Decision fields
Every published city or town is assessed through the same practical frame.
- Recommended stay and the role a place can play in an itinerary
- Access from major gateways and how easily it works without a car
- Weather fit, seasonal value and crowd level by month, plus budget band and pace
- Who the destination suits — and the conditions where it may not
Separate monthly factors
Weather fit, seasonal value and crowd level are displayed separately; Which Japan does not combine them into an overall monthly score. Climate normals provide historical planning context, not a forecast. Crowd level uses visitor counts where reliable data exists and is otherwise labeled as an event or seasonal proxy. Annual event dates and bloom timing are rechecked before release.
No universal winner
A compact rail-connected city can be right for one trip and wrong for another. Comparisons surface those differences and leave the decision with the traveler.
Versioned rules
Every derived field is tied to a methodology version. When definitions change, the change is recorded so historical data can be audited.