Tochigi Weather Forecast

Altitude. The shrines sit around 600m and Lake Chuzenji above 1,200m, so Nikko runs 5-10°C below the plain at Utsunomiya, holds snow into spring and collects far more rain. Bring one more layer than the prefecture forecast suggests.

They come down the mountain: Oku-Nikko and Irohazaka peak in mid to late October, the Toshogu area in early to mid-November, and the plain later still. Cool clear nights are what sharpen the colour, so a warm autumn dulls it.

The plain gets properly hot — 33-35°C and humid through late July and August, with afternoon thunderstorms rolling off the mountains. Nikko is the obvious escape, roughly ten degrees cooler an hour away.