Tokyo in September (2027): Weather, Typhoons, Sumo, Prices & Best Things to Do

⭐ Best September window: Sunday, September 12 to Thursday, September 16. Those nights had median hotel rates of $148 to $164 in our sample, the September sumo tournament is expected to open on the Sunday, the harvest moon falls on Wednesday, September 15, and you leave before the holiday weekend pushes rates up.

💰 September 2027 hotel prices (central Tokyo, 3 to 5 stars, in US dollars):
Sunday to Thursday nights: ~$148–172/night, and ~$214 on Sunday, September 19 before Respect for the Aged Day · Friday nights: ~$172–176/night · Saturday nights: ~$203–232/night
Each range runs from the lowest to the highest daily median in that group of nights. The daily median is the middle rate, each night, of the 229 hotels in Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ginza and Tokyo Station, Asakusa, Ueno and Roppongi and Akasaka that quoted on at least 90% of the nights from September 1 to 30, 2027 (two adults, one night, before taxes, pulled November 3, 2026). Individual hotels range far wider.

Planning Tokyo for September 2027? It is the end of Tokyo's summer. The long-term normals give the city 224.9 mm of rain on about 11 days, afternoons of 27.5°C (82°F) and nights of 20.3°C (69°F), with about 127 hours of sunshine and humidity around 75%. The sun sets at about 6:09 pm on September 1 and 5:27 pm by the end of the month. The weather figures on this page are climate normals; the hotel prices, tour schedules and event dates are for September 2027 specifically.

September is one of Tokyo's wettest and greyest months, and the heart of typhoon season, but the worst of the heat has passed, Japanese schools are back, and the September sumo tournament fills Ryogoku for two weeks. Hotel rates in our sample stayed low except around the Respect for the Aged Day holiday weekend.

In our view, September suits flexible travellers who can work around a wet or stormy day and who want sumo, food and city sightseeing at summer prices. We'd lean toward the middle of the month for value and the tournament, and toward late October or November if you want dry, clear walking weather.

• Best dates: September 12 to 16, for sumo, the harvest moon and low weeknight rates.
• Avoid if possible: day trips by road on September 18 to 20 and September 23, and Saturday nights if you are watching the budget.
• Best for: sumo fans, food lovers and travellers happy to keep a flexible day for the weather.

Temperature, rainfall, rain-day and sunshine figures are the World Meteorological Organization's 1991 to 2020 climate normals for the Japan Meteorological Agency's Tokyo station (WMO 47662), published by NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information. Humidity and cloud cover are the Japan Meteorological Agency's own normals for the same station, and the typhoon figures are the agency's 1991 to 2020 typhoon normals.

Temperature and Humidity

Afternoons average 27.5°C (82°F) and nights 20.3°C (69°F), about 4°C cooler than August, and humidity stays around 75%. Early September often still feels like summer; by the last week, mornings and evenings are noticeably fresher.

Rain and Typhoons

September gets 224.9 mm of rain on about 11 days with at least 1 mm, almost half as much again as August and second only to October's 234.8 mm. Rain comes both from autumn fronts, which bring grey, drizzly days, and from typhoons. The Japan Meteorological Agency's normals give 5.0 typhoons forming in an average September, 3.3 coming within 300 km of somewhere in Japan and 1.0 making landfall, the most landfalls of any month. Most do not hit Tokyo directly, but one can stop trains and cancel tours for a day.

Sky and Daylight

Average cloud cover is 7.8 tenths and sunshine about 127 hours, among the lowest of the year, so Mt Fuji is rarely visible from the city. The days shorten quickly: sunrise moves from about 5:12 am to 5:34 am and sunset from 6:09 pm to 5:27 pm.

We priced the 3- to 5-star hotels with at least 200 reviews in Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ginza and Tokyo Station, Asakusa, Ueno and Roppongi and Akasaka for every night from September 1 to October 1, 2027, and kept the 229 that quoted on at least 90% of September's nights. Each range below runs from the lowest to the highest daily median in that stretch, the daily median being the middle rate of those hotels on a given night. All prices are in US dollars for two adults, before taxes.

• September 1 to 4: $155 to $161 on Wednesday and Thursday, $172 on Friday and $203 on Saturday, September 4.
• September 5 to 11: $148 to $162 from Sunday to Thursday, $173 on Friday and $203 on Saturday.
• September 12 to 18: $148 to $164 from Sunday to Thursday, as the sumo tournament opens, $176 on Friday and $232 on Saturday, September 18, the start of the Respect for the Aged Day weekend and the dearest night of the month.
• September 19 to 25: $214 on Sunday, September 19, then $163 to $171 from Respect for the Aged Day, Monday, September 20, to Autumnal Equinox Day, Thursday, September 23; $176 on Friday and $217 on Saturday, September 25.
• September 26 to 30: $159 to $172, the last week of the tournament and the month.

Most people don't realize how much the calendar matters in September: in 2026, the two holidays and the weekend ran together into a five-day break known as Silver Week, and highways out of Tokyo jammed. In 2027 they fall apart, Monday, September 20 and Thursday, September 23, so expect a busy long weekend from September 18 to 20 and a busy Thursday rather than a full week. The same hotels' quotes for Wednesday, November 18, 2026 were a median 64% above their September average, while Wednesday, July 14 was 6% below and Wednesday, August 18 12% below. Fewer hotels had October quotes open, but those that did asked a median 24% more for Wednesday, October 13. The typical Friday or Saturday median was $190, against $161 for the other nights. Areas differ too: the median hotel in Ueno was about $142 a night in September, in Asakusa $148, Shinjuku $166, Roppongi and Akasaka $173, Ginza and Tokyo Station $183 and Shibuya $224.

These are the costs we measured for September 2027, in US dollars. Hotel rates are per room for two adults, before taxes; tour prices are per person.

An example: three Sunday to Thursday nights at the month's typical weeknight median of $161, plus the Shinjuku food tour and the 7:20 pm yakatabune cruise for two, comes to about $859 before sumo tickets, other meals, local transport and taxes. Moving the same stay to Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights would add roughly $55 to $95 at the medians we measured, the top of that range on the holiday weekend. Hotels vary far more than the medians: the cheapest hotel in our showcase quoted about $133 a night for mid-September, and the dearest about $459.

September's signature draw is the September Grand Sumo Tournament at Ryogoku Kokugikan, with the harvest moon and two public holidays in the same weeks.

The public holidays are from Japan's Cabinet Office, the 2027 equinox date from the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, the harvest moon date as reported by Tottori Prefecture citing the observatory, the Fuji climbing season from the official Mt Fuji climbing site, and the sumo dates from published schedules; check the Japan Sumo Association before you book.

The September Grand Sumo Tournament

The tournament runs for 15 days at Ryogoku Kokugikan, the last of Tokyo's three grand tournaments each year, with the top division fighting in the late afternoon. Our sumo guide compares tournament tickets, morning practice at a stable and the year-round shows.

Moon viewing

Tsukimi, the mid-autumn moon, falls on Wednesday, September 15, 2027, a day before the full moon on September 16. Shops sell tsukimi dango, round rice dumplings, and some temples, shrines and gardens hold evening moon-viewing events; in a wet month, a clear night is not guaranteed.

Risk level: moderate to high. Rain is likely on several days of any September trip, and a typhoon is a real possibility.

• Rain: about 11 rainy days in the normals and 224.9 mm in total; pack an umbrella and shoes that cope with puddles.
• Typhoons: 3.3 come near Japan and 1.0 makes landfall in an average September. If one is forecast for Tokyo, trains may stop for part of a day and tours may be cancelled; keep a flexible day and book refundable tours.
• Holiday traffic: our Fuji pick's 33 September 2026 reviews average only 3.55. Seven of the nine 1-star reviews, posted from September 22 to 25, during the 2026 holidays, described drives of four hours or more to the first stop, with the Hakone ropeway, the lake cruise or both cut. In 2027, avoid road day trips on September 18 to 20 and 23; the Fuji tour has no departure on Saturday, September 18 and runs its holiday timetable on September 20 and 23.
• Cloud: even on normal days, Mt Fuji is often hidden in September; two other September 2026 Fuji reviews blamed the weather.
• Day-trip punctuality: one September 2026 guest on the Nikko tour said they were left behind after a time change and had to find their own way back.
• Outdoor tours: the bike tour's September 2027 calendar was not yet open when we checked.

Alternatives on a wet day: the Shinjuku food tour, museums in Ueno Park, department-store food halls or an indoor workshop; our craft workshop guide and sake tasting guide compare options.

Ranked by our own score of how well each activity suits September's conditions, out of 10. Guest ratings out of 5 are quoted separately below.

1. The Shinjuku food tour: September's pick

The Shinjuku food tour is a three-hour walk for up to 12 guests, with 13 dishes at four local eateries and two drinks, for $82. It runs every day in September, with starts from 11:30 am to 8 pm, and much of the three hours is spent seated inside the eateries, so a wet evening doesn't spoil it. Guests rate it 4.9 out of 5 across 10,556 reviews, and its 58 September 2026 reviews average 4.74. The critical ones, two 1-star and two 3-star, found the food ordinary or disliked eating samples standing in the street at one stop; one 5-star guest counted about 15 courses and called it fair value. We'd book an evening start for the neon and carry an umbrella. Our Shinjuku food tour guide compares the other options.

2. The September sumo tournament

The tournament is expected from September 12 to 26 at Ryogoku Kokugikan. It is indoors, so the weather doesn't matter, and the late-afternoon top-division bouts leave the morning free. See our sumo guide.

3. The Imperial Palace East Gardens walk

The two-hour walk costs $13, with 22 September dates; there are no walks on Mondays or Fridays, when the gardens close. Its 11 September 2026 reviews average 4.82, and one guest enjoyed it even in the rain. See our Imperial Palace tour guide.

4 and 5. On the water and into the mountains

Orange Tour's yakatabune sails at 4:50 pm and 7:20 pm every day for about $100 and $106; its 6 September 2026 reviews average 4.17. The Nikko trip costs from $109 and runs every day; its 9 September 2026 reviews average 4.44, and one guest on a rainy day could hardly see Kegon Falls for fog but still enjoyed the shrine and the local food. See our Tokyo Bay dinner cruise and Nikko guides.

6 to 8. Moon viewing, Fuji and the bike tour

The harvest moon falls on Wednesday, September 15. Japan Panoramic Tours' Fuji day trip costs $156, but we'd save it for October or November, and never book it for a holiday. The bike tour's September calendar was not yet open when we checked. See our Mt Fuji and bike tour guides.

• Keep one day flexible. Typhoons and heavy rain can cancel a day trip at short notice.
• Book refundable tours. A typhoon can cancel a day trip at short notice.
• Stay off the roads on the holidays. September 18 to 20 and 23 are the days for city sightseeing, not bus tours.
• Skip the holiday weekend for hotels. Saturday, September 18 was $232 and Sunday, September 19 $214, against $148 to $164 on most weeknights before it.
• Buy sumo tickets as soon as they go on sale. Check the sale date on the Japan Sumo Association's site.
• Carry an umbrella every day. There are about 11 rainy days in the normals.
• Visiting at a different time of year? Our Tokyo in August guide covers Obon, the fireworks and the hottest weeks of the year, and our Tokyo in October guide covers the start of autumn, the Nikko leaves and the cooler weeks late in the month.