I’ve been trying to decide what is the best season for a visit and everything I read is pretty inconclusive. We typically Don’t travel in the summers. Thoughts?
Summer temperatures are brutal in much of Japan. Two of the more popular times for travel--meaning high prices and overcrowding of tourist spots--are during Cherry Blossom season and Golden Week.
Japan has experienced a record number of tourists this year so almost anytime will be busy.
But it's a great place to visit. I'm hoping to get back next March--before Cherry Blossoms.
Another "avoid if possible" time is New Year's - say about December 29 through January 3 - 4. Many Japanese travel during this period. Some businesses will also close for a few days. I'm not looking at a 2025 calendar - weekend attached to those dates will further impact travel by those extending the holiday.
I did the "shortly before Cherry blossom" time period for the regions I visited in spring 2023. I found crowd level was fine, but there was little foliage making the gardens barren and and forested areas dull without leaves. I preferred my second 2023 visit, late October - early November 2023 visit, for enjoying gardens and forest hiking.
There are notable regional differences in the various areas of Japan including different dates for cherry blossoms and autumn foliage - both of which greatly impact crowd levels of both foreign and local visitors. Here's some generalities:
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2273.html
Fall is breathtaking in Japan. No rain (or little rain). There are foliage watching crowds, but foliage season is longer than cherry blossom season. I was there for a few days in 2023 and it was very nice. Note, however, that Kyoto in the last 10 days of Nov is a foliage hot spot and hotels get booked up fast.
The four seasons are very distinct in Japan and you will love it!