Best Time to Visit Nagoya

Autumn and spring: the best windows

November is the best month here, and it's easy to see why. Days are mild and the air is drier than the rest of the year. Rain falls on only nine days, so you can plan a full day outdoors. Autumn colour peaks in late November around Nagoya Castle and Tokugawaen, a Japanese garden in the east of the city. October is also good, though it's still a little warm and wetter.

Spring is pleasant but less settled. April brings cherry blossom, and Nagoya Castle's grounds fill with picnic groups. It rains on about eleven days that month, so keep a plan B. Atsuta Shrine and the Noritake Garden museums work well on grey days. May is warmer and greener, and you'll find Golden Week, in early May, the busiest stretch for domestic travel.

June to September: hot, wet and sticky

Be ready for this one. June to September all rate Poor in our data. Rainy season runs through June and into July, with rain on up to eighteen days in July. August is the hottest month, but the highs are only a degree above July's. Nights stay warm, and the humidity makes afternoons feel heavy.

Typhoons can also hit in late summer and early autumn, so keep your dates flexible. If you come anyway, spend the hottest hours indoors. The Toyota Commemorative Museum, the SCMaglev and Railway Park and the underground malls around Nagoya Station are all cooled. Then head out in the evening. Summer also brings fireworks and festivals, and the Nagoya Castle Summer Festival is a popular one, though dates shift each year.

Winter: cold, quiet and good for food

Winter is cool rather than harsh. January is the coldest month, with highs of 8°C and lows of 1°C. February has the same low. Skies are often grey, but dry spells are common, and this is the quietest season for sightseeing. Castle and shrine grounds feel calm, and you won't queue much.

Winter suits a food trip. Warm up with miso katsu, a pork cutlet in rich red miso sauce, or hitsumabushi, grilled eel over rice. Both are Nagoya classics. Nabe hotpots and kishimen, flat wheat noodles, also hit the spot.

Early January brings New Year crowds at Atsuta Shrine, one of Japan's most important Shinto sites. If you hate crowds, avoid the first few days. Plum blossom in late winter is a quiet treat.