March to May and October to November. Month by month below, with the weather, what's on and what it costs to fly there from your city.
Sources favor spring (March to May) and autumn, especially October and November; sakura peaks late March to early April.
6 of the 8 travel guides we read name these months.
Average high and low in Osaka, and days with rain
JanuaryChecking fares…Coldest month, typically 5-10C by day, and it seldom drops below freezing.Cheapest window along with February, with short days.Driest month, with rain on about 4 days.
FebruaryChecking fares…Snow is possible in January and February but is light and does not accumulate.Tickets for the March sumo tournament go on sale in February and sell out fast.
Best timeMarchChecking fares…The Osaka Grand Sumo Tournament is held in March.Japan's biggest cosplay event, Nipponbashi Street Festa, takes place every March.Still a cold edge, with highs around 14C, so bring a jacket.
Best timeAprilChecking fares…Peak season and the busiest, priciest month; book 3 to 4 months ahead.Sakura peaks from late March to early April.The Mint Bureau cherry blossom passage opens for one week in early to mid-April.
Best timeMayChecking fares…Warm and comparatively dry, called the underrated spring month.Golden Week, April 29 to May 6, is the busiest domestic travel period.
JuneChecking fares…Rainiest month, with rain on about 12 days.Rainy season (tsuyu) runs from early June to around mid-July.Otaue Rice Planting Festival
JulyChecking fares…Tenjin Matsuri, one of Japan's three greatest festivals, is on July 24 and 25.Highs of 32 to 34C and humidity of 66 to 70 percent in July and August.Tenjin Matsuri
AugustChecking fares…Hottest month, 27 to 33C, with about 28 days over 30C.Typhoons are most likely in August and September.
Best timeOctoberChecking fares…Crisp clear days of 15 to 25C, arguably the most comfortable weather of the year.Rated Great for sightseeing.
Best timeNovemberChecking fares…Red foliage peaks in mid-November, especially at Minoo Park and Osaka Castle.Foliage runs from mid-November through early December.
DecemberChecking fares…Winter is cold but dry, with festive illuminations like the Midosuji light-up.Weather: Osaka averages (1991 to 2020 averages), as listed in its climate table on Wikipedia.
Live fares from your airport. Watch them and we alert you when they drop.
Festivals and seasons through the year
Cancún
The Grand Canyon
Disneyland
Miami
Myrtle Beach
Prague
Bali
Maui
Montreal
Venice
Aruba
New Orleans
Nashville
Disney World
New York
Rome
San Diego
Phuket
Boston
Dubai
Seoul
Florida
Lisbon
Los Angeles
Chicago
Paris
Las Vegas
San Francisco
Edinburgh
Napa
Sydney
Hawaii
Scotland
Punta Cana
Savannah
Washington, DC
Mexico City
Zion National Park
Turks and Caicos
Puerto Vallarta
Honolulu
Banff
Yosemite
Tulum
The Bahamas
Sedona
Seattle
Santorini
Buenos Aires
London
Charleston
Rio de Janeiro
Palm Springs
Yellowstone
Amsterdam
Toronto
Key West
Orlando
Europe
Austin
Machu Picchu
Cabo San Lucas
Niagara Falls
Colorado
Oregon
Arizona
Acadia National Park
Galapagos
Lake Tahoe
Montana
Kauai
Okinawa
US Virgin Islands
Amalfi Coast
Santa Fe
Destin
Curacao
Utah
Joshua Tree
Patagonia
St. Thomas
Florida Keys
Smoky Mountains
Copenhagen
Death Valley
Mallorca
Madeira
Cape Town
Ibiza
Zanzibar
Lake Como
Madrid
New Mexico
Tennessee
Vermont
Wyoming
Bryce Canyon
Oahu
St. Martin
Hilton Head
Dolomites
Cape Cod
San Antonio
Rocky Mountain National Park
Dublin
Catalina Island
Athens
Asheville
Texas
South America
Shenandoah National Park
Phoenix
North Carolina
Medellín
Cairo
Budapest
Arches National Park
St. John
South Carolina
Reykjavik
Mykonos
Milan
Houston
Hanoi
Canary Islands
Big Island of Hawaii
Atlanta
The Caribbean
St. Barts
South Dakota
Rhode Island
New England
Nassau
Lima
Kyoto
Koh Samui
Colorado Springs
Chiang Mai
Stockholm
Porto
Montego Bay
Michigan
Melbourne
Louisiana
Kuala Lumpur
Kruger National Park
Jeju
Florence
Dallas
Zurich
Tampa
St. Kitts
Munich
Moorea
Kailua-Kona
Everglades
Door County
Cusco
Calgary
Boracay
Bonaire
Swiss Alps
St. Croix
Seville
San Juan Islands
New Hampshire
Minnesota
Mazatlán
Manila
Kentucky
Isla Mujeres
Guam
French Riviera
Fort Lauderdale
Cinque Terre
Asia
Algarve
Virginia
Tenerife
Sapporo
Nairobi
Mumbai
The Hamptons
Grand Teton National Park
Finger Lakes
Charlotte
Bogotá
Auckland
Maine
Bora Bora
Olympic National Park
Redwood National Park
Sequoia National Park
Big Bend National Park
Mackinac Island
Sint Maarten
Nantucket
Outer Banks
California
Big Sur
Crater Lake
Scottsdale
Nice
Mount Rainier
Cozumel
Badlands National Park
Salt Lake City
Denali
Philadelphia
Tucson
Provence
Guadalajara
Albuquerque
Upper Peninsula
Sonoma
Memphis
Idaho
Da Nang
Cotswolds
Arkansas
St. Louis
Capri
Glacier National Park
Barcelona
Vancouver
Denver
Istanbul
Riviera Maya
Carmel-by-the-Sea
Santiago, Chile
Naples, Italy
Central America
Minneapolis
Sarasota
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Pittsburgh
Helsinki
Pensacola
Johannesburg
Brisbane
Málaga
Phu Quoc
Perth
Dubrovnik
Corpus Christi
Massachusetts
Oklahoma
Torres del Paine
Czech Republic
Ho Chi Minh City
Anchorage
Boise
Louisville
Juneau
Quito
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Canyonlands National Park
Baja California
Blue Ridge Mountains
Fort Myers
Detroit
Kansas City, Missouri
Kathmandu
Reno
Cebu
Brussels
Guangzhou
Chattanooga
Antalya
Daytona Beach
Cairns
Hilo
Alabama
Connecticut
New Jersey
Pennsylvania
Capitol Reef National Park