Kyoto in May: weather, what to wear and what's on

Kyoto weather in May

Averages for 1991–2020 at the JMA's Kyoto station (41 m above sea level).

High

25.1°C (77°F)

Low

14.5°C (58°F)

Precipitation

151.4 mm

Wet days

9.7 days

Sunshine

182 hours

Highs rise 5.0°C from April and climb another 3.0°C into June.

That is 4.0°C above Kyoto's yearly average high of 21.1°C.

Of our 14 places with temperature records, Kyoto is the 2nd warmest in May: 1.9°C cooler than Naha and 0.2°C warmer than Osaka.

May is Kyoto's 5th wettest month (151.4 mm).

Of our 15 places, Kyoto has the 5th highest precipitation in May: 16.3 mm less than Nikko and 1.1 mm more than Nagoya.

Rain of 1 mm or more falls on 9.7 days, and 10 mm or more on 4.7 days.

Rain of 30 mm or more in one day falls on 1.7 days, and 50 mm or more on 0.5 days.

2.7 days reach 30°C or more.

The sun is out for 40% or more of the possible hours on 16.4 days, and 4.7 days have under 0.1 hours of sunshine.

On 15 May 2027 the sun rises at 4:54 and sets at 18:53 in Kyoto, giving 13 hours 59 minutes of daylight (NAOJ).

Average temperature

19.5°C (67°F)

Humidity

60%

Days of 25°C or more

16.9 days

Early, mid and late May

By the last ten days of May the average high in Kyoto is 2.4°C higher than in the first ten.

By ten-day totals, 11–20 May is the wettest (62.2 mm) and 1–10 May the driest (38.8 mm).

What to wear in Kyoto in May

Warm: highs around 25.1°C

• Short sleeves or thin long sleeves, with a light layer for air-conditioning and evenings.
• A folding umbrella: rain falls on 9.7 days.

Pack

• Folding umbrella
• A light layer for air-conditioning

• Our clothing rules

Rainy season and typhoons

In an average May, 0.1 typhoons come within 300 km of the Kinki region; across Japan, 0.7 come within 300 km (JMA, 1991–2020).

May records in Kyoto

The extremes the JMA has measured in May at its Kyoto station.

Hottest May day

34.9°C (95°F) on 22 May 1891 (records since 1881)

Coldest May night

−0.3°C (31°F) on 1 May 1908 (records since 1881)

Wettest May day

154.0 mm on 28 May 2024 (records since 1881)

Holidays and crowds in May

National holidays in May 2027:

• Mon 3 May — Constitution Memorial Day
• Tue 4 May — Greenery Day
• Wed 5 May — Children's Day

• Sat 1 May to Wed 5 May: 5 days off in a row

In May 2025, hotels and inns across Kyoto Prefecture were 71.3% full on average (4th busiest of 12 months). Foreign guests spent 1.79 million nights there that month (Japan Tourism Agency). That compares with 73.9% in April and 66.1% in June.

• Japan in May: visitor numbers and busy travel days
• Holidays in May
• Golden Week

What's on in Kyoto in May

Kyoto before and after May

• Kyoto in April
• Kyoto in June
• All 12 months in Kyoto

Other places in May

• All 15 places in May

Related items

• Kyoto by month
• Japan in May
• Kyoto in April
• Kyoto in June