Surviving Summer Heat in Japan
The most common feedback of people who traveled Japan in July or August is about how hard it can be to endure the heat at this time of the year. Summer in Japan is indeed sweltering, with a high humidity rate until September. The country is also used to operate in these high temperatures, and the population is constantly adapting and innovating, coming up with new anti-heat gadgets every year.
High Temperatures and heat records in Japan
In the Japanese summer, temperatures can frequently reach and even exceed 104°F (40°C) in the shade, and consequently even hotter under direct sunlight. At night, temperatures may not drop below 86°F (30°C) for a couple of nights and even longer (such nights are called 熱帯夜 nettaiya, "tropical nights").
Since 1898 and the first nationwide temperature readings, the archipelago suffered several heat waves (猛暑 mosho in Japanese) with a neat increase of such episodes since 2018. Consequently, sunstrokes and heat strokes (熱中症 necchusho) cause several hundreds to several thousands of people to be hospitalized every year, especially in the elderly population (70 years and older). Additionally, Japanese summer is both becoming hotter and longer.
The Japanese Meteorogical Agency (JMA) has established a scale and specific terms to warn the population of high summer temperatures:
- ☀️ 77°F (25°C) and above: 夏日 natsu-bi, "summer day";
- 😎 86°F (30°C) and above: 真夏日 manatsu-bi, "full summer day;
- 🥵 95°F (35°F) and above: 猛暑日 mosho-bi, "extreme heat day" (term added in 2007);
- 🫠 104°F (40°C) and above: 酷暑日 kokusho-bi, "cruelly hot day" (term added in 2025).
2025, one of Japan’s hottest years
To this day, summer 2025 was the hottest summer ever recorded in Japan, with nationwide average temperatures 4,23°F (2,36°C) above the normal average. Moreover, the year 2025 (+2,214°F / 1,23°C) is the 3rd hottest year in Japan after 2023 (+2,322°F / 1,29°C) and 2024 (+ 2,664°F / 1,48°C).
The archipelago’s current absolute heat record is 105,8°F (41,8°C), recorded on 2025, August 5 in Isesaki, Gunma prefecture, that has become Japan’s hottest city in Japan to this day.
The table below sums up the highest temperatures measured in Japan:
As for big touristic cities:
- The highest temperature read in Tokyo prefecture ever is 104°F (40,8°C) recorded on 2018, July 23 in Ome, a city located about 45 km away from the west of the capital.
- On 2018, July 19, Kyoto reached for the 2nd time 102,2°F (39,8°C) (a record first established on 1994, August 8) and suffered 7 consecutive days above 100,4°F (38°C).
- With 104°F (40,3°C), Nagoya also hit a record on 2018, August 3.
- The heat record in Osaka is 102,2°F (39,1°C), measured in August 1994.
Such heat, especially combined with the humidity of Japanese summer, can be very hard to bear for for Western tourists. It is all the more difficult as after the rainy season tsuyu ☔️, rain is scarce during the 2 summer months, despite a high humidity rate, between 70% and 80% (sometimes more) making the atmosphere even more heavier.
Useful travel tips for Japanese summer
We recommend doing your homework before going to Japan and find out how the Japanese cope with their summer. If traveling in Japan in summer, you will indeed sweat a lot. And while it is very hot, it is not intolerable, even if you need to take into account your tolerance to humid heat, but it should not prevent you from enjoying Japan.
We listed the best pieces of advice to endure the summer heat, especially in late July and early August, and avoid as much as possible the syndromes of 夏バテ natsubate or 暑気中り shokiatari, the exhaustion and weariness due to summer.
👘 Wear clothes that are light, loose and covering
In summer, the Japanese, especially women, tend to even cover their arms, with long anti-UV gloves or by wearing a yukata, which is the traditional summer outfit in place of the heavier kimono 👘. Since a few years ago, salary-men can now switch to a "summer wear", a style allowing short-sleeve shirts and dropping off the tie.
Sun is scorching, so we recommend wearing clothes that are both loose and light, preferably made of natural materials such as cotton or linen, and of clear colors. For example, Uniqlo has developed the "Dry" / "AIRism" technical collections at affordable prices that are adapted to Japan’s high heat with an integrated UV protection, and quick-dry fabrics.
Make sure to use a hat or a cap, sunglasses, but don’t bother with too many accessories, especially jewels and make-up: prefer light-texture skincare, that is waterproof and with a high SPF. A mosquito repellent may also prove useful. Bring your own deodorant, preferably with a neutral perfume, as it can be difficult to find a suitable one in Japan.
Wear comfortable, breathable shoes, even open-toe shoes, bearing in mind that feet and ankles may swell due to the heat. Always bring a clean pair of socks in case you visit a place with traditional tatami flooring (mainly temples and authentic castles 🏯) that may require taking off shoes at the entrance.
🪭 Use the Japanese cooling gadgets
True to their usual unbothered attitude, Japanese people don’t really show how much they are suffering from the heat. As a matter of fact, their bodies might certainly be more used to humid heatwaves, but they also equip accordingly for the summer fight that can last several months:
- They prefer using an umbrella rather than just wearing a hat, as its bigger surface offers a better protection against UV-rays and heat, and it is not dirtied by sweat. They can also clip a hand fan to the umbrella for a better cool air effect (cooling umbrella).
- Handheld fans have been everywhere for a few years now and are the successors of the traditional Japanese foldable fan. In 2025, fans fitted with a Peltier cooling metal plate have become a widespread item. The plate cools down when subjected to an electric current. 2025’s fans introduced the plate at the center of the device, or on the side so as to provide a cool contact directly to the skin. That is why many users place their fan on their skin to emphasize the cold sensation.
- Jackets with battery-powered fan are also quite popular, first with people working outdoors (from construction workers to postmen). The air circulates along the body and is ejected around the neck and arms. It helps relieve sweating but doesn’t have a cooling effect.
- Cooling towels, soaked in alcohol or in similar refreshing product, have become widespread consumption items. Each brands has various types and it can be necessary to try several to find the most suitable. They are used in place of terry towels (ハンカチ hankachi) that become unusable after a few days; or microfiber towels that, while improving the heat exchange in the neck area when moistened, also quickly deteriorate after a few days of use.
- Neck coolers help release heat around the neck area and were trendy in 2024 but they have lost a lot of their appeal. They are quite efficient but only for a very short time as they warm to the skin temperature (even if pre-cooled in a freezer): a thing to take into account when being exposed to heat for several hours.
- Menthol sprays have developed recently and are frequently used: they are sprayed on clothes for a cooling feeling and even hide sweaty odors if necessary. They also exist as wipes.
- Cooling gel patches (冷却ジェルシート reikaku gel sheet) placed on the forehead immediately relieve the symptoms of a heat stroke and of fever.
The cooling gadgets are also used to help children endure high temperatures during the many sport competitions taking place at this time of the year. They are easy to find in konbini, ¥100 shops and drugstores throughout Japan.
On a side note, the tinkling sound of the many 風鈴 furin 🎐 wind chimes decorating Japanese houses in summer provide a cooling effect at psychological level.
💧 Stay hydrated
In summer, drinking water frequently is necessary to stay hydrated throughout the day. True to its reputation of a convenient country, Japan has konbini and vending machines at every street corner, especially in larger cities. Allow from ¥80 to ¥160 (~US$0.51 to ~US$1.02) on average for a large choice of cold beverages, from simple water to fun drinks, including a large array of teas or freshly made smoothies to take away.
We recommend drinking both water and hydrating or isotonic drinks that contain essential electrolytes often lost in perspiration. The most popular brands in Japan are Pocari Sweat and Aquarius.
Another tip is to bring a water or tea bottle with ice cubes in your backpack. The ice cubes will help retain coolness for a longer time. Make sure to drink a lot: 2 to 3 liters per day and per person is the bare minimum.
If thinking of spending one or several long days of outdoor visits, and outside the cities, especially with children, insulated or cooler backpacks are the way to go. A backpack such as this one, completed with cold accumulators can fit the bill for a whole day.
🍧 Enjoy Japanese summer food
Japanese cuisine has a range of dishes totally adapted to hot weather and we can only recommend to try its iconic summer dishes, cold or hot, such as:
- The usual sushi 🍣 and sashimi, with seasonal raw fish or seafood;
- Cold noodle dishes, like zaru soba and nagashi-somen that are served in freshly cut bamboo containers;
- Unagi eels, grilled in the kabayaki style, that are said to help endure the heat; to enjoy especially on the day of the Ox in summer (土用の丑の日 Doyo no Ushi no Hi) that falls on July 26 in 2026 (then July 21 and August 2nd in 2027); as well as,
- A large panel of kakigori 🍧 shaved iced, refreshing traditional low-sugar pastries or umeboshi pickled plums.
❄️ Take advantage of air conditioning
Air conditioning (エアコン aircon or A/C in Japanese) is somehow a requirement and fortunately a common fixture in Japan. When choosing an accommodation, it is strongly recommended to book only air-conditioned places for the whole duration of your stay in Japan.
In practice, avoid setting the cool air more than 9°F (5°C) below the outdoor temperature. Onsen ♨️ hot baths are also to be avoided, unless you want to try the cold baths called 水風呂 mizu-buro!
On the scorching heat days, prefer planing an indoor visit and roam museums, stores and shopping malls to enjoy their air conditioning. Trains 🚅 are usually climatized, but for a more comfortable use we recommend riding them outside the Japanese workers’ morning and evening rush hours.
🕖 Adjust the time of outdoor visits
We recommend to plan outdoor visits at the coolest hours whenever possible, for example:
- Early in the morning, from 6-8 a.m., to enjoy traditional sites such as temples and shrines that open from sunrise and are not climatized;
- In the evening from 8 p.m., when the sun is set to walk the historical districts and city-centers.
Note that the daylight period might be significantly different than in your country. In Tokyo, sun rises around 4:30 a.m. and sets at 7 p.m. Going west and south, the hours shift to a little bit later.
Make sure to take frequent breaks in climatized places such as konbini and cafes and also for hydration. Several outdoor mist systems have been installed for summer in Tokyo, especially in touristic areas such as Asakusa and Ginza.
Families with children may look for small urban aquatic parks called 水遊び mizuasobi, that are often found in residential neighborhoods, and in places such as the new Grand Green Osaka complex in Umeda. They make an interesting and free solution for kids to easily cool down while having fun with water.
🎆 Go to one of the many summer matsuri
Summer in Japan is the season of festivals (matsuri), with a lively ambiance, delicious yatai food stalls and majestic fireworks 🎆. Many matsuri take place in July and August, in the countryside as well as in big cities, gathering the population for a fun time and to temporarily forget the scorching summer heat.
They are usually hosted after sunset (Mitama Matsuri, Tanabata 🎋 and Tenjin Matsuri), and when on the daytime water is splashed on participants and bystanders alike to cool them down, such as in Fukagawa Hachiman Matsuri.
On another note, Tokyo’s beer 🍺 gardens are set up in the open-air and on the rooftops of high buildings to make the most of the cool of the night.
⛰️ Go to mountain destinations and to the north of Japan
Whenever they can, the Japanese take a couple of days in summer to flee from central Japan’s metropolis and try enjoying the cooler nature under the shades of the trees, preferably in altitude or on the seaside for the wind. Here is a selection of the best destinations where to find naturally cooler places when traveling summer Japan:
- Hokkaido located at the northernmost end of Japan (average temperature in summer is around 78,8°F / 26°C), with blooming lavender and sunflower fields in summer, and its beautiful national parks for hiking;
- The northern Tohoku area, easily accessible by Shinkansen, where temperatures are always more lenient than in Tokyo, on average below 86°F (30°C);
- The north-western coast of Kyushu island (Fukuoka, Saga and Nagasaki) has a quite windy weather and is therefore more enjoyable than the south: Kagoshima and Ibusuki can be very hot, and Beppu in the east feels like a slow cooker due to its many hot springs;
- Hiking in the Japanese mountains, starting by the ascension of Mount Fuji whose trails are open only in summer, with nearly 32°F (0°C) at the top. While the mountains surrounding Kyoto contribute to make the city stuffy in summer, the top of the forestry mounts of Kurama and Kibune retain a lot of coolness and are home to beautiful visits;
- All the water-themed excursions, such as aquatic attraction parks like Yomiuriland, beaches 🏖 of the Izu peninsula or the Boso peninsula in Chiba, on the shores of Lake Biwa, and the river banks specifically arranged to enjoy freshwater.
Not all travelers have the same resistance to Japanese summer heat: expatriates for example often say that they start to get used to it only after a few years. Going prepared is the best way to fully enjoy your trip to Japan even in summer. People with fragile health, on the other hand, may choose another season, more suitable to their condition, to discover Japan.