Tour Prep
A practical look at rain in Tokyo travel, explaining route adjustments, indoor alternatives, seasonal realities, and what guests can realistically expect on a wet day.
July 27, 2025
5 mins read
Tokyo gets rain. Sometimes drizzle, sometimes downpours. Here's how your guide adjusts, what indoor alternatives exist, and when rain actually becomes a problem.
Your guide monitors forecasts and contacts you 24-48 hours before the tour if heavy rain is expected. The conversation covers whether you're comfortable touring, what the adjusted route looks like, and logistics like meeting points.
You have until 24 hours before the tour to cancel without penalty. The 24-hour cancellation policy gives you time to see the actual forecast, not just the 5-day prediction.
If rain develops mid-tour, your guide adjusts in real time:
Pause at cafes or covered areas
Shorten the route
End early if conditions become miserable
Flexibility is built into the structure.
Tours proceed in regular rain, even heavy rain. Covered stations, underground networks, and taxis make this workable in Tokyo.
Tours get cancelled for three reasons:
Typhoons with transit warnings: When JMA (Japan Meteorological Agency) issues warnings and trains start suspending service. This happens 1-2 times per year in Tokyo, mostly in September. Typhoons are tracked days in advance, so you'll know before tour day.
Extreme weather warnings: When government advisories tell people to stay indoors. JMA uses a three-tier system—Emergency Warnings (once-per-decade events), Warnings (serious disasters likely), Advisories (stay alert). Tours cancel under Warnings or Emergency Warnings.
Your preference: If you're uncomfortable with the forecast, reschedule. The 24-hour policy exists for this.
Rainy season (tsuyu) runs early June through mid-July. During this period, expect persistent drizzle and gray skies. This is normal Tokyo weather, not extreme conditions. Tours operate throughout tsuyu.
Rainy tours aren't backup plans—they're different Tokyo. Covered markets instead of open shrines, underground networks instead of street walking, department stores instead of outdoor neighborhoods.
Here's a typical adjustment:
Sunny-Weather Route | Rainy-Weather Route |
|---|---|
Meiji Shrine grounds (open forest paths) | Meiji Shrine covered corridors only (skip outer grounds) |
Harajuku street walking (Takeshita-dori, Omotesando) | Tokyu Hands Shinjuku (5-floor department store, Japanese products) |
Yoyogi Park | Shibuya underground network (multi-level shopping connecting Ginza Line, Fukutoshin Line) |
Shibuya Crossing street-level photography | Department store food halls (Takashimaya, Isetan) |
Shinjuku Golden Gai (outdoor alleys) | Museums (Edo-Tokyo Museum or teamLab) |
The examples above are one possibility. Actual adjustments depend on which tour you booked, your interests, and rain intensity.
Tokyo's underground isn't just transit. It's shopping districts, restaurant zones, and covered walkways spanning kilometers.
Major underground networks:
Tokyo Station Yaesu: 180 shops and 60 restaurants in connected underground passages. You can walk from Tokyo Station through Yaesu Chikagai to nearby buildings entirely underground.
Shinjuku underground: Connects JR lines, Tokyo Metro, Toei Subway, and private railways (Odakyu, Keio). Extensive retail and dining throughout.
Shibuya underground: Multi-level passages connecting Hachiko exit to Mark City shopping complex. Links Ginza Line, Fukutoshin Line, and Hanzomon Line stations.
These underground networks also benefit travelers with mobility considerations—accessible touring options explains elevator routes and covered pathways.
Covered markets:
Nakamise (Asakusa): 250 meters of covered shopping approaching Sensoji Temple. 89 shops selling traditional snacks, crafts, and souvenirs. This is temple approach, not underground mall—roofed street with historical character.
Ameya-Yokocho (Ueno): Partially covered market with food vendors and discount shops. Post-war history, energetic atmosphere that intensifies in rain.
Department store basements (depachika):
Takashimaya Nihonbashi, Isetan Shinjuku, Mitsukoshi Ginza all have elaborate food halls in their basements. Your guide explains ingredient sourcing, regional specialties, and gift culture while you sample products. This is food education, not just shopping.
Most tourists never see this side of Tokyo. Rain forces the discovery, then reveals why locals use these spaces constantly. For broader context on Tokyo's infrastructure and systems, first-time visitor essentials covers how the city works.
Museums aren't consolation prizes. They add depth that outdoor walking can't provide.
Edo-Tokyo Museum: Scale models show pre-modern Tokyo—what the city looked like before concrete and trains. Interactive exhibits covering Edo period through modern reconstruction. 2-3 hours typical visit time.
Tokyo National Museum: Japan's largest museum. Ceramics, textiles, historical artifacts with cultural context. Pairs well with temple visits by explaining what you're seeing.
Mori Art Museum: Contemporary art on the 53rd floor of Roppongi Hills. Weather doesn't matter when you're that high. Combines with Tokyo City View observation deck on 52nd floor.
teamLab Borderless/Planets: Digital art installations. Entirely indoor, immersive, sensory-focused. Benefits from removing outdoor distractions.
Museum admission takes 1-2 hours minimum, 2-3 hours comfortably. This affects tour pacing—museums replace multiple shorter outdoor stops.
The trade-off: outdoor temples give you architectural context and garden aesthetics. Museums give you historical depth and artifact study. Both matter, but they're not equivalent experiences.
Tokyo's trains have different rain exposure. JR Yamanote Line uses outdoor platforms with canopies—protected from above, open on sides. Tokyo Metro subways have fully covered platforms underground or in enclosed above-ground structures.
In rain, guides shift toward subway stations and avoid outdoor transfers:
Shinjuku JR (outdoor platform) → Shinjuku-sanchome subway (covered)
Harajuku JR → switch to Meiji-jingumae subway entrance
Taxi segments replace outdoor walking:
Harajuku to Shibuya: Normally 15-minute walk along Meiji-dori. In rain, becomes 10-15 minute taxi ride costing approximately ¥1,000-1,500.
You pay for taxis. Guides use them strategically—not for entire day, just for segments where walking in rain makes no sense. For context on typical walking distances, how much walking to expect on tours covers standard routes.
Taxi availability varies by location:
Central areas (Shibuya, Shinjuku, Roppongi): High taxi availability. Easy to catch on streets or at stands.
Eastern areas (Asakusa, Yanaka): Lower street availability. Station taxi stands remain reliable, but roaming taxis less common.
Rain increases taxi demand everywhere, making them harder to find regardless of location. If staying near covered stations matters for your trip, hotel location considerations covers rain-friendly neighborhoods.
Tour in Rain | Reschedule |
|---|---|
Limited Tokyo days (rainy tour beats no tour) | Schedule flexibility exists in Tokyo |
Curious about indoor Tokyo culture | Outdoor shrines/parks were primary booking reason |
Tour is late in trip (outdoor sights already seen) | Forecast shows extreme all-day heavy rain |
Not weather-dependent for experience quality | Very cold/wet sensitive |
The 24-hour cancellation policy lets you decide after seeing the actual forecast, not the 7-day projection. Tokyo forecasts are reliable 3-5 days out.
Tokyo's infrastructure handles rain better than most cities—covered stations, underground networks, and reliable taxi service mean rain changes the experience but doesn't ruin it.
Honest assessment: Sunny tours ARE better for outdoor shrine photography and garden walks. Don't tour in rain expecting equivalent experiences—tour expecting different but worthwhile experiences.
Tsuyu (rainy season) runs early June through mid-July in Tokyo. This is persistent drizzle and gray skies, not tropical downpours. The season lasts approximately 6-7 weeks.
If you're visiting during tsuyu, expect rain. Don't wait for perfect weather—it might not come. For broader seasonal context, best months to visit Tokyo covers weather patterns throughout the year.
Booking strategy for rainy season:
Schedule tours early in your trip, not late. Use a rainy day for the guided experience with underground networks, museums, and food halls. Save sunny days for independent exploration of parks and outdoor temples.
If you save the tour for late in your trip and it rains, you miss the guide's knowledge during your earlier independent days. The Tokyo tour planning guide covers broader scheduling strategies.
Weather unpredictability:
Tokyo forecasts are accurate 3-5 days out. Beyond 7 days, accuracy drops significantly. Tsuyu weather is particularly unstable—fronts shift, breaks in rain come unexpectedly.
Flexibility beats optimization. Book tours based on your schedule, not weather speculation.
Rain changes specific experiences but doesn't eliminate tour value.
Lost in Rain | Gained in Rain | Unchanged |
|---|---|---|
Outdoor temple grounds and shrine gardens | Underground Tokyo networks (most tourists never see these) | Guide expertise and cultural interpretation |
Street photography (lighting, angles, spontaneous shots) | Covered shopping culture (Nakamise, department stores with guide context) | Transportation efficiency (taxis make it faster) |
Scenic neighborhood walks (Yanaka, Daikanyama strolls) | Cozy food experiences (ramen/izakaya atmosphere enhanced) | Food culture access and explanation |
Open-air market energy (Ameya-Yokocho crowd dynamics) | Museum depth (Edo-Tokyo Museum, teamLab immersion) | Customization and flexibility |
Zero-planning experience |
The trade-offs aren't equal. Outdoor shrines in sun offer aesthetics rainy tours can't match. But rainy tours reveal indoor Tokyo that sunny-day visitors skip entirely.
Different Tokyo, not worse Tokyo.
Travelers book private tours for two main reasons: avoiding planning stress, or accessing cultural depth they can't reach independently.
Hinomaru One works well for the first group. If you're arriving in Tokyo with limited time, uncertain about navigation, or traveling with family members who have different mobility needs, the zero-planning structure removes friction. Your guide handles logistics, adjusts pacing mid-tour, and redesigns routes when rain appears in the forecast.
The service also suits travelers who want interpretation, not just transportation. Guides have advanced academic backgrounds and explain Tokyo's urban development, food culture, and neighborhood history as context, not trivia. In rain, this matters more—depachika sampling becomes ingredient education, underground shopping becomes urban infrastructure lesson.
This approach doesn't work for everyone. If you prefer exploring independently with occasional restaurant recommendations, or if you're comfortable navigating Tokyo's trains and reading maps, a private guide adds limited value. Budget-conscious travelers will find better options through public transit and guidebooks. Large groups (6+) often struggle with the pacing that works for families of 2-4.
Rain specifically: Hinomaru One's flexibility helps during weather disruption. Guides pivot to covered routes without requiring client approval for every adjustment. But this is operational convenience, not magic—rainy Tokyo tours remain inferior to sunny ones for shrine photography and outdoor markets.
Included | Details |
|---|---|
Rain gear | Umbrellas and ponchos provided |
Taxi coordination | Guide calls taxis for strategic segments |
Mid-tour flexibility | Cafe breaks, shortened routes, or early end if uncomfortable |
Route redesign | Guide contacts you 24-48 hours before when heavy rain forecasted |
NOT Included | Why |
|---|---|
Full-day taxi service | Too expensive |
Personal waterproof boots or rain jackets | Bring your own |
Guaranteed museum access | Museums may be closed or fully booked |
Want to discuss rain contingency for your specific dates? Tokyo Essentials and Infinite Tokyo both adapt well to rain, or contact us to explore custom indoor-focused routes.
