ClimateForecastDecemberJanuary >>

Weather in December in Japan

Planning a journey to Japan this December and curious over the weather conditions to await? Your essential details are found on this page, answering your query:

What is the weather like in Japan in December?

In December, Japan experiences a range of weather conditions, with temperatures that range from very cold to warm and precipitation levels ranging from moderate to heavy. December is a winter month.

Temperatures

The average maximum daytime temperatures vary from very cold in Kamikawa at -4°C to warm in Ishigaki Island at 24°C. Nighttime temperatures generally drop to 20°C in Ishigaki Island and -12°C in Kamikawa.

Precipitation

In December, precipitation varies across different areas. From moderate rainfall in Fukaya with an average of 51 mm to heavy rainfall in Yunohama with 312 mm. Based on climate data from the last 30 years, Tokyo typically sees the least rain in this month, making it the driest month of the year.

Average sunshine

The city Tokyo usually sees around 177 hours of sunlight, indicating a moderately sunny period.

To learn more about the conditions in specific areas of Japan in December, check out the map below. For more details on the yearly weather, visit our Japan climate page.

Where to go in Japan in December

Find more information for the most popular destinations in the Japan on the map below. Click on a destination dot for more detailes.

Map not visible? Whoops sorry! Please refresh the page.
Legend perfect weather pleasant tolerable unpleasant poor
Perfect weather is subjective. On this map perfect weather has been defined with temperatures between 20°C and 29°C and not too much precipitation (less than 90 mm a month).

Popular destinations

What is the weather like in December for the 5 most popular destinations in Japan?

Tokyo

In December Tokyo generally has moderate temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 13°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 5°C and moderate monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are unpleasant that month.

Tokyo
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
sun hoursMonthly sun hours sun hoursSun hours
precipitationMonthly rainfall precipitationRainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
18°C 
10°C 
147 hours 
96 mm 
13 days 
13°C 
5°C 
177 hours 
62 mm 
9 days 
January   >> January
>>  
10°C 
2°C 
189 hours 
72 mm 
9 days 
poor 
Climate in Tokyo

Kyoto

In December Kyoto generally has low temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 11°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 2°C and moderate monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are unpleasant that month.

Kyoto
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
sun hoursMonthly sun hours sun hoursSun hours
precipitationMonthly rainfall precipitationRainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
17°C 
7°C 
140 hours 
84 mm 
16 days 
11°C 
2°C 
138 hours 
71 mm 
18 days 
January   >> January
>>  
9°C 
-0°C 
124 hours 
73 mm 
21 days 
poor 
Climate in Kyoto

Osaka

In December Osaka generally has moderate temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 13°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 4°C and moderate monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are unpleasant that month.

Osaka
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
sun hoursMonthly sun hours sun hoursSun hours
precipitationMonthly rainfall precipitationRainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
18°C 
9°C 
148 hours 
82 mm 
14 days 
13°C 
4°C 
151 hours 
67 mm 
15 days 
January   >> January
>>  
10°C 
2°C 
142 hours 
64 mm 
18 days 
poor 
Climate in Osaka

Hakuba

In December Hakuba generally has low temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 3°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around -5°C and heavy monthly snow/rainfall. So on average the conditions are poor that month.

Hakuba
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
sun hoursMonthly sun hours sun hoursSun hours
precipitationMonthly snow/rainfall precipitationSnow/rainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
10°C 
1°C 
110 hours 
193 mm 
18 days 
poor 
3°C 
-5°C 
86 hours 
221 mm 
23 days 
poor 
January   >> January
>>  
0°C 
-7°C 
80 hours 
223 mm 
26 days 
poor 
Climate in Hakuba

Hakone

In December Hakone generally has low temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 12°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 5°C and moderate monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are unpleasant that month.

Hakone
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
precipitationMonthly rainfall precipitationRainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
16°C 
10°C 
139 mm 
11 days 
12°C 
5°C 
94 mm 
8 days 
January   >> January
>>  
9°C 
2°C 
103 mm 
10 days 
poor 
Climate in Hakone

Is your destination not in the list? Have a look at other destinations in Japan.

Is December the best time to visit Japan?

In our view, December might not be the best time to travel to Japan with often unpleasant weather in Tokyo.

Generally speaking, May, June and November provide pleasant weather in Tokyo. On the other hand, the month of January tends to have poor weather conditions.

Interested in more climate information?

We have much more information about the climate in Japan. Interested in the weather conditions in a specific month? Select the month below.

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  • Weather and climate has detailed information for every country in the world. Are you going to Japan? Get detailed historical weather averages for many cities in Japan.

    Not sure yet where to go? We now have a tool which recommends destinations that suit your ideal travel conditions. Find out where to go with our weather planner.