September is Japan’s most variable month. It carries the peak of the typhoon season and the wettest stretch in Tokyo – around 225 mm across eleven days – while also delivering the first genuinely comfortable weather since June, the end of the summer crowds, and prices well below October. The first half is summer with storms; the second half is autumn.
Typhoons: the honest version
Japan’s typhoon season runs roughly August to October, and September is the peak. What that actually means for a trip:
- Most visitors are unaffected. A typhoon is a two- or three-day event affecting part of the country, not a month-long condition.
- When one does land, Japan shuts down efficiently. Shinkansen services are suspended in advance, flights are cancelled the day before, and shops and attractions close. The warning system is excellent and the advice is to follow it.
- Okinawa and Kyushu are the most exposed, then the Pacific coast including Tokyo and Osaka. Hokkaido and the Japan Sea side are least affected.
- The planning response is slack, not avoidance. Keep a spare day before an international flight, take insurance that covers weather disruption, and avoid booking tight island-hopping legs.
Weather: two halves
- Tokyo – about 28°C by day and 20°C at night, with roughly 225 mm of rain across eleven days – the wettest month of the Tokyo year, concentrated in storms rather than drizzle.
- Kyoto and Osaka – still hot into mid-month, around 28°C, easing noticeably in the last ten days.
- Hokkaido – already autumnal, cool and clear, with the earliest maple colour in the country starting at Daisetsuzan from about the third week.
- Okinawa – hot, excellent for the sea, and the most typhoon-exposed part of Japan.
- The Japan Alps – the best hiking month: cool, dry between storms, and the first colour arriving at altitude.
The turn usually comes around the equinox. Late September in Tokyo and Kyoto is a completely different proposition from early September – the humidity breaks, the evenings become pleasant, and the autumn season starts.
Autumn colour: it starts in the north
Japan’s koyo season runs from north to south over three months. September is the very beginning: Daisetsuzan in Hokkaido typically turns from around the third week, and the high Japan Alps – Tateyama, Kamikochi, Norikura – follow shortly after at altitude.
Kyoto and Tokyo do not colour until late November. If autumn leaves are the reason for the trip and your dates are in September, go north and go high.
The September holidays
- Monday 20 September 2027 – Respect for the Aged Day, the third Monday, creating a three-day weekend.
- Thursday 23 September 2027 – Autumnal Equinox Day, a public holiday, and the traditional time to visit family graves.
Because the two do not join up in 2027, there is no “Silver Week” – the extended run that occurs in years when the equinox falls midweek. That is good news: domestic travel stays manageable all month.
What September is genuinely good for
- Value. Between the Obon peak and the October–November autumn rush, it is one of the cheaper months of the second half of the year.
- Space. The summer domestic crowds are gone and the autumn foreign season has not started.
- Hiking. The Japan Alps and Hokkaido are at their best, and the Kumano Kodo and Nakasendo are comfortable again.
- Food. The autumn season begins: sanma (Pacific saury), matsutake mushrooms, new-crop rice and chestnuts.
Prices and crowds
Moderate and falling, then firming at the very end of the month as October approaches. Only the two three-day weekends around 20 and 23 September lift domestic demand, and neither is on the scale of Golden Week or Obon.
See the best time to visit Japan for the full comparison.
What to pack
Summer clothing for the first half, a light layer for the second, and a genuine rain shell rather than only an umbrella – typhoon rain comes sideways. Add walking shoes if the Alps or Hokkaido are on the itinerary. See the Japan packing list.
The September 2027 calendar
- Early September – the Mount Fuji climbing season closes; still summer in the cities.
- Through September – the peak of the typhoon season, especially in Okinawa and Kyushu.
- Around the third week – the first autumn colour at Daisetsuzan in Hokkaido.
- Monday 20 September – Respect for the Aged Day; a three-day weekend.
- Thursday 23 September – Autumnal Equinox Day, a public holiday. No Silver Week in 2027.
- Late September – the humidity breaks; the autumn season begins in the cities.
- Mid September – Kishiwada Danjiri Matsuri near Osaka, where heavy wooden floats are raced through the streets.
Read alongside
- Japan in August – Obon and the great summer festivals.
- Japan in October – the best weather of the autumn.
- Best time to visit Japan – all twelve months compared.
- Tokyo in September – the city-level version of this month.
- Hidden gems in Japan – where to go when the big sights fill up.
- Japan travel guide – regions, rail and how to combine them.
- Japan packing list – the shoulder-season version.
Frequently asked
Is September a good time to visit Japan?
The second half is very good – the humidity breaks, the crowds have gone and prices sit below October. The first half is still summer, and the whole month carries the peak of the typhoon season, so build slack into the plan.
Is September typhoon season in Japan?
It is the peak of it. Most visitors are unaffected, but when a storm lands, shinkansen services are suspended and flights cancelled. Okinawa and Kyushu are most exposed; Hokkaido least.
How much does it rain in Tokyo in September?
Around 225 mm across roughly eleven days – the wettest month of the Tokyo year. It arrives as storms rather than persistent drizzle, so days are often bright between them.
Are there autumn leaves in Japan in September?
Only in the far north and at altitude. Daisetsuzan in Hokkaido typically turns from about the third week, and the high Japan Alps follow. Kyoto and Tokyo do not colour until late November.
Is there a Silver Week in 2027?
No. Respect for the Aged Day falls on Monday 20 September and Autumnal Equinox Day on Thursday 23 September, and they do not join into a single long run, so domestic travel stays manageable.
How hot is Japan in September?
Tokyo averages about 28°C by day and 20°C at night, but that hides a sharp change: the first half is summer, and from around the equinox it becomes comfortably autumnal.
Is Japan cheap in September?
It is one of the better-value months of the second half of the year, sitting between the Obon peak and the October–November autumn rush. Rates firm up towards the very end of the month.
Should I cancel a trip because of a typhoon?
Usually not the trip, sometimes a leg of it. Japan issues warnings days ahead and suspends transport pre-emptively, so the practical step is to keep a spare day, hold flexible bookings and follow official advice when a storm is forecast.
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Written by
John Morrison is the founder and lead travel writer at Packzup. Over the past decade he has explored destinations across Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Oceania — always self-funded, never on a press trip.
