Post-Japan Blues, May Disease, and Seasonal Low Mood in Japan
A low mood that follows a change of season or routine and lifts as your routine settles is usually a passing dip. One that lasts two weeks or more on most days, or that affects sleep, appetite, or work, should be assessed by a doctor. Three names come up for these dips in Japan: May disease, seasonal depression, and the "post-Japan blues."
What is May disease (gogatsubyo)?
May disease (五月病, gogatsubyo) is an everyday Japanese term, not a formal diagnosis, for low mood, tiredness, and loss of motivation that appear around May. The school year and the government's fiscal year in Japan start in April. May disease is described in people whose environment has just changed, such as new employees and staff who have been transferred, and it typically shows after the Golden Week holidays, which end in early May.
Japan's health ministry describes it as most often related to adjustment disorder or a depressive state. If the symptoms continue or become severe, a doctor will check for adjustment disorder and depression.
What is seasonal depression?
Seasonal depression is depression that returns in the same season each year, most often starting in autumn or winter and lifting in spring. Doctors record it as depression with a seasonal pattern, not as a separate illness. Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare describes seasonal depression as occurring in winter, where shorter daylight hours are thought to play a part, and also in summer or the rainy season.
It is tied to the season itself, not to events that happen at the same time each year, so May disease is not seasonal depression.
The rainy season in the Tokyo area runs on average from early June to mid-July and brings more rain and less sunshine (Japan Meteorological Agency).
What are the "post-Japan blues"?
"Post-Japan blues" is an informal phrase, not a medical term. Travelers use it for the sense of loss after going home from a trip to Japan. In this article it means a related low among foreign residents: the low period after a visit home, or once the first exciting months in Japan are over. Our guide to mental health for foreign residents describes this pattern.
How do you tell a passing dip from depression?
By how long it lasts and how much it affects daily life:
- A passing dip: you feel worse than usual but keep functioning, and your mood improves as the season changes or the routine settles.
- A reason to see a doctor: the low mood has lasted two weeks or more on most days, continues after the season or event has passed, disturbs sleep or appetite, or affects work and relationships.
- A reason to see a doctor this week: hopelessness, or thoughts of not wanting to live, at any time of year.
If you are in immediate danger, call 119. Support lines in English are listed in our guide to mental health resources.
What can you do during a seasonal dip?
These habits are reasonable to try, starting before the season you find difficult:
- Keep your sleep and wake times regular through holidays and changes of season
- Get outside in the morning light, especially in winter and during the rainy season
- Keep up physical activity, indoors when the weather stops your usual exercise
- Plan time with other people in advance
- Plan something to look forward to outside work in May and June
If your low at the same time last year was severe, see a doctor before that season this year.
Frequently asked questions
This article is general information, not medical advice for your individual situation. If you're unwell, please see a doctor.
Medically reviewed by our psychiatrist (M.D.). Updated October 12, 2026.