Nara Weather in May

Season: Late Spring
In Short: Pleasant and warm, temperature gets stable

In warm spring, the weather in Nara in May is pretty pleasant and suitable for traveling. In early month, the weather is still a little bit cool especially in the morning and evening. After entering mid and late month, the temperature gradually stabilizes at ca warm level. Sometimes in the sunny days, the UV rays can be strong so sun protection like sun cream or parasol is needed. It has some rainy days in this month but the rain usually doesn’t last long. In general, May is a good time to travel in Nara.

Temperature

In May, the average temperature reaches 21°C (69.8°F) which is pretty comfortable. The highest temperature is 24°C (75.2°F) with the lowest being 15°C (59°F) averagely which means the temperature difference in a day is big. A light coat is recommended to wear while traveling in the morning or evening.
Average High Temperature: 24°C / 75.2°F

Average Low Temperature: 15°C / 59°F

Rainfall

It rains sometimes, contributing to the average monthly rainfall of 142mm. You can bring an umbrella while traveling to prevent getting wet form the sudden rain. After the rainy days, the sky is mostly cloudy and the humidity is about 63%.
Average Rainy Days: 11 days
Average Humidity: 63%

Sunrise & Sunset

The sun rises at around 04:53 and sets at about 18:52 in this month. May is one of the months with the longest daylight hours of the year which lasts for about 14h. The sunshine hours are around 6.1h which means the pleasant time for visitors to travel is longer than before. It is strongly recommended for visitors to travel in the sunshine hours.
Daylight hours: about 14h
Sunshine hours: around 6.1h

Recommended Clothes to Wear in May

In warm May, clothes should be light and comfortable. In early month when the temperature difference is still large, a thin coat like knitting shirt is needed.

Girls

Tops: Thin sweater, hoodie and shirt can be the suitable clothes while traveling in May. As the temperature gets higher in the later month, clothes can also be thinner.
Bottoms & shoes: Girls can choose long skirt with thigh-high socks as a match. Besides the skirts, jeans are proper to wear too. For comfortable moving, a pair of sneakers is a good choice.

Boys

Tops: In early month, boys can choose to wear hoodie with long-sleeve T-shirt inside. After the temperature increasing, a simple hoodie can adapt to the weather in most of the time.
Bottoms & shoes: For boys, jeans and casual pants must be the best choices in pleasant weather. May is one of the best time for sightseeing so a pair of comfortable shoes is important. Sneakers or casual shoes are recommended.

Special Recommendation: The weather in May is pretty suitable for experiencing the Japanese traditional clothing, kimono. There are plenty of kimono rental shops in Nara and if you are interested in Japanese customs, don’t miss this chance to have a try.

Top Attractions to Visit in Nara in May

Travel Recommendation:

1. Manyo Botanical Garden, Kasuga Taisha Shrine

Although May is a little bit late to appreciate the oriental cherry, it still has many other flowers to view in this month. In early May, the wisteria flower in Manyo Botanical Garden in Kasuga Taisha Shrine is in full bloom. The Manyo Botanical Garden has more than 20 kinds of wisteria flower and 200 wisteria flower trees. As the representative of the Kasuga Taisha Shrine, the wisteria flower plays an important role in the history of Kasuga Taisha Shrine and it attracts many visitors to travel here every year.

2. Kofukuji Temple

After appreciating the natural scenery in the Kasuga Taisha Shrine, you can turn to the Kofukuji Temple to watch the historical remains. The Kofukuji Temple is one of the World Cultural Heritage Sites which has many Buddha statues in different materials. It also exhibits plenty of other precious cultural relics originated from Nara period (710-784AD). If you are interested in Japanese history, the Kofukuji Temple must be your best choice.

Kofukuji Temple in Warm May

3. Noh Theater

While traveling in Nara in May, the Noh Theater is also an unmissable part. As one of the most historical performing art in Japan, the Noh Theater has the same status with kabuki. The two attractions we mentioned above, Kasuga Taisha Shrine and Kofukuji Temple, perform the Noh Theater in the third Friday and Saturday in May every year. Visitors can experience the genuine interest about Noh Theater there.

May Weather for Other Cities in Japan:

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