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The climate of Japan, due to the conformation of the country’s territory, varies considerably both on the basis of latitude and on the position with respect to the seas. In addition, the climate of Japan is also influenced by the presence of the mass of the Asian continent and by altitude. The Japanese archipelago is laid out from north to south and is surrounded by the Pacific ocean in the east and the Japanese sea in the west.
The northern part of the country has warm summers, but also very long and cold winters with frequent snowfalls affected by the Siberian climate. The Central Japan has hot, humid summers and short winters, while the southern part of the country has a climate characterized by hot, long and very humid summers and mild winters.
The monsoons bring rain rather abundant, usually with annual averages above 1,200 mm, but in the south reach 2,000 mm. The rainy season begins in May in the far south of the country (Okinawa), while in other regions most rains are between June and October, during this period falls about 70/80% of the precipitation, the months between August and October are also those of typhoons.
In winter, the Siberian air masses cause a significant drop in temperatures across the country, with heavy snow in the central mountainous areas, particularly on the mountain ranges facing the Sea of Japan, by contrast along the coast of the Pacific Ocean in winter there are low temperatures but clear skies.
WHEN TO GO TO JAPAN?
The best time for a trip to Japan are the intermediate seasons, spring and autumn, in spring you can admire the flowering trees, while in autumn the woods due to the change of color of the leaves presented in their most fascinating aspect. Is to avoid the period between June and August, humid and muggy. Winter is cold but it is also the season in which you are most likely to have sunny days.
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JAPAN CLIMATE: CLIMATIC TABLES
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| TOKYO – ŌTEMACHI (3 meters) | ||||
| Month | Average low (°C) | Average high (°C) | Precip. (mm) | Precip. days (snowy days) |
| January | 0,9 | 9,6 | 52,3 | 5,3 (2,8) |
| February | 1,7 | 10,4 | 56,1 | 6,2 (3,7) |
| March | 4,4 | 13,6 | 117,5 | 11,0 (2,2) |
| April | 9,4 | 19,0 | 124,5 | 11,0 (0,2) |
| May | 14,0 | 22,9 | 137,8 | 11,4 |
| June | 18,0 | 25,5 | 167,7 | 12,7 |
| July | 21,8 | 29,2 | 153,5 | 11,8 |
| August | 23,0 | 30,8 | 168,2 | 9,0 |
| September | 19,7 | 26,9 | 209,9 | 12,2 |
| October | 14,2 | 21,5 | 197,8 | 10,8 |
| November | 8,3 | 16,3 | 92,5 | 7,6 |
| December | 3,5 | 11,9 | 51,0 | 4,9 (0,8) |
| YEAR | 11,6 | 19,8 | 1528,8 | 114,0 (9,7) |
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| SAPPORO (32 meters) | ||||
| Month | Average low (°C) | Average high (°C) | Precip. (mm) | Precip. days (snowy days) |
| January | -7,0 | -0,6 | 113,6 | 21,8 (28,8) |
| February | -6,6 | 0,1 | 94,0 | 19,0 (25,4) |
| March | -2,9 | 4,0 | 77,8 | 18,5 (23,5) |
| April | 3,2 | 11,5 | 56,8 | 11,7 (6,4) |
| May | 8,3 | 17,3 | 53,1 | 10,2 (0,1) |
| June | 12,9 | 21,5 | 46,8 | 8,3 |
| July | 17,3 | 24,9 | 81,0 | 9,7 |
| August | 19,1 | 26,4 | 123,8 | 9,5 |
| September | 14,2 | 22,4 | 135,2 | 11,1 |
| October | 7,5 | 16,2 | 108,7 | 13,9 (1,2) |
| November | 1,3 | 8,5 | 104,1 | 17,5 (13,9) |
| December | -4,1 | 2,1 | 111,7 | 19,2 (26,5) |
| YEAR | 5,3 | 12,9 | 1106,5 | 170,3 (125,9) |
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| SENDAI (44 meters) | ||||
| Month | Average low (°C) | Average high (°C) | Precip. (mm) | Precip. days (snowy days) |
| January | -1,7 | 5,3 | 37,0 | 7,2 (20,8) |
| February | -1,5 | 5,9 | 38,4 | 7,2 (17,7) |
| March | 0,9 | 9,2 | 68,2 | 9,4 (11,3) |
| April | 6,1 | 15,0 | 97,6 | 9,5 (1,5) |
| May | 11,1 | 19,4 | 109,9 | 10,7 (0,1) |
| June | 15,5 | 22,3 | 145,6 | 12,9 |
| July | 19,5 | 25,7 | 179,4 | 15,7 |
| August | 21,4 | 27,9 | 166,9 | 12,2 |
| September | 17,6 | 24,4 | 187,5 | 13,4 |
| October | 11,2 | 19,4 | 122,0 | 9,2 |
| November | 5,2 | 13,7 | 65,1 | 8,0 (2,5) |
| December | 0,9 | 8,4 | 36,6 | 6,7 (12,7) |
| YEAR | 8,9 | 16,4 | 1254,1 | 122,1 (66,5) |
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SEA WATER TEMPERATURES
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| TOKYO | ||||
| Month | Sea Water Temperature °C | |||
| January | 18 | |||
| February | 17 | |||
| March | 17 | |||
| April | 18 | |||
| May | 20 | |||
| June | 23 | |||
| July | 25 | |||
| August | 27 | |||
| September | 26 | |||
| October | 24 | |||
| November | 21 | |||
| December | 19 | |||
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| SHIKOKU ISLAND | ||||
| Month | Sea Water Temperature °C | |||
| January | 18 | |||
| February | 17 | |||
| March | 18 | |||
| April | 19 | |||
| May | 21 | |||
| June | 23 | |||
| July | 27 | |||
| August | 28 | |||
| September | 27 | |||
| October | 24 | |||
| November | 22 | |||
| December | 20 | |||
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| OKINAWA ISLAND | ||||
| Month | Sea Water Temperature °C | |||
| January | 22 | |||
| February | 22 | |||
| March | 22 | |||
| April | 23 | |||
| May | 25 | |||
| June | 27 | |||
| July | 29 | |||
| August | 29 | |||
| September | 28 | |||
| October | 27 | |||
| November | 25 | |||
| December | 24 | |||
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