Kyushu in June
 

I am travelling to Japan twice next year and was hoping to ask the forum for insights on travelling around Kyushu in June. My dates are June 17 to 23 so wondering what the humidity will be like or if it will overlap with the rainy season?

I land at KIX on June 17. I plan to purchase a 7 day JR rail pass (green car). Travel by train (same day) from KIX> Shin-Osaka> Hakata (>Hilton Fukuoka). Stay four nights. And from Fukuoka embark on day trips around Kyushu (like Kagoshima and Nagasaki). I plan to ask the hotel front desk to help send my luggage on to my final hotel (Kahala Yokohama) early, leaving at least two-three nights for delivery. From Hakata again travel by Shinaksen to Shin-Osaka, stay a night at Conrad. And then one last night in Yokohama and N'EX to NRT. Is this too ambitious for one week? How intense will the heat/humidity be in Kyushu in June?

The internet has weather websites with future and historical data including humidity. Not sure why Japan tourists cannot use weather websites. You can even use a 24-hour webcam of japan sites and see what people are wearing....

We lived in Kumamoto for a few years (a fun, frequently overlooked city), arriving from the UK late june was quite tough. If you’re coming from Singapore or similar then it probably wouldn’t be any issue.

I’m sorry you received such an unpleasant initial first response.

I’ve personally managed to completely avoid visiting during the rainy season and will continue to avoid it, but I have had a few tastes of what it can be like during May and July visits. I also once came across a traveller during a rainy period in August in Hiroshima who was an assault to the senses. The guy absolutely reeked and my husband explained that this was the stench of someone who hadn’t dried out his clothes and that it takes very little time for this kind of smell to set in and stay when living in Japan during the warmer months.

Looking at your itinerary Jetsetpensioner and seeing that you are staying at higher end hotels, your laundry needs are actually going to be harder to get attended to than someone going to more modest accommodation with dedicated washing and drying facilities (I just spend a few days in the Sunroute Taipei - where humidity is a an ongoing reality - and received complimentary access to their machines).

Even if you aren’t challenged by your daily plans (you are being very ambitious) it’s hard to see where you will have the time for self-care for your clothing. I guess one solution will be to have your hotels take care of it for you, if so, take account of those costs as they will be significant. Otherwise, set aside some time to visit a coin laundry or find an affordable wash and fold service. Your hotel concierges should be able to point out where they are, just remember that this will take a sizeable chunk out of your visit. If you send damp clothes via takkyubin you might never be able to use them again.

I too would like to echo the sentiment above about the unpleasant response. Flyertalkers are generally much more cordial.

I've been to Kyushu several times in June and July, and looking back at those photos, they don't seem too much different from when I visited during other months (January, April May, October, November).

I will say that Kagoshima is a long way from Fukuoka, and I certainly wouldn't do it as a daytrip myself. But this is because I love Kagoshima and can spend days there. If you like aquariums, they have one of the most unique ones where dolphins are let out into the canals (are they canals?)

It is possible to get lucky and avoid the rainy season, even in middle of June, but maybe don't count on it. I haven't been to Kyushu in June specifically, but in Shizuoka prefecture a couple of times in June and got very lucky with no rain and around 25 degrees C. But since you are already aware of the rainy season in Japan means you are already better prepared than most!

I can also add that I know of a guy who was stationed in Fukuoka for work and he did day trips to Kagoshima, Kumamoto and so on in the weekends, so it is possible if you get up early and plan accordingly.

Summer humidity slows the air drying process, too, if you intend to hand wash anything. A powered hand fan which is useful during the summer can also be propped up to help circulate air for air drying clothing.

Some business hotels have all in one washer and dryer machines which can inspire love hate relationships. Love for the convenience, hate for the dryer taking so long and often leaving things slightly damp. Perhaps it is the amount of clothing travelers save up for a load or a condensing dryer. It was unpleasant for my friend on our trip who was confronted by a pair of waiting hotel guests when she attempted to add some time to her "completed" very damp laundry load that she'd "had her turn" in the evening (note - I don't think most Japanese manners would consider it unbearably rude to add a single time extension if using 1 of 3 machines with dryer time added right as the initial cycle ended, though perhaps someone else's culture or ahem, certain personality types might. Annoying but understandable for regular clothing). Laundromats or places with a separate dryer like Dormy Inns are more efficient, or hotels with washer/dryer unit in room so you can throw in a load at night (estimate 3+ hours for wash + dry of a single load). I'd expect outsourced hotel laundry service to be fine.

Last year in late June I was in Fukuoka and other locations in Kyushu and if you are not used to high humidity then you might find the weather challenging if outside a lot. Shizuoka, mentioned by one poster was noticeably more humid than Fukuoka a few days later.

If you’re able to be flexible with your planning, I would do Kyushu another time.
Like malloc said, you might luck out with the rain. But June is the rain season there. Even when it’s not raining, the humidity will be no joke.

Although the daily mean temperature in Nagasaki in June is only 73.4°F (23 °C), precipitation is higher in June than in any other month of the year, so you're unlikely to avoid rain. In Kagoshima, the daily mean temperature is 74.5°F (23.6 °C), and precipitation is highest in June, significantly higher than in Nagasaki. That said, it sounds like you'll only have one or two days to spend in Nagasaki, so you could get lucky and miss the rain. If your entire trip is only 7 days long, your plan to spend 4 nights in Fukuoka, taking day trips to both Kagoshima and Nagasaki, may be overly ambitious, but not impossible. It's not clear to me whether your four nights in Fukuoka City include day trips to Kagoshima and Fukuoka, or if those day trips come after a 4-night stay there. If the latter, you'll probably only have one full day in each of those cities. Since it is June, I wouldn't be overly concerned about the heat, though keeping your clothes dry from humidity and rain while traveling, as mentioned in other posts above, is worth considering.

There will be potential for heavy (very heavy) rain on these days more in the south.