Japan climate
The weather in Japan is generally temperate, with four
distinct seasons. Japan's weather in winter, from
December to February, is quite dry and sunny along the
Pacific coast and the temperatures rarely drop below
0°C. The temperatures drop as you move north, with the
Central and Northern regions experiencing
snowfall. Southern Japan is relatively temperate and
experiences a mild winter.
Spring is from March to May. Temperatures are warm
but not too hot, plus there isn’t too much rain. The
famous cherry blossoms are out during this time and
there are plenty of festivals to enjoy.
Summer begins in June and the country experiences a
three to four-week rainy season during which the farmers
plant their rice. It is hot and humid during this time and
temperatures are often in the high 30’s. Summer wraps
up in August.
Autumn is from September to November and is
characterized by light breezes and cooler temperatures of
around 8-10oC. It’s during autumn that many exhibitions,
music concerts and sports tournaments are held in Japan.
Korea climate
The climate of the Republic of Korea is cold but sunny in
winter, while it’s hot and sultry with abundant rainfall in
summer. Spring and autumn are quite short but pleasant.
Winter, from late November to mid-March, is freezing in
the north and in the interior, while it’s milder, but still
with night frosts, along the southern coast. The sun often
shines. Snowfalls are relatively rare and not abundant. A
cold and dry wind often blows from the continent,
sometimes full of dust. Because of the greater exposure
to cold winds of Siberian origin, at a given latitude winter
is colder on the west coast than on the east coast. In the
southernmost cities, such as Mokpo and Busan (or
Pusan), the climate is much milder, and the average
temperature in January goes up to around 3 °C (37.5
°F).
However, during cold spells, the temperature can drop
to -20 °C (-4 °F) in Seoul and in northern inland areas,
and around -10 °C (14 °F) in the south, while it only
drops a few degrees below freezing on the island of Jeju.
The least snowy area is the south-east coast because of
the higher temperature, but also because in periods of
bad weather the wind blows from the south. There are on
average 25 days with snowfall (maybe light) per year in
Seoul (as mentioned, located in the northwest), 22 days
in Incheon (near Seoul but on the coast), 27 in Mokpo (on
the south-west coast, which is a milder but also more
humid area), 12 in Daegu (in the south-eastern inland
areas), and only 5 in Busan, on the southeast coast.
Spring, from mid-March to May, is initially cool, and
gradually becomes milder, but the rains become more
frequent because of the formation of low pressure
systems.
In winter, and especially in spring (March to May, which is
called yellow dust season), South Korea (but especially
the Seoul area) can be reached by the yellow
dust (HwangSain Korean) coming from the desert of
Mongolia and from China; the dust forms a characteristic
haze and can cause breathing problems and eye
irritation.
Summer, from June to August, is hot, humid and rainy.
The high humidity makes the heat sweltering, especially
in July and August. Rainfall can be heavy especially in July
and August. Two thirds of the annual rainfall occur in
summer. However, between periods of bad weather,
there can also be sunny days, which may be hot.
Especially between late June and early August, an almost
stationary front (called Changma) moves over Korea,
which can cause heavy rainfall (sometimes associated
with floods) but also fog, low clouds and drizzle. In the
second part of summer, it goes a bit better and the
amount of sunshine increases, although typhoons can add
more rain.
Autumn, from September to late November, is pleasant,
especially in the month of October, when the maximum
temperatures are around 20/22 °C (68/72 °F). In
addition, in autumn it usually rains less than in spring.