Takayama weather in May

In May, Takayama sees average daytime highs of 18°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 163 mm of precipitation across 14.8 wet days and about 13.9 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 16°C in the first days to 19°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 30 min at the start of May to 14 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Takayama's 5th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Takayama's year-round climate.

Daytime high
18°
5th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Precipitation
163 mm
14.8 wet days
Daylight
13 h 54 min
4:50 AM – 6:45 PM
Cloud cover
66%
5th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
5.58 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.0
out of 10

Takayama is city in Gifu Prefecture, Japan.

Density
41/km²
people per km²
Founded
1936

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 16°C in the first days to 19°C by the end.

A typical May day in Takayama reaches about 18°C in the afternoon and slips back to 8°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 13°C and 22°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 6°C warmer than April and about 3°C cooler than June.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1166
2166
3166
4166
5166
6167
7177
8177
9177
10177
11178
12178
13178
14178
15188
16188
17188
18189
19189
20189
21189
22199
23199
241910
251910
261910
271910
281910
291910
301910
311911

How May really feels in Takayama

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

May sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Takayama weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -7°15521.422.19.80.0
Feb / -6°13317.917.210.60.0
Mar / -3°17217.813.311.70.3
Apr12° / 15815.53.812.92.8
May18° / 16314.80.213.95.0
Jun21° / 13°22017.7014.45.0
Jul25° / 18°27821.1014.25.0
Aug26° / 18°17918.8013.45.3
Sep22° / 14°21616012.25.5
Oct16° / 18214.50.211.14.6
Nov10° / 14115.94.810.11.9
Dec / -4°15920.616.79.60.1

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 62%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14357
24357
34258
44258
54258
64159
74060
84159
94060
104060
113961
123961
133961
143961
153862
163862
173763
183763
193763
203763
213664
223565
233565
243565
253565
263466
273367
283367
293268
303169
313169

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Takayama gets around 163 mm of rain and snow over 14.8 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 47% and peaks near 50% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1453
2453
3452
4452
5462
6462
7461
8471
9471
10481
11481
12491
13491
14501
15500
16500
17500
18500
19490
20490
21490
22480
23480
24470
25460
26460
27450
28450
29450
30450
31450

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of May feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, May lands in the dry band about 94% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19820
29820
39820
49730
59730
69730
79730
89640
99640
109640
119640
129550
139550
149550
159550
169550
179550
189460
199460
209460
219460
229460
239271
249271
259181
269181
279091
2889101
2988111
3087121
3186131

Wind in May

Winds average 7 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 7 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 30 min at the start of May to 14 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 48 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:05 AM to 4:41 AM, and sunset from 6:32 PM to 6:56 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.55:056:32
213.55:046:33
313.55:026:33
413.65:016:34
513.65:006:35
613.64:596:36
713.64:586:37
813.74:576:38
913.74:566:39
1013.74:556:40
1113.84:546:40
1213.84:536:41
1313.84:526:42
1413.94:526:43
1513.94:516:44
1613.94:506:45
1713.94:496:45
1814.04:486:46
1914.04:486:47
2014.04:476:48
2114.04:466:49
2214.14:466:49
2314.14:456:50
2414.14:446:51
2514.14:446:52
2614.24:436:52
2714.24:436:53
2814.24:426:54
2914.24:426:55
3014.24:416:55
3114.34:416:56

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.58 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.12 kWh/m² to a high of 5.58 kWh/m² in May across the year — May's 5.58 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.5Bright
125.5Bright
135.5Bright
145.6Bright
155.6Bright
165.6Bright
175.6Bright
185.6Bright
195.7Bright
205.7Bright
215.7Bright
225.7Bright
235.7Bright
245.7Bright
255.7Bright
265.7Bright
275.7Bright
285.7Bright
295.7Bright
305.7Bright
315.7Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Takayama?

Our two travel scores rate May for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

5.0
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
1.5
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Takayama for sightseeing.

What to pack for Takayama in May

From May's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In May, Takayama sees daytime highs around 18°C and nights near 8°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 15 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

UV index in Takayama in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 9 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Takayama peaks around July 14 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 23 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highModerateJul 14UV 11Dec 23UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5High
Apr7Very high
May9Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul11Extreme
Aug9Very high
Sep10Very high
Oct6High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Takayama in May

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where May falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Takayama is worst in April — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (December, 10 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodApr 1719 µg/m³Dec 1510 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar18Moderate
Apr19Moderate
May18Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul13Moderate
Aug12Good
Sep11Good
Oct11Good
Nov10Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Takayama?

Takayama sits at 36.1°N, 137.3°E, 583 m above sea level, in Japan. The nearest listed city is Furukawa, 13 km away.

Topography around Takayama

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Takayama.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Takayama has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 352 m around an average of 638 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,101 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,123 m.

The land around Takayama is covered by trees (53%) and artificial surfaces (37%) within 3 km, trees (90%) within 16 km, and trees (85%) within 80 km.

3 km
352 m
16 km
1,101 m
80 km
3,123 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Furukawa 13 km · Hida 14 km · Gero 37 km · Yatsuomachi-higashikumisaka 49 km · Gujō 51 km · Nanto 53 km · Nanto-shi 57 km · Fukumitsu 58 km

Japan travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type A / B
100 V · 50 / 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 65% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$35,951
2025
Happiness
6.1 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
99%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.2
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
3.6
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Very low
EF EPI 446
Religion
Shintoism 49%Buddhism 46%other 4%Christianity 1%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Takayama (36.1333°, 137.25°, elevation 583 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).