Yokohama Weather

April is peak season — cherry-blossom finale (April 1-10) folds into spring proper, and it's Yokohama's best overall month. Daytime 19°C / 10°C lows mean wide daily range but otherwise comfortable spring weather. The first week brings full-bloom photos; the second week brings sakura-fubuki (petal blizzard) — arguably the most photogenic hanami window. Sankeien illumination and the Ookagawa River walk are the can't-miss spots. After cherry blossoms, mid-April rolls into tulip and pansy season around Minato Mirai, while Yamashita Park's rose garden begins to open. Chinatown shifts to spring dessert menus. Late April adds a fresh dimension if you missed the cherry-blossom peak. The price trap: cherry-blossom days (April 1-10) overlap into Golden Week (April 29-May 5), pushing flights to $600-1,200 and Minato Mirai 4-star hotels to $270-470/night. The sweet spot is April 11-25 — cherry-blossom tail end + tulips opening, hotels at normal levels, flights manageable. For most international travelers, April's second and third weeks are the year's best value-meets-experience window in Yokohama.

November is Yokohama's year-end masterpiece — foliage season at peak, Sankeien's illumination, the start of Minato Mirai's winter light displays, and a sharp drop in rainfall mean blue skies + warm light + the best photography conditions of the calendar. Average 17°C / 10°C, rainfall 100mm — about half September's volume. Peak foliage in Yokohama runs full color from November 20 through December 5. November signatures: Sankeien foliage illumination (late November-early December, ~250 maples, $6 entry), Nogeyama foliage walks, Chinatown autumn dessert menus, and the opening of Minato Mirai's free winter illumination (running through February). Sankeien — one of Japan's three great gardens with 17 historic Japanese houses — feels considerably less crowded than Tokyo's Meiji Shrine or Shinjuku Gyoen with equivalent foliage density. The smart Tokyo-area foliage alternative. The price reality: foliage season is Japan's third major travel surge of the year. Hotels jump 1.5-2x, flights run $400-750 from Seoul, and weekend availability tightens dramatically. November 1-15 (pre-peak) is the value window — autumn atmosphere + normal hotel pricing + illuminations already opening.

March is Yokohama's transition month — winter ends and cherry-blossom season ramps up. Daytime averages 14°C / 5°C, very close to Tokyo, but the Minato Mirai seafront feels 2-3°C cooler thanks to sea breeze. Cherry blossoms typically open around March 23 and hit full bloom by month-end, kicking off the year's biggest tourist surge that runs into early April. Yokohama's cherry-blossom signatures: Sankeien illumination (late March-early April, $6 entry), the Ookagawa river walk (~700 trees stretching from Minato Mirai to Sakuragicho), Mitsuzawa Park (~250 trees), and Nogeyama Zoo's cherry grove. Less mobbed than Tokyo's Meguro River or Ueno Park, but bloom density is equivalent — Yokohama is the smart hanami alternative for travelers willing to make the 25-minute trip from Tokyo. The trade-off is sharp: cherry-blossom-week hotel prices in Minato Mirai jump from $120 to $230-370/night, and international flights spike. Booking 3-6 months ahead is essential. Early-to-mid March (pre-bloom) is the value window — same city without the price stack.