Is China or Japan too hot and humid for a July holiday?

[niknakw12]

Thinking about going to China or Japan but can only go for an extended time next July due to school holidays and working around exams.

Is the heat/humidity really that bad?. Is July a complete No?
We're used to going to Thailand so can cope with 35+c

Friends were in japan in July and said it was hot…. But they loved it!

If you’re ok with 35c and high humidity then you’ll probably be fine. It wouldn’t be my first choice of time to go, but I’d rather go to Japan in July than not at all.

We’ve done Taiwan in August and it was hot but not so hot that we didn’t have a wonderful time.

It will be hot! But if you’re used to 35° you should be fine 😄 I’ve chosen to go in April 2028 because I can’t cope with that sort of heat!

I used to live in China and July is very hot and humid and unpleasant in the cities.

This July it was 35° on average with 98% humidity (have family there). Unpleasant and suffocating was how they described it!

Yes. Go at Easter. Both are fairly horrible! Great Wall with no shade is dreadful.

Unfortunately can't go at Easter or Oct due to exams for the next 3-4 years and would also want to go for longer than 2 weeks so only option is summer or we have to wait until the kids have left school completely.

If you’re going for longer than two weeks then you have time to get off the golden route in Japan to places that are have less extreme summer heat than Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka etc.

Hokkaido to the north or places like Kamikochi and Karuizawa in the mountains can be significantly cooler.

Okinawa can also be a fair bit cooler than Tokyo, Kyoto etc in summer and July is beach season there.

20 years ago I was with DH on a work trip to Japan and China through part of August and September. Kyoto was unbearable - 36 with humidity so high it steamed up sunglasses. China was 29 and overcast/polluted. At the time 24 was considered a heatwave and 'too hot' in the UK.

Tokyo was in the 40s when DH was there last September. They do have air-con and a lot of tourism is indoor but I wouldn't fancy July

W went to Japan last July for the same reason, and it was hot but not unbearably so. We went to the Japanese alps, Hakone, Ishigaki in the Okinawa islands and Tokyo and Osaka. If it’s the only time you can go I’d do it!

It depends where you go. China is so much more than the hot and humid east coast/south. Somewhere in the mountains like Lhasa, Dali, Kunming etc will be nice in summer although you’ll need time to acclimatise. You would need additional paperwork to go anywhere in Tibet but Yunnan province is below it, mostly mountainous, and truly beautiful with great local food/culture and a lot of history. I’d also say Beijing isn’t too bad in July, but Shanghai area is still unpleasant now - it’s not the temperature it’s the humidity, in summer the air is sticky (even right now) like nowhere else I’ve ever been. I’d also avoid Xi’An in July - we went one year and it was too much, the concrete just holds heat. Not sure on Chengdu but could be an option especially if you like pandas as they have a lot of conservation and a big sanctuary, it’s also quite relaxed compared to the east coast. We did Japan in June this year (Osaka and Kyoto) and the heat/humidity was completely fine.

We went to Japan this summer as it was the only time that worked for all of us. Tokyo was bearable but further south you couldn’t really be outside from 1-4 each day. It was a fantastic holiday but not the best time to go. If this is the only chance you’ll get, go for it but try to limit how much time you spend in Kyoto/Osaka and further south.

If you’re already used to Thailand at 35°C+, July in Japan or China probably won’t put you off purely because of the heat. Japan can be very hot and humid in July, particularly Tokyo and Kyoto, but it’s manageable if you plan around the heat and use trains, shops and attractions with air conditioning. I’d say July is doable, just not the most comfortable month for lots of walking!

@Wajeehakamran No temple complexes and main tourist areas have air conditioning! They are world heritage sites and not shopping centres. It’s very difficult to see the best sites in comfort when it’s that hot and humid.

Temple buildings themselves aren’t air conditioned. However, many important and historic temples (e.g. Byodoin) have on-site treasure museums or halls that are air conditioned. Air conditioned rest areas where you can sit and rest (usually with vending machines as a minimum) are also common at big temple complexes, castle grounds, parks and gardens etc. Sometimes they are really lovely with views out over the grounds, plenty of seating, even little shops or cafes to buy drinks or ice cream. The one at Kanazawa castle is really nice.

@Takoneko Neither of those are in Kyoto. Where in Kyoto is air conditioned?

@MeetMeOnTheCorner Byodoin is part of a unesco world heritage site called “Historic monuments of ancient Kyoto”. It is one of 17 sites that make up the overall unesco world heritage site for Kyoto.

I’m not sure why Kyoto needed to be specified anyway. This thread is about Japan and from what I can see, nobody had specified Kyoto. There was talk of unesco world heritage sites but Japan has 27 of those, with Kyoto’s historic sites (including Byodoin) making up just one of the 27.

You’ll need to research and pick where you go, both countries have parts that will be much more comfortable. If you are wanting to see the usual tourist sites, then yes, it will be very hot and very humid in most places.
One tip- take a sun parasol - keeps the heat off most of the body plus no hat hair - certainly in China you will blend in with the locals who all use them.

The heat is one thing but the humidity is stifling and suffocating and takes time to acclimatise to, imho.

China is vast and stretches from 4 degrees north to 53 degrees north so covers a lot of climate zones.

We went to China this July. It was doable but not pleasant. Had sweat pouring out of every pore. We loved China and had the most wonderful time. Our best experiences were when we went very early in the morning and finished the attraction before it got too hot.

I’ve lived in Japan. July & August are horribly hot and humid in the cities/towns. Having said that there is air conditioning everywhere, and it’s much fresher up in the mountains or to the north (Hokkaido etc). Kyoto is a must see but it will be brutally hot. It’s basically in a large valley and there is not a breath of air. Ideally you would go in April or October but I understand that school holidays annoyingly get in the way!

We went in August and travelled all around. It was hot!!!!
But we didn’t mind - just embraced it for what it is.
Wore loose, natural fabrics and always had plenty of water.
It was a great holiday.
if you hate the heat, then of course that’s different.