Kansai29 April – 5 May
Golden Week holidays
Everywhere in Japan
A string of national holidays when all of Japan travels at once. Trains and famous sights are at their busiest.
← Kansai by month
Japanexperterna · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Kansai by month · 15–25°C
May
Fresh green, riverside dining and perfect walking weather
Crowds
May is warm, bright and green. The new leaves glow in Kyoto's gardens, Kyoto's riverside terraces open for the season, and long evenings invite you to stay out. Before the rainy season arrives, this is some of the most comfortable weather of the year.
It's great for walkers, hikers, garden lovers and families. The big trade-off is Golden Week in the first days of the month, when all of Japan travels. Book well ahead or aim for after the 6th, when it gets noticeably calmer and better value.
Festivals and big moments
Kyoto15 May
Aoi Matsuri, a court parade
From the Imperial Palace to Shimogamo Shrine
About 500 people in the robes of the Heian-era court walk slowly through the city, decorated with hollyhock leaves.
Getting there · Watch near Kyoto Imperial Palace, 10 min from Marutamachi Station
Open in Google Maps ↗KyotoMid to late May
Aomomiji: the maples are green now
Tofuku-ji, Eikando, Arashiyama
Maple leaves in Japan are bright green in spring and only turn red in autumn. In May the famous autumn-leaf temples are a sea of fresh green, with far fewer people than in November, and the weather is warm but not yet humid.
More to do this month
1Eat on the Kamo river terraces
From May to September, restaurants along Pontocho build wooden platforms over the river. May evenings are cool and perfect for it. Reserve ahead.
Kyoto Pontocho and Kiyamachi, along the Kamo river
2See the wisteria at Byodo-in
The temple on the 10-yen coin has a long wisteria trellis that usually blooms from late April into early May.
Kyoto Byodo-in, Uji
3Stroll the Nakanoshima rose garden
Free riverside rose garden in central Osaka with hundreds of varieties, usually at its best in mid-to-late May.
Osaka Nakanoshima Park rose garden
4Hike from Kurama to Kibune
A forest trail over the mountain between two old villages, cool and green in May. Finish with a riverside meal in Kibune.
Kyoto Kurama-dera to Kibune Shrine
5Tea tasting in Uji
Walk the tea-shop street to Byodo-in, try hand-whisked matcha and visit one of Japan's oldest tea houses.
Kyoto Byodo-in Omotesando, Uji
Eat this month
Shincha (new-season green tea)Uji's first tea harvest arrives in May. Tea houses serve bright, sweet new tea alongside matcha sweets.
Kashiwa mochi and chimakiRice cakes wrapped in oak or bamboo leaves, eaten around Children's Day on 5 May.
Warabi mochiSoft, wobbly bracken-starch sweets dusted with roasted soybean flour, a Kansai favorite once the weather warms up.
Good to know
- Golden Week (around 29 April–5 May) is Japan's biggest travel week. Trains, sights and stays are packed and pricier.
- From about 6 May until the rainy season, prices drop and weather is excellent. It's one of the best-kept secrets of the travel year.
- The sun is strong from May, so bring sunscreen and a hat for long days at open-air temples.