Typical Weather and Tourism in Japan

In Japan, the winter months are somewhat the same as I am used to because Japan is in the northern Hemisphere. The winter solstice occurs on December 21st. The maximum temperature during this month is 46 degrees F and the minimum temperature in 38 degrees F. The type of precipitation that is likely to occur on the winter solstice is extremely light. Japan only receives on average about 4mm of precipitation during the entire month of December.

For the summer solstice, it occurs on the 21st of June. The average maximum temperature of this month is 79 degrees F. The average minimum temperature of this month is 62 degrees F. The type of precipitation during this summer solstice is at about 180mm which is Japan's wettest month. The amount of sunny days is the lowest during the month of June.

For the spring or vernal equinox, it occurs on the 20th of March. The average maximum temperature of this month is 48 degrees F. The average minimum temperature of this month is 39 degrees F. The type of precipitation during this equinox is 100mm. Although on the heavier side of precipitation, this amount of rain is fairly average.

For the autumnal equinox, it occurs on the 22nd of September. The average maximum temperature of this month is 80 degrees F. The average minimum temperature of this month is 64 degrees F. The type of precipitation during this equinox is about 175mm of precipitation which is also extremely heavy. The autumnal equinox is not the rainiest month but it does come in a close second.

As a travel agent, I would suggest that a tourist would visit during the winter solstice. For me, 46 degrees is not too cold of a temperature. Coming from Denver, 46 is perfect for a hike or a day around the town. So I feel like in Japan, one could visit the Japanese markets, the tea rituals in the gardens, or even go on a bush hike around the mountains. For weather hazards, one could be stuck in rain storms and excessive rain could wash mud and foliage down the mountains if you were hiking. This is why I think the winter solstice would be better, because the rain is only at 4mm for the month, and during the winter solstice, the sun is out more than the other months.

http://www.worldfortravel.com/2013/02/28/beautiful-kyoto-gardens-japan/

"Japan, the paradise that you can enjoy with a sweater on."

Temperature Controls in the city of Tokyo in Japan

The capital city of Japan is Tokyo, with the latitude and longitude of 35.69 degrees N, 139.69 degrees E. According to Holiday Weather, the warmest month in Tokyo is August with an average monthly temperature of 78.5 degrees F. The coldest month in Tokyo is January with an average monthly temperature of 41 degrees F. With the hottest and coldest temperatures being as they are, the average range of temperature for Tokyo is 37.5 degrees F. While researching Country Studies, I found that ocean currents are the biggest temperature controls that affect weather in Tokyo, Japan. There are two major ocean currents in Japan that impact Tokyo; The Kuroshio current, and the Oyashio current. Because Japan is an island located near the continent of Asia, the airflows through Tokyo are dense and full of moisture. There are also multiple typhoons that go through or come close to Tokyo every year. The Kuroshio current flows all the way up through Tokyo and is known as the 'warm current' which brings clear skies to Tokyo's side of the island, and affects the climate pattern so that there is lower pressure in Tokyo, rather than higher pressure on the 'sea of Japan' side of the island. There is also less snowfall in Tokyo because the Oyashio current moves colder air eastward that affects the central part of the island where the mountains are. Ocean currents and the location of Tokyo (Pacific ocean side of island) affect and impact the pressure and how cold it is. Tokyo would be much colder without these currents. Honestly, while researching Tokyo, and Japan as a whole country I don't think that there is a temperature control discussed in class that doesn't impact the city of Tokyo. If anything, I think geographic position would be the least important. The reason I say this is because when you compare the average temperatures to the upmost north city of Sapporo to Tokyo, there isn't a HUGE difference. The warmest month for Sapporo is also August with an average monthly temperature of 72 degrees F, and the coldest month is also January but with a little colder average monthly temperature of 24 degrees F. To be completely honest, all temperature controls affect Tokyo, because it is an island with leeward and windward sides, ocean currents, albedo and excessive cloud cover, different altitudes throughout the island, and differential heating between land and sea. If I HAD to choose though, I would say ocean currents are most important, and geographic position is least important.

In regard to making predictions about what will or won't change in the temperature controls in Tokyo, I think that the cloud cover and albedo will only get worse. Because there are so many people living in such a small space, pollution is going to be a huge issue. While doing research, I learned that clouds are not always just pure water vapor and are not always good for you. I found that you are not supposed to hike or do any bush hiking around the mountains during specific seasons because of the pH balance in the fog and cloud cover. People that go up and walk around these 'clouds' report a burning sensation in their eyes and on their skin. I looked up the pH information for different mountains and found that Mt. Fuji has a pH of 4.0, Mt. Norikura has a pH of 3.30, Mt. Rokko has a pH of 2.30, and Mt. Oyama has a pH of 1.95 (which is the same levels of pH as the acid in your stomach). Because Tokyo has a ton of precipitation and some snow, I believe that the cloud cover and albedo and pollution for this city if only going to increase, and the pH levels are only going to decrease with more amounts of pollution which one day could cause acid rain or acid snow.