Japan in January

January is Japan's 8th-best month (rank 8 of 12): its 32 destinations average 65/100, led by Niseko at 93 — -6°C and 16 rainy days — while Ishigaki is warmer at 20°C and scores 62.

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

🇯🇵 Japan, month by month

65/100 in January

Where in Japan in January

#	Place	Type	Feels-like high	Rain	Comfort	At its best
1	Niseko	Ski resort	-6°C	67 mm · 16 days	93 tier S	Yes
2	Hakuba	Ski resort	-2°C	229 mm · 25 days	89 tier A	Yes
3	Furano	Ski resort	-9°C	67 mm · 16 days	88 tier A	Yes
4	Nozawa Onsen	Ski resort	-1°C	221 mm · 25 days	86 tier A	Yes
5	Fujikawaguchiko	Trekking hub	2°C	62 mm · 8 days	73 tier B	—
6	Kagoshima	City	11°C	73 mm · 9 days	70 tier B	—
7	Kamakura	City	7°C	56 mm · 6 days	70 tier B	—
8	Kobe	City	6°C	46 mm · 6 days	69 tier C	—
9	Osaka	City	7°C	49 mm · 6 days	69 tier C	—
10	Beppu	City	8°C	55 mm · 6 days	68 tier C	—
11	Nagoya	City	6°C	43 mm · 5 days	68 tier C	—
12	Yokohama	City	7°C	55 mm · 5 days	68 tier C	—
13	Fukuoka	City	7°C	67 mm · 9 days	67 tier C	—
14	Hiroshima	City	6°C	57 mm · 9 days	67 tier C	—
15	Nara	City	6°C	50 mm · 7 days	67 tier C	—
16	Tokyo	City	7°C	52 mm · 6 days	67 tier C	—
17	Kumamoto	City	9°C	75 mm · 9 days	66 tier C	—
18	Kyoto	City	5°C	57 mm · 9 days	66 tier C	—
19	Nagasaki	City	8°C	77 mm · 10 days	65 tier C	—
20	Yakushima	National park	3°C	139 mm · 15 days	64 tier C	—
21	Miyakojima	Island	19°C	126 mm · 14 days	63 tier C	—
22	Ishigaki	Island	20°C	141 mm · 17 days	62 tier C	—
23	Okinawa	Beach	17°C	114 mm · 13 days	62 tier C	—
24	Hakone	City	2°C	75 mm · 9 days	59 tier D	—
25	Matsumoto	City	2°C	101 mm · 16 days	57 tier D	—
26	Sendai	City	1°C	66 mm · 13 days	57 tier D	—
27	Nikko	City	0°C	55 mm · 10 days	55 tier D	—
28	Karuizawa	City	-1°C	48 mm · 7 days	51 tier D	—
29	Kanazawa	City	4°C	218 mm · 25 days	48 tier F	—
30	Nagano	City	1°C	148 mm · 23 days	47 tier F	—
31	Takayama	City	1°C	150 mm · 22 days	44 tier F	—
32	Sapporo	City	-5°C	56 mm · 13 days	40 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 January 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 January

Christmas and New Year · Niseko · 24 Dec – 5 Jan
New Year on the mountain · Hakuba · 28 Dec – 3 Jan
Dosojin Fire Festival · Nozawa Onsen · 15 Jan
New Year in the village · Nozawa Onsen · 28 Dec – 3 Jan
Kawaguchiko Winter Fireworks · Fujikawaguchiko · 24 Jan – 23 Feb (usually)
Cranes winter at Izumi · Kagoshima · 1 Nov – 25 Mar (usually)
Toka Ebisu · Osaka · 9–11 Jan
Tamaseseri at Hakozaki Shrine · Fukuoka · 3 Jan

Seasons in force

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

Peak crowds at 8 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

← Japan in December Japan in February →Best time to visit Japan, month by month Compare: Niseko vs Hakuba in January