Japan is a beautiful country, many even call it fabulous. Ancient traditions and culture, fantastic landscapes ... The climate is also peculiar in Japan. Thanks to the latter, this country is different from the whole world.
Seasons in Japan
The climatic year in this state is clearly divided into four seasons. Ask about what's unusual in this? Just each of the four seasons has its own specific features.
And it is important to know, for example, tourists or fishermen and sailors. The best time to visit Japan is in spring and autumn. Next, you'll find out why. In general, the inhabitants of this country since ancient times have divided the year into twenty-four seasons, each of which has its own name and color scheme.
Japan climate description
Since the state is very stretched from north to south, this could not but affect the weather. Rather, on the climate. An important factor is that Japan is an island nation. And so in winter it is purged by a monsoon from the mainland. The latter can bring Siberian frosts to the island. This is especially true for the north of the country. There is snow throughout the winter. Precipitation in general for the island is very characteristic, thanks to the winds. And they fall very plentifully, including in the winter. For the most part, this applies to the islands of Honshu and Hokkaido, where the mountains of Hida become in the path of the winds. On the slopes of the latter, by the way, is much drier from the Pacific Ocean.
Spring begins in March, when the trees bloom. Plums are the first to blossom, followed by peaches. But all the Japanese are looking forward to when the cherry (sakura) blossoms. This is a real holiday for the country, which begins in late March. And cherries do not bloom at the same time. This holiday seems to be walking around the country. In any case, you can enjoy it no more than two weeks.
In summer, the monsoon is already blowing towards the mainland. Its influence is not so obvious, and mainly affects the south-east of the country. But it is associated with the peak of summer rainfall, the so-called "plum rains." Summer begins quite quickly, from warm and even hot days. And then the rainy season and tropical typhoons open. Autumn begins in Japan in September and ends in November. It is believed that this is the most beautiful time of the year for the country. During this period, there are many public holidays, including the rice festival. The weather at this time is the most favorable: the rains are ending, and the heat is weakening. Nature changes color from green to yellow-gold.
If we describe the climate of Japan by months, then we can distinguish the cold period - December, January and February. Then follows a warm and beautiful spring: March, April and May. The summer months are very hot and humid - June, July, August. Classic fall lasts from September to November.
Typhoons
In southern Japan, the climate is subtropical. And every year she is attacked by hurricanes. This mainly happens in the summer and early fall. Up to thirty typhoons are formed in a season in the archipelago region, the wind speed at the epicenter of which can reach sixty meters per second.
Of these, on average, up to four can gain strength of a hurricane. They rise north to the Japanese islands. Hurricanes with devastating consequences have occurred in the history of the country. In any case, almost every year for Japan, they turn out to be a natural disaster with floods and forced relocation of people.
Incidentally, this is from the Japanese word "typhu" (which means "tropical cyclone") formed the international "typhoon". This bad season ends for the Japanese in September.
Hokkaido
This is the northernmost island of Japan, the climate there is relatively harsh. In winter, the column of the thermometer drops far below zero and sometimes even reaches minus forty. In general, the climate of this island is considered moderate: hot summers and classical snowy winters are characteristic of it. Precipitation here is up to three hundred millimeters during the cold season. So in January it snows almost every day. As mentioned above, the continental monsoon is to blame. In the spring, frosts often occur. Summer is mostly warm. The air warms up to thirty degrees and above, but on average the thermometer keeps on plus twenty-five - twenty-six Celsius. However, it often rains. In the city of Sapporo, for example, up to three hundred days a year.
Honshu
On the largest island of Japan, the climate is much milder than on Hokkaido. Winter is shorter here, but snowfalls also occur here, and very often and in terms of rainfall they do not differ much from the north. The latter, of course, is surprising for subtropical latitudes. Nevertheless, it is warm enough in winter. The temperature in rare cases drops below "zero" at night. And during the day it keeps at a quite comfortable mark of five - six degrees with a plus. Spring is coming very soon. And already in early April, you can see the symbol of Japan - blooming sakura. At this time, the temperature in the street rises above fifteen degrees. Summer begins with plum rains. This is the period when the monsoon brings heavy rainfall to the island. The best time to plant rice.
With strong humidity, the temperature during the day exceeds thirty degrees, and at night it rarely drops to twenty. On the coast, of course, easier - here the unusual climate of Japan softens the fresh sea breeze. But the monsoon weakens only in the fall. Then the rains end. The heat subsides, and probably the most pleasant time for the inhabitants and guests of the island comes.
Ryukyu and Okinawa
Despite the fact that these islands are remote from the main archipelago, monsoons have a strong influence on the climate here. However, unlike the rest of Japan, it is not cold at all in winter. And for months such as January and February, the temperature in this period averages thirteen degrees at night and fifteen in the afternoon. Which is quite comfortable. In summer, the air warms up to plus thirty in the afternoon and rarely drops below twenty-five at night. There is also increased humidity. A little softens this climate is the fresh sea breeze.
Kuroshio course and other factors
In conclusion, let us once again say about what affects the climate of Japan. First of all, of course, the winds. Winter and summer monsoons bring a lot of moisture to the country. They affect the temperature in winter and summer.
The location of the archipelago also plays an important role: it is strongly stretched from north to south, and is also located near the zone of formation of tropical typhoons. What softens the climate of Japan is the warm course of Kuroshio. True, there are also Tsushima and Oyashio. The latter, on the contrary, cools the east coast of the country. But the course of Kuroshio makes the climate of Japan hot and humid. It washes the southern coast of the archipelago.
Well, now you know the climate in Japan and when it is best to visit this country.