May was Kyoto's busiest month in 2025, with 9.5% of its year's guest nights. 8 prefectures in Japan had May weather close to Kyoto's and a less crowded May, as a share of their own year: Osaka, Kochi, Nagoya and more. The closest was Osaka, with an average high of 24.9 °C against 25.1 °C.
8 quieter places with similar May weather
Each place below had an average high within 2 °C and rainy days within 3 of Kyoto's in May, in a different prefecture, and May took a smaller share of its 2025 guest nights than May did of Kyoto's.21 Closest weather first.
| Place | Average high | Rainy days | Rain | Share of its year in May | Its busiest month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Osaka | 24.9 °C | 9.5 days | 136 mm | 9.1% | August |
| Kochi | 24.8 °C | 9.9 days | 280 mm | 9.0% | August |
| Nagoya, Aichi | 24.6 °C | 9.7 days | 150 mm | 8.5% | August |
| Yamaguchi | 24.9 °C | 9.2 days | 197 mm | 8.6% | August |
| Kagoshima | 25.5 °C | 9.4 days | 205 mm | 8.6% | November |
| Gifu | 24.7 °C | 10.1 days | 193 mm | 8.3% (quieter than average) | August |
| Maebashi, Gunma | 24.2 °C | 9.5 days | 99 mm | 8.2% (quieter than average) | August |
| Miyazaki | 24.6 °C | 10.5 days | 228 mm | 8.8% | August |
Weather: 1991–2020 averages at each city's weather station (World Meteorological Organization normals in Europe, Japan Meteorological Agency in Japan); a rainy day has at least 1 mm of rain. The share is of the place's whole country or prefecture.
Kyoto in May: what we matched against
Kyoto is the weather station on our Kyoto page. In May it averages a high of 25.1 °C, a low of 14.5 °C, 151 mm of rain and 9.7 rainy days. May carried 9.5% of Kyoto's 2025 guest nights; its quietest month was February (6.3%).
Other months, or another starting place: try the similar-but-quieter finder. Month by month for Kyoto: weather in Kyoto.
The places, one by one
- Osaka: May average high 24.9 °C (−0.2 °C against Kyoto), 9.5 rainy days; May was 9.1% of Osaka's year, against 9.5% of Kyoto's, and its busiest month was August.
- Kochi: May average high 24.8 °C (−0.3 °C against Kyoto), 9.9 rainy days; May was 9.0% of Kochi's year, against 9.5% of Kyoto's, and its busiest month was August.
- Nagoya, Aichi: May average high 24.6 °C (−0.5 °C against Kyoto), 9.7 rainy days; May was 8.5% of Aichi's year, against 9.5% of Kyoto's, and its busiest month was August.
- Yamaguchi: May average high 24.9 °C (−0.2 °C against Kyoto), 9.2 rainy days; May was 8.6% of Yamaguchi's year, against 9.5% of Kyoto's, and its busiest month was August.
- Kagoshima: May average high 25.5 °C (+0.4 °C against Kyoto), 9.4 rainy days; May was 8.6% of Kagoshima's year, against 9.5% of Kyoto's, and its busiest month was November.
- Gifu: May average high 24.7 °C (−0.4 °C against Kyoto), 10.1 rainy days; May was 8.3% of Gifu's year (quieter than average), against 9.5% of Kyoto's, and its busiest month was August.
- Maebashi, Gunma: May average high 24.2 °C (−0.9 °C against Kyoto), 9.5 rainy days; May was 8.2% of Gunma's year (quieter than average), against 9.5% of Kyoto's, and its busiest month was August.
- Miyazaki: May average high 24.6 °C (−0.5 °C against Kyoto), 10.5 rainy days; May was 8.8% of Miyazaki's year, against 9.5% of Kyoto's, and its busiest month was August.
What this cannot tell you
- Quieter is relative. A quieter month is a smaller share of that place's own year, not fewer visitors than somewhere else.
- One weather station per city. Coasts, mountains and city centres differ; these are long-term averages, not a forecast.
- Country and prefecture totals. How busy a month is comes from the whole country or prefecture, not the city.
- 2025 only. One year of visits; events and holidays move between years.
- Not a recommendation. The list says where the weather and the timing line up, not where you would enjoy more.
Key takeaways
- May was Kyoto's busiest month of 2025 (9.5% of the year).
- Closest weather in a quieter month: Osaka.
- 8 prefectures in Japan matched our rule for May.
- What we would skip: choosing on this list alone. Open each place, check its holidays and the dates you have in mind.
Sources
Visits come from the Japan Tourism Agency and the weather from the Japan Meteorological Agency, copied from each place's own page, where every source is cited in full. See how we research.
- Source: 「宿泊旅行統計調査」（観光庁） (Overnight Travel Statistics Survey, Japan Tourism Agency), 2025 annual figures (final), tables 2 and 8 and reference table 1, published 6 July 2026. Survey page · workbook. Accessed 17 September 2026. Licensed under the Public Data License 1.0 (PDL1.0).
- Weather in Japan: 出典：気象庁ホームページ（過去の気象データ検索）. Japan Meteorological Agency, 1991–2020 normals for the station named for each prefecture (the same station its prefecture page uses, where the page links the station's own table): daily maximum and minimum temperature, precipitation and days with at least 1.0 mm of precipitation (降水量の階級日数). Accessed 22 September 2026. Licensed under PDL1.0. 気象庁「平年値」を加工して作成 — edited by Traveloffsy (English wording, selection and rounding).
We matched, sorted and rounded the figures ourselves, and the rule for a match is ours; the agencies have not checked or endorsed these pages. Shares are rounded once, to one decimal.