SMF UA 1K

My wife, daughter and I are going on a trip to Tokyo, Beijing and Hong Kong from June 12-29. I knew that it would be hot and humid and that the chances of rain were good, but the more I read about the climate in Tokyo and Hong Kong, it seems like it pretty much rains every day and that it is not the time of the year to visit those cities.

Unfortunately, my wife is a school teacher and my daughter is still in school, so the only time we can ever take a trip like this is in the summer. I figured it would be better to hit these cities early in the summer rather than later, so we're leaving the day after school gets out.

So, is it really as bad as I have been reading? I'm not too worried about Beijing during this time, because it seems to be fairly dry, but should I expect rain every day in Tokyo and Hong Kong? Does it rain all day, or just parts of the day?

We've been to New York, Florida and Cancun in the summer, so we're no strangers to heat, humidity and the afternoon rain. How does Tokyo and Hong Kong compare?

I probably should have thought out all of this before making the trip plans, but we really wanted to go to these cities.

YVR Cockroach

IIRC, rain there then is of the very heavy but brief type. It will be hot and humid however. And at least for H.K., the later you leave it, the more likely you are to encounter tropical storms.

monahos

It doesn't rain all the time in June in Tokyo, but the entire month is very much grey and overcast. Sometimes the rainy season starts a little later in June, but it hardly ever matches the intensity of the moonsoon rains in neighbors such as Korea and the Philippines.

The Japanese are very good at dealing with rain. Watch the evening/morning news for probability of rain, check if the salarymen are carrying umbrellas in the morning, and generally do carry a folding umbrella per person at all times. Shoes with leather soles won't last.

As a bonus, June in Tokyo isn't nearly as hot as July and August, which are hot, humid, but generally sunny. Most Japanese office workers are allowed to ditch jackets and ties only for those two months.

blueDC

I would imagine that if one goes up to The Peak in HK after a good downpour, one would be treated to a much better view than usual (I may be wrong) so there's a silver lining. The downpours (when it rains, it pours) usually come in the morning which makes for a steamy afternoon before cooling off at night.

The heat and humidity in HK will be no worse than Manhattan, FL or Cancun in the summer. Staying out of the sun will be key. Cruising on the harbor will be nice coz of the harbor breeze and the air up on The Peak will be breezy and crisp. Everywhere else (including subway stations), HK is pretty much wall-to-wall air-conditioning. Taxis are abundant and cheap so if you're uncomfortably warm, cab it to your hotel and all will be well

DoubleJ

Being originally from Oregon, I never minded the June rainy season here in Tokyo. As previous posters mentioned, it can pour buckets at times and remain overcast the remainder of the time, but everyone is able to deal with it. People are equally able to deal with the heat and humidity of the summer season. Wear light clothing and carry a handkerchief. It's not a bad idea to carry a light sweater with you, as many of the department stores and other buildings can be overairconditioned. In any case, I'd say, "Come on over!"

Sweet Willie

yes for sure.
no such thing as overairconditioned in my book! . Yes by all means don't let the heat/humidity keep you from going, GO.

Happy

originally from Hong Kong and now living in Florida, I can tell you Hong Kong is much hotter than Florida in summer months. Humidity is also a lot worse.

But, like a previous poster said, it is wall to wall airconditioned in public places such as offices, banks, restaurants, department stores, etc etc. Public transportation though, other than subway, is not airconditioned, except selected buses.

It is easy to get sick when you getting in and out frequently - inside building, usually it is very cold, outdoor is very hot - so it is not unusual for Hong Kong people to catch "summer cold". when you go into banks or offices, you usually find women workers wearing sweaters because the airconditioning is too cold.

June is slightly better than July and August, and far less in danger of a hurricane hit (in Pacific region, it is called Typhoon).

Yes, after a good rain, The Peak is very nice to visit - looking down Hong Kong Harbour the view is much clearer.

Morrissey

I spent six days in Tokyo last June, and the sun did not come out once the entire time I was there. I would say it rained about 1/4 of the time. You will certainly want to carry an umbrella with you. Having said that, I didn't find the weather to be overly annoying. The humidity wasn't all that bad, and the temperature was neither too hot nor too cold. Japan is a great place to visit, so don't some inclement weather deter you (just bring lots of money!)

1K wannabe

HK will be suffocating but there will be many respites indoors and the excitement of the city will still make it worth it. Japan will be more tolerable and, again, will be worth it. Don't know about Beijing.

christep

There is detailed climatological data for HK on the Observatory's website including this table:
http://www.hko.gov.hk/wxinfo/climat/normals.htm#table2
which shows that June is the month with the highest chance of at least a trace of rain on any particular day (average over 19 days per month) but that August has a slightly higher chance of days wirh heavy rain, and that July has the highest average mothly total rainfall.

June through September is the period where the mean daily maximum is above 30 degress and the mean daily minimum above 25 degrees.

The relative humidity actually peaks in April/May, but it is still pretty high through the summer.

I wonder how long ago you left HK? I have never seen a non-airconditioned bus on HK Island. Yes, you get a few in the New Territories, and even one or two in Kowloon, but not very many. Green minibuses are airconditioned, as is the MTR (subway) and taxis.



[This message has been edited by christep (edited Mar 20, 2004).]

Happy

Last visit to Hong Kong was spring of 2002.

Only took buses 2 times - one of it was a night bus to airport. Took subway all the time.

I totally forgot about the minibuses. Dont they still have the restrictions of not being able to load and unload in busy street zones ?

rkkwan

About the 16-seat minibuses in Hong Kong. There are the red and the green ones. Avoid the red ones as the prices and routes are not fixed. The green ones run fixed fares and routes, and should take the Octopus card. In the busy part of the city, the green minbuses usually have pre-set stops, but they can also stop anywhere they want if it's legal; and in residental areas with no restriction, you just tell the driver where you want to get off, and wave at one to get on.

Transportation without A/C in Hong Kong: Star Ferry (lower deck and parts of upper deck), the Tramway, the Peak Tram, some buses (but like christep says, all main routes in or to/from city center are A/C'ed), some "slow" ferries to the outlaying islands. That's about it.

SMF UA 1K

I apologize if I am needlessly bumping this thread, but I thought I'd comment on the fact that we just returned from our trip yesterday and I cannot believe how lucky we were for the entire duration of our trip.

The humidity in Hong Kong was as bad as advertised and it was worse in Beijing than I thought it would be, but as far as rain goes, we only saw three days of it -- all in Beijing in the form of an afternoon thunderstorm -- and it never lasted for more than an hour each time.

Tokyo had sunny skies the entire time we were there and temperatures in the high 70's. Perfect. The folks at our hotel were commenting how this never happens in June. We never really did see the sun in Beijing, and it was a little more humid than I thought it would be, but it wasn't that bad. Hong Kong's heat and humidity was miserable, but at least it was sunny the entire time there and no downpours at all.

So it turns out that my concerns about the rain were simply unfounded. Thanks for all your replies, but it looks like I had nothing to worry about in the first place.

Morrissey

Well thanks for wasting our time!