August is the hardest month for many first-time visitors. The heat is strong, the air is humid, and the summer holiday travel rush around Obon fills trains and roads. You can still have a good trip in August. Walk early, rest in the shade at midday, and book your long train rides before you leave home.
Why August is hard on your feet
Humid air holds heat, and cities stay warm into the night. Long walks through shrine grounds and station passages are tiring. Outdoor queues feel longer in the sun. Plan one hard outdoor task each morning, then an indoor stop in the afternoon, such as a museum, a department store, a covered market or a long lunch.
Check first: the heatstroke risk for your city on the day you go out. The Ministry of the Environment publishes a heatstroke forecast, and JMA publishes heat warnings. Check both each morning and change your plan when the risk is high.
What Obon means for your trip
Obon is a summer holiday when many people visit family graves and go home to see relatives. It falls in summer. Most of Japan holds it in mid-August, and some regions hold it in July. During that week, trains, highways and popular resort towns fill up. Many small shops and restaurants close for a few days, so a place you planned may be shut.
Check the Obon dates for each region you visit. Shops, museums and hotels publish their holiday closures on their own official pages.
| Situation | What helps |
|---|---|
| Long train between cities | Reserve seats as soon as your plan is fixed |
| Busy beach or onsen town | Book your room early and avoid a weekend arrival if you can |
| Festival street in the evening | Arrive before the crowd and know the way out |
| The hottest part of the afternoon | A museum, a department store, an indoor market or a long lunch |
Trains and crowds
Trains have air conditioning, but platforms and carriages still fill up in the afternoon. Reserved seats on long-distance trains are worth the cost during Obon, because standing for a long ride in heat is exhausting. Keep your bags small enough to hold on your lap or at your feet on crowded local trains.
Give yourself extra time for transfers. Stations are large, and the walk between platforms can be long in the heat. Take the lift or escalator when you need to, and rest on a bench in the shade before you go on.
Pack for the heat
Bring a small towel, sun cream, a hand fan and a bottle you can refill. Vending machines sell cold drinks on most streets, so you rarely need to carry much. Use covered shopping streets and station concourses to rest. Many people carry a small umbrella for both sun and sudden rain, because summer storms can arrive quickly in the afternoon.
Light cotton clothes are better than heavy fabric. Shoes should be comfortable for long walks on hot pavement.
Eat well in the heat
Heat reduces appetite, so choose light meals and eat at quieter times. For a restaurant near you, use Tabelog to read recent reviews and check the opening hours on the restaurant page before you walk over. Do not plan a meal far from the station unless you can walk back in the shade. Cold noodle dishes and fresh fruit are easy choices on hot days.
A simple daily rhythm
- Morning: outdoor sights and walks, with water in your bag.
- Early afternoon: indoors, with a long, slow lunch.
- Late afternoon: a rest at the hotel, with the air conditioning on.
- Evening: a walk, a festival or a riverside stroll, which is cooler and easier.
This rhythm keeps you out of the worst heat. It also gives you the cooler evening hours for the streets, the lights and the summer festivals.
Expect rain too
August can bring sudden downpours and thunderstorms. Keep a light rain layer in your day bag. Check the forecast each morning, and move your outdoor plan to another day if a storm is due. Your indoor plan should always be ready.
What to do next
Use the planner to build your August days around the heat and the travel rush: the planner. For the city bases, read the Tokyo page at Tokyo guide and the Kyoto page at Kyoto guide. Book the long train rides first, then add the shade-friendly stops around them.