Shirakawa-go in August: weather, what to wear and what's on

Shirakawa-go weather in August

Averages for 1991–2020 at the JMA's Shirakawa station (478 m above sea level).

High

29.6°C (85°F)

Low

19.2°C (67°F)

Precipitation

190.5 mm

Wet days

11.4 days

Sunshine

175 hours

Highs are 1.4°C above July and 4.5°C above September.

That is 13.1°C above Shirakawa-go's yearly average high of 16.5°C.

Of our 14 places with temperature records, Shirakawa-go is the 4th coldest in August: 1.4°C cooler than Takayama and 1.5°C warmer than Kawaguchiko.

August is Shirakawa-go's 6th driest month (190.5 mm).

Of our 15 places, Shirakawa-go has the 6th highest precipitation in August: 7.4 mm less than Takayama and 11.2 mm more than Kanazawa.

Rain of 1 mm or more falls on 11.4 days, and 10 mm or more on 5.0 days.

Rain of 30 mm or more in one day falls on 2.0 days, and 50 mm or more on 0.8 days.

16.1 days reach 30°C or more.

The sun is out for 40% or more of the possible hours on 16.8 days, and 3.8 days have under 0.1 hours of sunshine.

Average temperature

23.6°C (74°F)

Days of 25°C or more

28.6 days

Early, mid and late August

By the last ten days of August the average high in Shirakawa-go is 1.9°C lower than in the first ten.

By ten-day totals, 21–31 August is the wettest (68.8 mm) and 1–10 August the driest (53.1 mm).

What to wear in Shirakawa-go in August

Warm: highs around 29.6°C

• Short sleeves or thin long sleeves, with a light layer for air-conditioning and evenings.
• Heat: 16.1 days reach 30°C or more. A hat, water and sunscreen.
• An umbrella: rain falls on 11.4 days.

Pack

• Umbrella
• Hat, sunscreen and a water bottle
• A light layer for air-conditioning

• Our clothing rules

Rainy season and typhoons

In an average August, 0.8 typhoons come within 300 km of the Tokai region; across Japan, 3.3 come within 300 km and 0.9 make landfall (JMA, 1991–2020).

August records in Shirakawa-go

The extremes the JMA has measured in August at its Shirakawa station.

Hottest August day

36.5°C (98°F) on 11 August 2007 (records since 1979)

Coldest August night

11.7°C (53°F) on 18 August 2018 (records since 1979)

Wettest August day

179.0 mm on 12 August 1998 (records since 1979)

Holidays and crowds in August

National holidays in August 2027:

• Wed 11 August — Mountain Day

In August 2025, hotels and inns across Gifu Prefecture were 62.9% full on average (2nd busiest of 12 months). Foreign guests spent 133,400 nights there that month (Japan Tourism Agency). That compares with 53.7% in July and 56.9% in September.

• Japan in August: visitor numbers and busy travel days
• Holidays in August
• Obon

Shirakawa-go before and after August

• Shirakawa-go in July
• Shirakawa-go in September
• All 12 months in Shirakawa-go

Other places in August

• All 15 places in August

Related items

• Shirakawa-go by month
• Japan in August
• Shirakawa-go in July
• Shirakawa-go in September