August in Japan gives you full excitement with countless opportunities to enjoy festivals, fireworks, marine sports, nature spots and more. Since it’s also a big holiday season for local Japanese people, let’s look through the to-do/to-go list covering most areas across Japan and you can plan ahead to make your 2023 summer one of the best!
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Explore Hokkaido
Hokkaido has long been one of the most popular places to visit in Japan for both foreign and domestic tourists. Especially in August, when the average temperature usually exceeds at least 27℃ and is often up to 32℃ in most areas of Japan, people are even more motivated to travel to Hokkaido with the average temperature of around 22℃. Here are some spots we recommend to fully enjoy the natural scenery and food!
Hakodate (函館) – Million Dollar Nightscape
Hakodate is said to offer the most beautiful night view in Japan and has been selected as one of the three most beautiful nightscapes in the world, along with Naples and Hong Kong. As a port town, you can also enjoy freshly landed seafood at a reasonable price. Among numerous food spots, Hakodate Asaichi (morning market) is located just 1 minute away from Hakodate Station. A wide range of fresh seafood including salmon and crab, farm-direct vegetables and fruit, plus clothing and daily necessities are available at a total of 250 stores lining the vast market expanse of 3.3 ha.
- Access: (From Haneda Airport) 1h 20 min for Hakodate Airport
- Google Map: Hakodate Airport
Shiretoko – Great Nature and Wildlife
Located at the eastern edge of Hokkaido, Shiretoko is home to untouched wilderness and was registered as a World Heritage Site in 2005. While Shiretoko boasts a considerably large area, there are eight scenic spots that are a good benchmark to tour around in a few days. The mountains, waterfalls, and five lakes all offer spectacular views on a large scale. It is also a treasure trove of wildlife, and you may spot foxes, eagles, and sometimes bears while exploring.
- Access: (From Sapporo) JR train or airplane to Abashiri/Memanbetsu Airport, then take a bus or rent a car
- Google Map: Shiretoko Peninsula
Rebun Island (Rebunto 礼文島) – Magnificent Nature Island
If you plan to travel around for more than a week, visiting remote islands can be a good idea. The most recommended of the outlying islands in the north is Rebun Island, located at the northern tip of Hokkaido. Also known as the “floating island of flowers,” Rebun Island is filled with beautiful flowers during the summer, and the spectacular scale of the nature will impress you; including the Momodai Nekodai (observatory), Sukoton Misaki (cape), Sky Misaki (cape), where the sea and mountains create a spectacular view that can only be experienced on Rebun Island.
- Access: About 2 hours by ferry (2-4 services a day) from the Wakkanai ferry terminal
- Google Map: Rebun Island
Visit Karuizawa
Another option to avoid the heat is going to Karuizawa. Known as a resort area in the mountains of Nagano, Karuizawa offers everything from shopping malls and historical sites to outdoor recreation including golf and cycling spots where you can feel real nature. Below is a list of your must-go spots for a few-day Karuizawa trip!
- Access: (From Tokyo Station) About 1 hour by Hokuriku Bullet Train to Karuizawa Station
- Karuizawa Official Website: TRIP KARUIZAWA
Shiraito Falls
Shiraito Falls was selected as one of the top 100 waterfalls in Japan, and it’s also registered as a World Heritage site. The name of “Shiraito (white thread)” derives from the delicacy of the water that flows like a silken thread from the 20-meter-high, 200-meter-wide cliff. The graveled boardwalk at the gate of the area has no steep slopes, and you can listen to the sound of the river while walking towards the falls.
Karuizawa Highland Church
Built in 1921 as a lumber shed and surrounded by lush forests, Karuizawa Highland Church is known as a place where Japanese cultural figures such as Hakushu Kitahara and Toson Shimazaki frequented. Currently the church welcomes tourists everyday and is also a popular spot for resort weddings. “Summer Candle Night” even takes place every August, in which a vast number of candles beautifully illuminate the summer night.
HARUNIRE Terrace – Well-selected Restaurants and Cafes
HARUNIRE Terrace Official Website
One of the most recent popular areas in Karuizawa is HARUNIRE Terrace, where 15 stores stand side by side in a grove of deciduous trees named “harunire”. The grounds & tables are decked out in real wood, and the atmosphere is positive and uplifting just walking around. For lunch and dinner, you can choose everything from Soba noodles, Chinese food and homemade bread to pizza and French deli. It’s great!
Attend Summer Festivals
After a 3 year break, summer festivals are coming back in Japan! There are countless traditional festivals and fireworks festivals held across the country during the month of August. We have picked the 5 Most Popular Japanese Summer Festivals and 5 Best Summer Fireworks in Tokyo, some of which offer reserved seats (for a fee), so you don’t have to be pushed around in the crowd at the event.
Spend Summer Evenings at Beer Gardens in Tokyo
If you want to have a summer night outside, there is a full range of choices of beer gardens in Tokyo. A lot of restaurants and sightseeing spots open their terrace spaces for not only beer lovers but all foodies during evenings over the summer.
Tokyo Tower Highball Garden
An open-air space under an illuminated Tokyo Tower with the best quality highballs can also be your first choice for beer gardens (although beer is not the main focus) this summer. Poured into a perfectly chilled glass (which is what Japanese drinking experts have been proud of), the perfect balance of whiskey and soda with a hint of lemon gives you the best highball experience ever. The two sites “Cho-ten” and “Roof top” offer different menu lineups that includes fried foods, homemade bacon and sausages, and mutton BBQ (locally known as “Genghis Khan BBQ”). You might want to come back to try them both!
- Google Map (Tokyo Tower)
- Official Website
TOKYO TOWER”CHO-TEN”HIGHBALL GARDEN
- Date/Time: April 20th (Thu) – October 1st (Sun)
- Weekday: 4pm – 10pm
- Saturdays & Sundays: 12:00pm – 10:00pm
- Last Order: 9:30pm
TOKYO TOWER”ROOF TOP”HIGHBALL GARDEN
- Date/Time: 5:00pm-9:30pm from April 13th (Thu) – October 9th (Mon)
- Last Order: 9:00pm
- Fee Table (All you can drink/eat for 2 hours):
- Adult: 5,500 yen
- Junior High School Student – 19 years old: 3,500 yen
- Elementary School Student: 2,500 yen
- 4-6 years old: 1,500 yen
*Tax included
- Online Reservation from HERE
America & Tokyo BEER&BBQ BLOCK PARTY!! COOKOUT!!
An American-style BBQ under Tokyo Sky Tree would be another excellent option you might want to try during this August. Offering over 500 kinds of beer imported directly from all over the world including German, Czech, Belgian, American, the beer museum opens up its terrace beer garden during summer. You can pick three kinds of beer and other drinks with a huge pound steak, buffalo wings, seafood, and many other American dishes. At night Music DJs and bands perform to enliven the atmosphere.
- Date/Time: 11:00am – 10:00pm June 16th (Fri) – September 10th (Sun)
*Last Order: 9:00pm
- Access: Google Map
Hilton Tokyo Beer Garden in the Sky
If you’re seeking a relaxing, luxurious time while enjoying craft beer in an open-air space, “Beer Garden in the Sky” at Hilton Tokyo is the one you should go to. Featuring summer in California as the theme this year, you can enjoy three kinds of beer and wine along with California-inspired dishes. In addition to background music to enhance the atmosphere of the California beer party, live performances of 80’s rock and other classics are planned on Friday and Saturday nights.
- Date/Time: 6:00pm – 10:00pm April 28th (Fri) – September 30th (Sat)
- Food L.O. 9:00pm / Drink L. O. 9:30pm
- Access: Google Map
- Online Reservation from HERE
Try Out Mt. Fuji
If you are dreaming about climbing Mt. Fuji, August can be the best month to make it come true. Open to the public from early July to early September each year, Mt. Fuji has four different routes: Yoshida trail, Subashiri trail, Gotemba trail, and Fujinomiya trail. Each trail has a specific color indicated by signs so you can follow the chosen route. Viewing the sunrise, called “Goraiko (ご来光)”, after reaching the peak of 3,776m is an awe-inspiring, spectacular moment, and it can also be enjoyed along the trail if you don’t make it to the top in time (except for the Fujinomiya trail). Especially for beginners, it is highly recommended that you carefully plan a mountaineering itinerary that includes at least one overnight stay (in a mountain hut, probably) to avoid altitude sickness and injuries.
- Open Period: July 10th (Mon) – September 10th (Sun)
- Access to Kawaguchiko Station: About 3 hours from Shinjuku Station, then take a shuttle bus
- Official Website: Fuji Climbing
Watch Daimonji (“Kyoto Gozan Okuribi”)
“Kyoto Gozan Okuribi” is an annual, traditional event in Kyoto to send off the spirits of the dead during the Bon season, and its dynamic, solemn ignition on hillsides gathers local residents and tourists from around the world. Registered as “Intangible Folk Cultural Assets” of Kyoto City, the total of five bonfires, or “Okuribi”, are lit on different mountains: “Dai (大)” on Higashiyama, followed by the “Myo (妙)” and “Ho (法)” on Matsugasaki, and the shape of a ship (Funagata 船形) on Nishigamo, another “Dai (大)” so-called “Left Daimonji (左大文字)” on Okitayama, and the shape of a gateway (Torii 鳥居) on Saga. Each mountain bonfire is lit for only about 30 minutes and the viewing spots vary from mountain to mountain, so check out the map which the official website provides each year (the map for 2023 has yet to be announced).
- Open Period: Starts at 8:00pm, August 16th (Wed)
- Access to Kawaguchiko Station: About 3 hours from Shinjuku Station, then take a shuttle bus
- Official Website: Kyoto City Official Travel Guide
Summary
We have picked the best things to do and places to visit in Japan during mid-summer. Whether you are a first-time visitor or have been a resident in Japan for a while, we’re sure you can fulfill your summer dreams with all types of experiences!
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