Value Village ／ Before you come to Japan
This answer is a draft. It stays unpublished until legal review and source verification are complete.
Spring is the most popular time to visit Japan and the worst time for the roughly 40% of the population with cedar pollen allergy. Visitors who have never reacted to pollen at home find themselves sneezing in Kyoto and wonder what is happening.
| Region | Cedar (sugi) | Cypress (hinoki) | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tokyo / Kanto | early Feb – early Apr | late Mar – early May | Peak mid-March; cherry blossom coincides with the transition |
| Kyoto / Osaka / Kansai | mid-Feb – early Apr | late Mar – early May | Similar |
| Kyushu | early Feb – late Mar | Mar – Apr | Earliest start |
| Tohoku | Mar – Apr | Apr – May | Later |
| Hokkaido | Almost no cedar; birch (May) instead | — | The pollen-free spring destination |
| Okinawa | No cedar | — | Same |
[Verify] Prevalence figures with the Japanese Society of Otorhinolaryngology's nationwide survey; season dates with the Ministry of the Environment's pollen information; the 2023 plan with the Cabinet Office.
Japanese cedar pollen loads are extreme; first-time reactions in visitors are common. Symptoms are runny nose, itchy eyes, sneezing, fatigue — not a cold if there is no fever.
In spring, masks are for pollen (see the masks article). A non-woven mask and glasses (any glasses help; pollen-blocking frames help more) cut exposure substantially.
February to May in most of Honshu, with a cedar peak in March and cypress running into May. Cherry-blossom week sits in the middle.
Second-generation antihistamines are OTC in Japan (Class 2). Ask the pharmacist for hay-fever medicine (花粉症の薬, kafunshō no kusuri); bring your usual medication if you have one, within the import limits.
Hokkaido and Okinawa have virtually no cedar or cypress. Hokkaido's birch season starts in May. Sufferers plan spring trips there for exactly this reason.
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https://www.env.go.jp/chemi/anzen/kafun/
https://www.cas.go.jp/jp/seisaku/kafun/pdf/230530_honbun.pdf
https://tenki.jp/pollen/
⚠️ Editorial note: the source URLs above were identified by search. Our working environment cannot reach go.jp domains, so the contents have not been checked against the text. Verify every source before publication and record who checked it and when.
What we share here are ideas and everyday practices passed down among people living in Japan, together with general information drawn from public sources. They are not official recommendations, and they are not professional instruction. Practices vary between households and regions.
This is general information. Results vary from person to person and depend on your own conditions and surroundings.
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