When to go · Kyoto
Kyoto in May
Great month. Avoid Golden Week (late Apr–early May).
Key facts
- Verdict
- Great
- Temperature
- 25°C (77°F)77°F (25°C) / 14°C (57°F)57°F (14°C)
- average high / low
- Rain days
- 10
- Crowds
- Medium
- Japan overall
- Prices
- Medium
- Japan overall
Verdict
Avoid Golden Week (late Apr–early May).
All twelve months in one grid — weather, crowds and prices, with gaps left as unknown.
Is another month better than May?
No other month rates higher than May for Kyoto in this guide.
Weather in May
- KyotoHighs around 25 °C (77 °F), lows around 14 °C (57 °F), rain on about 10 daysHighs around 77 °F (25 °C), lows around 57 °F (14 °C), rain on about 10 days
- Honshū cities, Japan · Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshimabest weather
Rainy season June to mid-July; humid heat July–August; typhoon risk peaks in September.
Spring season
Plum in early March, cherry blossom late March to early April along the Philosopher's Path and Maruyama Park, Aoi Matsuri parade on 15 May.
Watch: Blossom weeks: rooms cost double and temples are packed.
Festivals and holidays
Dates as our data lists them. Moving holidays (lunar and Islamic calendars, Easter) shift every year: check the date for your year before you build a trip on it.
Aoi Matsuri
May 15
Procession closes streets from the Imperial Palace to Shimogamo and Kamigamo.
Golden Week big impact
29 Apr – 5 May · Japan
The biggest domestic travel week: Shinkansen reserved cars and hotels sell out; prices up.
Crowds and prices
- Crowds · Japan overall
- Medium
- Prices · Japan overall
- Medium
- Room rates · Kyoto
- Normal
- 1–6 May Golden Week peak; Aoi Matsuri 15 May.
Japan overall: After Golden Week, one of the best months: warm, green, calmer.
Compare two months
Weather, crowds and prices for any two months in Kyoto, side by side.
Verdict
May: Great
Oct: Great
Daytime high
May: 25 °C (77 °F)77 °F (25 °C)
Oct: 23 °C (73 °F)73 °F (23 °C)
Night low
May: 14 °C (57 °F)57 °F (14 °C)
Oct: 14 °C (57 °F)57 °F (14 °C)
Rain days
May: 10
Oct: 9 (better)
Crowds
May: Medium
Oct: Medium
Prices
May: Medium
Oct: Medium
Room prices
May: Normal
Oct: Normal
Festivals listed
May: 2
Oct: 1
May: Avoid Golden Week (late Apr–early May).
October: Comfortable walking weather.
Kyoto: figures are long-term averages from this guide, not a forecast.
What to pack
- A rain jacket or umbrella and shoes that dry fast