At a Glance
Compared to this destination's peak season Gion Matsuri week (mid-July) is one of the busiest periods of the year — hotels book 3–4 months ahead. Daytime heat is genuinely dangerous; do temples before 9am and after 5pm.
Kyoto in Summer — Travel Guide
By Harry Nara · Last updated
Kyoto in Summer offers some of the best conditions of the year, ideal for festival seekers & photographers. Expect temperatures of 23–31°C, around 9–13 days of rain, and high crowds across the city. Daily budgets typically land around ¥10,000–18,000 for mid-range travellers. Book accommodation two to three months ahead — the most popular rooms sell out fast during peak visiting windows.
Contents16 sections
#At a Glance
Summer in Kyoto, June to August, is hot, humid and full of ritual. It opens with the rainy season, which usually arrives in early June and lifts in the second half of July; then comes the heat, among the fiercest of any Japanese city, with August afternoons around 34°C. The reward is the city's two greatest summer events: the Gion Matsuri, which fills the whole of July and peaks with the float processions on Saturday 17 and Saturday 24 July 2027, and the Gozan Okuribi, the bonfires lit on the mountains on Monday 16 August to send the spirits of the dead home. June is quiet and green; July is festive and wet; August is the hottest month and the time of Obon.
#Weather in Kyoto in Summer
Kyoto in Summer averages 23–31°C (73–88°F) with around 9–13 days of rain, and crowds are high.
| Month | Daytime high | Overnight low | Wet days | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June | About 28°C / 82°F | About 19°C / 66°F | About 13 | 7:14pm at the solstice |
| July | About 32°C / 90°F | About 24°C / 75°F | About 13 | 7:01pm by the 31st |
| August | About 34°C / 93°F | About 25°C / 77°F | About 9 | 6:26pm by the 31st |
Figures are Japan Meteorological Agency 1991–2020 normals for Kyoto.
What that actually means for your trip:
- The rainy season comes first. In an average year the tsuyu, the early-summer rains, starts around 6 June and ends around the third week of July; expect grey, damp days and some heavy downpours.
- Kyoto's heat is a basin heat. Surrounded by hills, the city traps humid air, and August afternoons above 35°C are common; the nights barely cool.
- Heatstroke is a real risk. The weather agency issues heat alerts most summers, and they are worth taking seriously.
- Typhoons can arrive from August. A storm can stop trains and close temples for a day.
Is summer a good time to visit Kyoto? It depends on what you want. June has the fewest visitors of the year, with hydrangeas and moss at their greenest in the rain. July is for the Gion Matsuri, one of Japan's great festivals, if you can live with the crowds and the humidity. August is the hardest month for sightseeing; plan early mornings and evenings, and spend the afternoons indoors.
#June to August in Kyoto
June is the quiet month. The rains begin, usually in the first week or so, and the city's gardens are at their greenest: the hydrangeas of Mimuroto-ji in Uji and the moss of Saiho-ji, by reservation only, are at their best.
On 30 June, shrines hold Nagoshi no Harae, the half-year purification, when visitors walk through a large ring of reeds. Japan has no national holiday in June.
July is the month of the Gion Matsuri, the festival of Yasaka Shrine, which runs all month.
On the evenings of 14 to 16 July and 21 to 23 July, the Yoiyama, the streets around Shijo-Karasuma close to traffic and the decorated floats stand lit with lanterns.
The great processions, the Saki Matsuri on Saturday 17 July 2027 and the Ato Matsuri on Saturday 24 July, pull the floats through the centre in the morning. See our Gion Matsuri guide.
Marine Day, Monday 19 July, is a national holiday.
August is Obon, the season of the ancestors.
Mountain Day, Wednesday 11 August, is a holiday, and families travel home for Obon in the middle of the month.
On the night of Monday 16 August, the Gozan Okuribi lights five giant bonfires on the hills around the city, among them the Daimonji character on Mount Nyoigatake, to guide the spirits back. See our Daimonji guide.
All summer, restaurants along the Kamo River in Pontocho serve dinner on raised wooden terraces, the kawadoko, and in the cooler mountain valley of Kibune the platforms sit right over the stream.
In Arashiyama, cormorant fishing, ukai, lights the Oi River with fires on summer evenings.
#What to Do in Kyoto in Summer
Solo Travellers
Visit Fushimi Inari at dawn, before the heat and the crowds, then spend the afternoon in the Kyoto National Museum or the Kyoto International Manga Museum. On a Yoiyama evening, walk the lit streets of the Gion Matsuri with the crowds.
Couples
Book a kawadoko dinner on the platforms over the stream in Kibune, several degrees cooler than the city, or on the Kamo River terraces in Pontocho. A boat trip to watch the cormorant fishing in Arashiyama is a summer evening to remember.
Families
The Kyoto Aquarium and the Kyoto Railway Museum, side by side near Kyoto Station, are cool for the hottest afternoons. In the evening, wade in the shallow stepping stones of the Kamo River at Demachiyanagi, where children play on summer nights.
Groups
Join the crowds on the Yoiyama evenings, with street food and a cold beer from the stalls, or rent yukata for an evening in Gion. A beer garden on a hotel roof is the classic summer night out.
#Getting Around
Kyoto Station is the arrival point, about 75 minutes from Kansai airport by Haruka and a little over two hours from Tokyo by Nozomi.
In the city, use the subway and the private railways where you can, the Keihan line for Gion and Fushimi, the Hankyu line and the Randen tram for Arashiyama, rather than the crowded, slow city buses; in summer, every minute on a hot bus stop counts.
Bus fares are ¥230 a ride for now, but the city intends to charge visitors more from fiscal 2027, starting in April, so a summer 2027 trip may pay the new rate. During the Gion Matsuri processions and the Yoiyama, the roads around Shijo and Karasuma close, and the buses there divert.
#Budget & Costs
| Travel style | Per day | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Budget | ¥9,000–14,000 | Hostel or capsule bed, set lunches, trains, two temples |
| Mid-range | ¥20,000–32,000 | Business hotel, restaurant meals, a kawadoko dinner |
| Luxury | ¥75,000+ | Ryokan with kaiseki, private guides |
June is among the cheapest months of the year; prices rise for the Gion Matsuri weeks in July and for Obon in mid-August.
Costs worth knowing:
| What | Price |
|---|---|
| City bus, single ride | ¥230 (visitor fare planned for fiscal 2027) |
| Subway and Bus 1-Day Pass | ¥1,100 |
| Gion Matsuri processions and Yoiyama | Free to watch |
| Gozan Okuribi | Free to watch |
| Accommodation tax | ¥200–10,000 per person per night, by room rate |
- Book Gion Matsuri hotels early, especially for the nights of 16 and 23 July.
- Kawadoko dinners are set menus and usually cost more than the same meal indoors.
- Kyoto's lodging tax is added to the bill, not included in the quoted rate.
#Food & Dining
Summer food in Kyoto is about cooling down.
Hamo, the pike conger, is the taste of the Gion Matsuri, served blanched with plum sauce; nagashi somen, cold noodles sent down a bamboo flume, is a summer treat in Kibune; and kakigori, shaved ice with matcha syrup or fruit, is sold everywhere.
Warabi mochi and cold matcha are the afternoon refreshment.
#Nightlife
Summer evenings in Kyoto are spent outdoors: on the banks of the Kamo River, where young Kyotoites gather on warm nights, at the kawadoko terraces, at the rooftop beer gardens, and in the bars and izakaya of Pontocho and Kiyamachi. During the Gion Matsuri, the stalls and crowds keep the centre busy until late.
#Shopping
Nishiki Market sells the season's pickles and sweets; the craft shops sell fans, furoshiki wrapping cloths and summer yukata.
Two monthly flea markets, at To-ji temple (the 21st) and Kitano Tenmangu shrine (the 25th), are best before the heat, from about 7am.
#Culture & Etiquette
- Leave Gion's geiko and maiko alone: no chasing for photographs, and stay out of the private alleys, where fines now apply.
- At the Gion Matsuri, do not touch the floats unless invited, and follow the instructions of the float associations.
- Carry your rubbish home; there are few public bins, even at festivals.
- Wear modest clothes in temples, even in the heat.
#Essential Local Phrases
| English | Japanese | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Hello | こんにちは | Kon-nee-chee-wa |
| It's hot, isn't it? | 暑いですね | A-tsoo-ee des-ne |
| Shaved ice, please | かき氷をください | Ka-kee-goh-ree o koo-da-sai |
| Water, please | お水をください | O-mee-zoo o koo-da-sai |
| Where is the station? | 駅はどこですか | Eh-kee wa doh-ko des-ka? |
| Thank you | ありがとうございます | A-ree-ga-toh go-zai-mas |
| Excuse me | すみません | Soo-mee-ma-sen |
| Festival | 祭り | Ma-tsoo-ree |
#Packing List
- Light, breathable clothes, with shoulders covered for temples
- A compact umbrella for the rainy season and the sun
- A hat, sunglasses and high-factor sunscreen
- A small towel; Japanese visitors carry one in summer
- A refillable water bottle and electrolyte drinks
- Shoes that slip off easily for temples
- A folding fan
#Backup Plans (Rainy Days)
Rainy-season days suit the indoor sights, the national museum, the railway museum and the roofed arcade of Nishiki, or a tea ceremony; the moss gardens and the hydrangeas are at their most beautiful in the rain.
If a heat alert is issued: plan outdoor sights for early morning and evening, and spend the afternoon in museums, department stores or cafés.
If a typhoon is forecast: follow the weather warnings, stay indoors, and expect trains to stop until it passes.
#Safety & Health
Crime is not the concern in Kyoto; heat is. Drink water and electrolytes all day, rest in air-conditioned places in the afternoon, and watch for dizziness and headaches. In the crowds of the Gion Matsuri and the Okuribi, keep children close and agree a meeting point.
Emergency: 110 for police, 119 for fire and ambulance.
#What's New for Summer 2027
- The Gion Matsuri processions are on Saturday 17 and Saturday 24 July 2027
- The Gozan Okuribi lights the hills on Monday 16 August
- Marine Day is Monday 19 July, and Mountain Day Wednesday 11 August
- Kyoto's visitor bus fare is planned for fiscal 2027, from April
- The lodging tax rises with the room price, to a maximum of ¥10,000 a night
#About This Guide
By Harry Nara (founder of WhenToWander), updated October 2026 for summer 2027. Climate figures are Japan Meteorological Agency 1991–2020 normals for Kyoto. Dates and prices verified against:
- Gion Matsuri for the festival schedule
- Japan Meteorological Agency for the rainy season
- Cabinet Office, Japan for the 2027 national holidays
- Kyoto City Tourism for the Gozan Okuribi
- City of Kyoto for the accommodation tax
For each month in detail, see Kyoto in June, Kyoto in July and Kyoto in August.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kyoto worth visiting in summer despite the heat?
Yes, for the Gion Matsuri in July and the Gozan Okuribi on 16 August, and for June’s quiet, green gardens. Expect humid heat, with August highs around 34°C. Sightsee early and in the evening, and spend the afternoons indoors.
When is the Gion Matsuri in 2027?
All July. The Yoiyama evenings, with the lit floats, are 14 to 16 and 21 to 23 July, and the great processions are the Saki Matsuri on Saturday 17 July and the Ato Matsuri on Saturday 24 July 2027.
How hot does Kyoto get in summer?
Average highs are about 28°C in June, 32°C in July and 34°C in August, with nights of 19–25°C and high humidity. Kyoto’s basin traps the heat, and afternoons above 35°C are common in August; follow the heatstroke alerts.
What is the rainy season (tsuyu) like in Kyoto?
In an average year it starts around 6 June and ends in the third week of July, with grey, humid days and some heavy downpours. It is the quietest time for the temples, and the moss gardens and hydrangeas are at their best.
How much does it cost to visit Kyoto in Summer?
Budget-conscious travellers can expect daily costs of ¥10,000–18,000, covering accommodation, food, and local transport. Prices climb during peak weeks — book early to lock in the lower end of this range.