When’s the best time to come to Japan?

⛩I know. A trip to the grocery store is about as much of a vacation as anyone is getting right now. But while we’re waiting for it to be safe and fun to travel again, wouldn’t you like to think about when’s the best time to take that trip to Japan you were looking forward to for so long?

The good news is, missing the cherry blossoms might just be a golden opportunity to experience some of the secretly undiscovered stuff that nobody has seen yet (but will want to, after they see your killer pix!) Travel planners are so obsessed with sending people to see the pink things, they overlook countless other fantastic Japan experiences that happen at other times of year, without the crowds. Just for starters…

Here are twenty-six reasons that’ll make you’ll be happy you missed the cherry blossoms

JANUARY

Demon mask at the setagaya boroichi lea market — **Setagaya Boroichi,** **the mother of all Japanese flea markets**, happens every year on January 15-16. This market is so vast, it takes a whole day to walk through it, and you can buy everything from vintage kimonos to a home shrine to antique wooden sweets molds, for bargain prices

**Tokyo Auto Salon** is like no car show you’ve ever seen, anywhere in the world

Nighttime illuminations at Yomiuriland — There aren’t any flowers blooming yet in January, but for sheer eye-candy extravaganza, you can’t beat the **winter illuminations** that bloom after dark in January

FEBRUARY

Kimono fabric draped along canal in Nakai at some-no-komichi festival — The cloth dyeing district of Tokyo sponsors a great event called **Some-no-komichi** in February, where **miles of canals are festooned with lengths of gorgeous kimono cloth**

Ever been to a **funeral for pins and needles**? You should.

Plum blossoms in full bloom at Hama Rikyu Teien — These aren’t cherry blossoms! These fragrant **plum trees** bloom gloriously in February. See all the crowds? Me neither.

MARCH

Hina Matsuri dolls on Girls' Day in Katsuura — Girls’ Day is March 3rd, and the Hina Matsuri **doll displays** are epic

Kanzakura early blooming cherry trees in full bloom at Shinjuku Gyoen — If you come before The Official Season, you can see the **early blooming cherries** like these, at Shinjuku Gyō-en. Still amazing, but no crowds, just sayin’

APRIL

Big and little sumo wrestlers at an amateur tournament at the Yasukuni Shrine — The best-kept secret in Tokyo is that there’s a **FREE amateur sumo tournament** at the Yasukuni Shrine every April, and there’s nothing better than watching kids (from nipper-sized to the big kahunas) compete in the shrine’s outdoor amphitheater

Azaleas in full bloom at the Ni-no-Maru imperial palace gardens — If you thought cherry blossoms would knock your socks off, you haven’t seen the **azaleas**. They bloom in awesome gardens all over Tokyo after the cherry blossoms are history

MAY

The **Sanja Matsuri** festival in Asakusa (mid-May) is the biggest, rowdiest three-day extravaganza you’ll see in Tokyo all year. An endless number of portable shrines are paraded through the streets, with each team trying to outdo the next

If you didn’t think that **wisteria** could ever rival the cherry blossoms, think again. This is *one plant*

Read on: More reasons to come to Japan in MAY

JUNE

Beer Mount beer garden on Mt. Takao at twilight — Is there anything nicer than a beer garden at the top of a mountain in summertime, looking out over the lights of Tokyo?

Japanese iris in bloom — June is when the famous **Japanese iris gardens** bloom, and you can still go see the places that were featured in famous woodblock prints!

Read on: More reasons to come to Japan in JUNE

JULY

Lanterns floating on Shinobazu pond at the toro nagashi ceremony — Lanterns float across the Shinobazu pond during the *toro nagashi* ceremony in July

Lotus in bloom at Sankeien garden — **Lotus**-spotting is the best flower sport of July, with the sacred blooms as big as dinner plates opening fresh every morning in all the gardens

AUGUST

Fireworks over Kawaguchiko — Summer means **fireworks** in Japan, and there are incredible shows nearly every weekend in August, at which they shoot off over 35,000 “fire flowers.” You’ve never seen colors and combinations like these, and it’s also a great chance to see both men and women dressed up in summer kimonos

Japanese garden in summertime at Shinjuku Gyoen — You’ve never experienced the serenity of a **Japanese garden** until you’ve strolled through one in the summertime, and sipped a bowl of green tea at the teahouse

SEPTEMBER

Higanbana in full bloom at Kinchakuda near Koma — Always wanted to walk through an enchanted forest? These native red amaryllis known as higanbana bloom for miles and miles, in mindboggling profusion, at this preserve near Tokyo, for a few days right around the autumn solstice

OCTOBER

Two cat cosplayers at the Bake Neko cat parade — The **Bakeneko Crazy Cat parade** serves up all the choice cat cosplays you can imagine

At the **Oeshiki Ikegami** festival of 10,000 lanterns, three thousand people dance and parade through the streets, bearing lit-up, flower-garlanded pagodas

Japanese garden with autumn leaves — **Autumn leaves**? Yes, please! You haven’t lived until you’ve seen a Japanese garden blazing with fall color

NOVEMBER

Art piece lit up at the Yokohama Smart Illumination — Where else can you pedal an exercise bike and light up a piece of art? The **Yokohama Smart Illumination** turns the entire waterfront into an interactive gallery for three days

Bonsai chrysanthemum figures at the Yushima shrine — **Bonsai chrysanthemums.** Yep, they’re A Thing in November.

DECEMBER

The New Year’s Eve **fox parade** begins at midnight. If you’re not there, you’ll have REGRETS

And just a personal note: I hope you’ll consider coming to Japan sometime other than cherry blossom season. Not only do I tell my friends that I’d rather take them to see things that are so much more interesting than the cherry blossoms, there are lots of fabulous restaurants and other businesses dependent on tourism that are going to be hit devastatingly hard by this virus shutdown. If you come back sooner then next cherry blossom season, I guarantee you’ll be welcomed with open arms and much gratitude, just for coming to enjoy the most amazing country on earth.

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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Last Tea Bowl Thief was chosen as an Editor’s Pick for Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense on Amazon

For three hundred years, a missing tea bowl passes from one fortune-seeker to the next, changing the lives of all who possess it…*read more*

“A fascinating mix of history and mystery.” —Booklist

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Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, produces the monthly e-magazine Japanagram, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had

When’s the best time to come to Japan?

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