this month in japan
October 神無月
October at a glance
- The heat is finally gone. Festival floats and the first red leaves up north.
Weather
- Tokyo: 22°C / 15°C. Statistically the wettest month, at about 235mm.
- Kyoto: averages 18.4°C.
- Sapporo: 16°C / 8°C. Leaves peak around the end of the month.
- Okinawa (Naha): 28°C / 24°C. Still beach weather.
- Pack: long sleeves and a light jacket for evenings. Bring a warm coat for Hokkaido.
What's happening
- Second Monday: Sports Day.
- Early October: Nagasaki Kunchi. Dragon dances and Dutch-influenced rites at Nagasaki's harvest festival.
- 9–10 October: the autumn Takayama Festival (Hachiman Matsuri), Gifu.
- 22 October: Jidai Matsuri, Kyoto. A costume parade through a thousand years of history, ending at Heian Jingu.
What's in season
- Matsutake mushrooms, the luxury of the season.
- Chestnuts, in rice and sweets.
- Kaki, persimmons.
- Sanma, still running.
The 72 seasons
| 候 | Romaji | Meaning | From c. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 鴻雁来 | kōgan kitaru | Wild geese return | 8 Oct |
| 菊花開 | kiku no hana hiraku | Chrysanthemums bloom | 13 Oct |
| 蟋蟀在戸 | kirigirisu to ni ari | Crickets chirp at the door | 18 Oct |
| 霜始降 | shimo hajimete furu | First frost | 24 Oct |
| 霎時施 | kosame tokidoki furu | Light rains, now and then | 29 Oct |
| 楓蔦黄 | momiji tsuta kibamu | Maples and ivy turn | 3 Nov |
Crowds
October sits between the late-September holidays and November's leaf season, with no big travel peak of its own. Festival days are the exception: book Takayama and Nagasaki early.
psst,
Go north for leaves now. Hokkaido peaks about a month before Tokyo does.