Japan in December 2026: Weather, Events and What to Book

The short answer: December in Japan is cold, mostly dry and bright in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, and snowy in Hokkaido. The first week can still have autumn leaves, the cities are full of illuminations, and from about 29 December the country slows down for New Year. Book trains and hotels for the last days of the year early.

December weather by city

These are the Japan Meteorological Agency’s December normals for 1991 to 2020, as the daily high and low.

• Tokyo: 12.0°C and 3.8°C.
• Kyoto: 11.6°C and 3.5°C.
• Osaka: 12.3°C and 5.3°C.
• Fukuoka: 12.6°C and 5.8°C.
• Sapporo: 2.0°C and minus 4.0°C.
• Naha, Okinawa: 21.5°C and 16.8°C.

On the Pacific side, December is one of the drier months. Tokyo’s normal is about 58 mm of rain and 174 hours of sunshine. Sapporo gets about 115 mm, mostly as snow. Pack layers for the cities and proper boots for the north: what to pack for Japan in December to February has the list.

What’s on in December 2026

• The last autumn leaves, early December: Kyoto’s temple gardens can hold their colour into the first week. Eikando’s night viewing and Tofukuji’s autumn season both run until 6 December 2026. The autumn leaves forecast has the dates.
• Chichibu Night Festival, 2 and 3 December: huge lantern-lit floats are hauled through Chichibu in Saitama. It is part of a UNESCO-listed group of float festivals, and the main night is 3 December.
• Illuminations: Marunouchi in Tokyo is lit from 12 November 2026 to 14 February 2027, and the Tokyo Midtown garden lights run from 26 November to 25 December 2026, free. Christmas in Japan has more.
• Hagoita-ichi at Senso-ji, 17 to 19 December: Asakusa’s year-end market of decorated paddles, held on these dates every year.
• Christmas Eve, 24 December: a night out for couples, with strawberry cake and fried chicken. 25 December is an ordinary working day.
• New Year’s Eve, 31 December: temple bells ring 108 times around midnight. New Year in Japan covers what closes and when.

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No holidays, then the biggest one

Japan has no national holidays in December, so the first three weeks are ordinary working weeks, and a good time for sights. Then New Year arrives. Japan Guide expects closures from about 29 December to 4 January, the busiest trains out of the big cities on 29 to 31 December, and the rush back on 2 to 4 January.

What to book

• Shinkansen seats for 29 to 31 December and 2 to 4 January, as soon as your dates are fixed.
• Hotels over New Year, especially in Kyoto and near the big shrines.
• Dinner on 31 December and 1 January, or plan on hotel restaurants and convenience stores.
• February in Hokkaido: if the Sapporo Snow Festival is on your list, book Sapporo now.

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