Japan in December

December is Japan's 7th-best month (rank 7 of 12): its 32 destinations average 68/100, led by Furano at 91 — -6°C and 22 rainy days — while Ishigaki is warmer at 22°C and scores 59.

#7 of 12 months for Japan · 32 destinations · updated September 2026 · climate normals from ERA5 reanalysis

🇯🇵 Japan, month by month

68/100 in December

Where in Japan in December

#	Place	Type	Feels-like high	Rain	Comfort	At its best
1	Furano	Ski resort	-6°C	108 mm · 22 days	91 tier S	Yes
2	Niseko	Ski resort	-4°C	82 mm · 20 days	85 tier A	Yes
3	Hakuba	Ski resort	1°C	247 mm · 23 days	81 tier A	Yes
4	Nozawa Onsen	Ski resort	2°C	230 mm · 23 days	80 tier A	Yes
5	Fujikawaguchiko	Trekking hub	7°C	61 mm · 7 days	76 tier B	—
6	Kagoshima	City	13°C	68 mm · 7 days	75 tier B	—
7	Kamakura	City	10°C	58 mm · 7 days	74 tier B	—
8	Kobe	City	9°C	52 mm · 6 days	73 tier B	—
9	Osaka	City	10°C	49 mm · 6 days	73 tier B	—
10	Beppu	City	10°C	44 mm · 6 days	72 tier B	—
11	Nagoya	City	9°C	48 mm · 5 days	72 tier B	—
12	Nara	City	9°C	46 mm · 6 days	72 tier B	—
13	Fukuoka	City	10°C	58 mm · 8 days	71 tier B	—
14	Hiroshima	City	9°C	59 mm · 10 days	71 tier B	—
15	Kyoto	City	8°C	57 mm · 7 days	71 tier B	—
16	Yokohama	City	10°C	58 mm · 6 days	71 tier B	—
17	Kumamoto	City	11°C	72 mm · 9 days	70 tier B	—
18	Tokyo	City	9°C	52 mm · 7 days	69 tier C	—
19	Nagasaki	City	9°C	82 mm · 10 days	68 tier C	—
20	Yakushima	National park	5°C	123 mm · 15 days	67 tier C	—
21	Hakone	City	5°C	78 mm · 9 days	66 tier C	—
22	Nikko	City	4°C	56 mm · 10 days	64 tier C	—
23	Sendai	City	5°C	60 mm · 13 days	64 tier C	—
24	Matsumoto	City	6°C	110 mm · 16 days	62 tier C	—
25	Okinawa	Beach	19°C	154 mm · 13 days	60 tier C	—
26	Ishigaki	Island	22°C	177 mm · 19 days	59 tier D	—
27	Miyakojima	Island	21°C	189 mm · 16 days	59 tier D	—
28	Karuizawa	City	1°C	48 mm · 8 days	58 tier D	—
29	Nagano	City	5°C	154 mm · 21 days	53 tier D	—
30	Kanazawa	City	7°C	252 mm · 24 days	50 tier D	—
31	Takayama	City	3°C	169 mm · 22 days	50 tier D	—
32	Sapporo	City	-2°C	73 mm · 17 days	42 tier F	—

Comfort is SeasonMap's 0–100 score; each place is judged through the lens that suits it — beaches on beach weather, ski resorts on snow. "At its best" means December is one of that place's own top three months. Feels-like highs fold in humidity, wind and sun.

What's on in Japan in December

Christmas and New Year · Niseko · 24 Dec – 5 Jan
New Year on the mountain · Hakuba · 28 Dec – 3 Jan
New Year in the village · Nozawa Onsen · 28 Dec – 3 Jan
Cranes winter at Izumi · Kagoshima · 1 Nov – 25 Mar (usually)
Autumn colour · Osaka and 4 more places · 15 Nov – 5 Dec (usually)
Autumn leaves · Fukuoka · 15 Nov – 8 Dec (usually)
New Year temple bells · Kyoto · 31 Dec – 3 Jan
New Year shutdown · Tokyo · 29 Dec – 3 Jan

Seasons in force

Ski season · 10 places Monsoon · 3 places Foraging season · 2 places Harvest · 2 places Fog season · 1 place Off-season shutdown · 1 place Volcanic activity · 1 place Wind season · 1 place

Peak crowds at 5 of Japan's 21 well-known places this month.

Better months for Japan

April · 75/100 May · 74/100 November · 74/100 Weakest: July · 54/100

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