
early-Oct – early-Dec
In Bloom

Roses — Autumn Bloom秋バラ

Rose gardens bloom a second time in autumn — smaller flowers, deeper colours, stronger scent in the cool air. Keisei Rose Garden (Chiba) runs its autumn show into early December.

continues into early-Dec
Regional differences
  • KyushuKanoya (Kagoshima) blooms late October to mid-December.
  • KansaiExpo '70 Park (Osaka) runs mid-October to mid-December.
  • TohokuHigashizawa Rose Park (Yamagata) blooms earlier, mid-September to mid-October.
  • HokkaidoIwamizawa's autumn bloom also peaks mid-September to mid-October.
early-Oct – late-Dec
In Season

Persimmons柿

Kaki hang bright orange on bare trees across the countryside, mostly eaten fresh. Strings of hoshigaki — slowly dried persimmons — hang under farmhouse eaves, and the fruit sneaks into seasonal parfaits and tarts.

continues into late-Dec
early-Oct – late-Dec
In Season

Applesりんご

Harvest peaks in October–November, led by Aomori's famous Fuji apples. Bakeries and cafés answer with apple pie, tarte Tatin, apple Danish and cinnamon-apple lattes.

continues into late-Dec
Regional differences
  • TohokuAomori grows more than half of Japan's apples.
early-Oct – late-Dec
Seasonal Food

Kabocha Dishesかぼちゃ

Japan's dense, sweet pumpkin stars in autumn menus as kabocha-no-nimono (gently simmered). Eating it on the winter solstice (Toji, around December 21–22) is the traditional charm against catching colds.

continues into late-Dec
2nd Monday
National Holiday

Sports Dayスポーツの日

Born from the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Schools nationwide hold undokai sports festivals around this time.

late-Oct – late-Dec
In Bloom

Sasanqua Camellia山茶花

Sazanka carry the flower year through the cold months, scattering their petals one by one where true camellias drop whole. Kameido Central Park in Tokyo blooms from late October into December.

continues into late-Dec
Regional differences
  • OkinawaFlowers October through December.
  • KyushuThe wild sasanqua zone of Sengoku-yama (Saga) — the species' natural northern limit — blooms late October to mid-November.
  • TohokuThe sasanqua forest at the Tagajo temple ruins (Miyagi) flowers late October through November.
31
Observance

Halloweenハロウィン

Less trick-or-treating, more costume spectacle — Shibuya's street crowds became so big the city now actively reroutes them. Konbini go full pumpkin.

Autumn 秋

November

Still in season
3
National Holiday

Culture Day文化の日

Art, scholarship and culture: museums hold free-entry days and the emperor bestows the Order of Culture. Statistically one of the year's sunniest days.

early–mid-Nov
In Bloom

Chrysanthemums菊

The imperial flower gets its own exhibition season: meticulously trained kiku in cascades, domes and single giant blooms. The Chrysanthemum Exhibition at Shinjuku Gyoen in Tokyo is the grandest, in early–mid November.

Regional differences
  • OkinawaGrown commercially year-round in the subtropics.
  • KyushuDazaifu Tenmangu (Fukuoka) holds its chrysanthemum exhibition through November.
  • KansaiDaikakuji in Kyoto shows the elegant, wispy Saga-giku style.
  • TohokuNihonmatsu (Fukushima) dresses life-size dolls in living chrysanthemums, mid-October to late November.
  • HokkaidoThe Sapporo Chrysanthemum Festival runs in late October.
early-Nov – late-Jan
In Season

Mikanみかん

The kotatsu fruit: a bowl of easy-peeling mandarins on the heated table is the picture of Japanese winter at home. Look for whole-mikan jelly, mikan daifuku and konbini mikan desserts through the season.

continues into late-Jan
Regional differences
  • ShikokuEhime is Japan's citrus kingdom; Wakayama and Shizuoka grow the rest.
early-Nov – late-Feb
In Season

Yuzuゆず

The aromatic winter citrus — used for fragrance rather than eaten fresh. Yuzu honey tea and hot yuzu-cha warm the season, with yuzu sorbet, cheesecake and mochi alongside. Its December peak coincides with the winter-solstice custom of the yuzu bath (yuzu-yu).

continues into late-Feb
early-Nov – late-Feb
Seasonal Food

Nabe Season鍋

The defining winter meal: a bubbling hot pot at the centre of the table. Shabu-shabu, sukiyaki, Hakata mizutaki, sumo-sized chanko, kimchi-nabe, motsu-nabe — households rotate them all winter, and seasonal nabe restaurants open just for it.

continues into late-Feb
early-Nov – mid-Mar
In Season

Snow Crab & Fugu蟹とふぐ

Winter's table along the Sea of Japan: kani season opens in early November, and fugu — expertly licensed — stars in Shimonoseki and Osaka.

continues into mid-Mar
Regional differences
  • ChugokuSan'in coast for matsuba crab; Shimonoseki is the fugu capital.
  • ChubuHokuriku's echizen-gani from Fukui is the gold standard.
mid-Nov – late-Dec
Season

Winter Illuminationsイルミネーション

Millions of LEDs turn parks, gardens and station fronts into light shows — Nabana no Sato, Marunouchi, Kobe Luminarie. Many run until Christmas, some all winter.

continues into late-Dec
15
Observance

Shichi-Go-San七五三

Children aged seven, five and three visit shrines in miniature kimono for blessings, clutching bags of chitose-ame "thousand-year candy".

mid-Nov – early-Dec
In Bloom

Ginkgo Avenues銀杏並木

Golden ginkgo tunnels at Meiji Jingu Gaien and Osaka's Midosuji — the late, luminous coda to autumn colour.

continues into early-Dec
23
National Holiday

Labour Thanksgiving Day勤労感謝の日

Descended from the imperial harvest rite of Niiname-sai — now a day to thank workers, and the year's final national holiday.

Winter 冬

December

Still in season
early-Dec – early-May
In Season

Strawberry Seasonいちご

Greenhouse ichigo run all winter and peak in February–March: Christmas shortcake starts the rush, then ichigo daifuku, strawberry sando in fluffy milk bread, parfaits, tarts, konbini strawberry fairs and seasonal Frappuccinos carry it to May.

continues into early-May
mid-Dec – late-Jan
In Bloom

Narcissus水仙

Wild daffodils bloom against the winter sea — the Edzuki Suisen Road in Chiba winds through millions of them from mid-December.

continues into late-Jan
Regional differences
  • KyushuThe Hill of Narcissus at Nomozaki (Nagasaki) blooms late December to mid-January.
  • KansaiNadakuroiwa on Awaji Island (Hyogo) — cliffs of narcissus over the sea — peaks mid-January to early February.
  • TohokuMiyagi Zao Eboshi Resort blooms after the snow, late April to mid-May.
  • HokkaidoTamagawa Park flowers late April to early May.
24–25
Observance

Christmasクリスマス

A romantic date night rather than a family holiday — couples book dinners, everyone eats strawberry shortcake, and KFC needs reservations weeks ahead.

late-Dec – late-Feb
In Bloom

Wintersweet蝋梅

Robai — "wax plum" — opens translucent yellow flowers on bare branches in the coldest weeks, with a perfume far bigger than the bloom. The Hodosan Wintersweet Garden (Saitama) scents a whole mountaintop.

continues into late-Feb
Regional differences
  • KyushuRuru Park (Oita) blooms December through February.
  • KansaiKyoto Botanical Gardens flower early January to mid-February.
  • TohokuHanamiyama Park (Fukushima) blooms January to early March.
late-Dec – early-Jan
Seasonal Food

Mochi & Zoni餅・雑煮

Fresh mochi fills supermarkets from mid-December, ready for zoni — the New Year soup whose recipe is a regional identity card. Pounded rice cake is the taste of the turning year.

continues into early-Jan
Regional differences
  • KantoClear sumashi broth with square, grilled mochi.
  • KansaiWhite miso broth with round, boiled mochi.
31
Seasonal Food

Toshikoshi Soba年越しそば

"Year-crossing soba", eaten before midnight on New Year's Eve — the long noodles stand for a long life. Every soba shop and konbini in the country sells it on December 31.

31
Observance

Omisoka & Joya no Kane大晦日・除夜の鐘

New Year's Eve: Kohaku on TV, then temple bells ring 108 times at midnight to clear the year's worldly desires. The year closes — and begins again.

…and then it begins again

The bells of Ōmisoka fade, the first shrine queues form, and the strawberries are already in season. Every year in Japan is a circle.

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