Let me tell you about the weather at Dairyuji Temple

Enjoy four seasons in Akita! Fall is ablaze with red maple leaves, winters are white and snowy, spring brings pink cherry blossoms and summer is a glorious with green rice fields and blue skies and sea.

We hold our bi-annual meditation and mindfulness retreats in Spring and Fall respectively.

Given our geographic location, quite far north in Japan, we do see colder weather earlier and for longer. Don’t worry! As the Norwegians say “There’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing”. The key piece of advice that I can give is to be prepared for warm and cool weather when you come. Layering items are your best friend.

Spring / June weather

Average temperatures are high / low of 23ºC/15º or 73ºF /54ºF

It should be quite pleasant during the day and a bit chilly in the evenings and mornings. We recommend layered clothing. Please bring a light coat and walking shoes or light hiking boots so you can enjoy the outdoors. Shoes are not worn inside the temple so we provide slippers. You’re welcome to bring your own slippers or a pair of thick socks. We also suggest bringing a raincoat or umbrella in case of rain.

While indoors we will be sitting on the floor to meditate and cozy blankets are provided. Leggings and comfortable clothing are best for these activities. The temple is not heated centrally, most Japanese buildings are not. We will provide space heaters to warm the areas you’re using and at night we have seasonally appropriate futons and bedding.

We may see some rain

Bring a raincoat and an umbrella just in case.

Yoga is an option

We will let you know if you should pack yoga gear.

Fall / October weather

Average temperatures are high / low of 17ºC/9ºC or 63ºF/49ºF

Fall is spectacular in Akita which accurately means “fall rice fields” in Japanese. The golden yellow rice harvest finishes up in late September and early October just as the leaves begin to change color. Fall foliage reaches its peak October and continues into early November which is why we love hosting the Fall retreat during that time. We still have warm sunny days but the days are are shorter and therefore cooler at night. Follow the same advice as above for spring and you will be fine. In previous years our guests have brought packable lightweight down jackets which are a little windproof as well for our stroll along the coastline to see the sunset. Hats start to come out in this season too.