When to go · Kyoto
Kyoto in January
Good month. Cold, clear, fewer people (after Jan 3).
Key facts
- Verdict
- Good
- Temperature
- 9° / 1°
- average high / low
- Rain days
- 9
- Crowds
- Low
- Japan overall
- Prices
- Low
- Japan overall
Verdict
GoodVoykit month rating for Kyoto
Cold, clear, fewer people (after Jan 3).
Weather in January
- KyotoHighs around 9 °C, lows around 1 °C, rain on about 9 days
- Honshū cities, Japan · Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshimacool
Rainy season June to mid-July; humid heat July–August; typhoon risk peaks in September.
Winter season
Quietest temples, rare snow on Kinkaku-ji, New Year shrine visits, special winter openings of closed halls.
Watch: Cold wooden halls; many close 29 Dec–3 Jan.
Festivals and holidays
Dates as our data lists them. Moving holidays (lunar and Islamic calendars, Easter) shift every year: check the date for your year before you build a trip on it.
New Year
Dec 31–Jan 3
Huge shrine crowds (Yasaka, Fushimi Inari); many shops and restaurants closed.
Crowds and prices
- Crowds · Japan overall
- Low
- Prices · Japan overall
- Low
- Room rates · Kyoto
- Low
- 1–3 Jan New Year is high; the rest of the month is the cheapest of the year.
Japan overall: Cold, dry and clear in the cities after 3 Jan; ski season in Hokkaidō and the Alps.
What to pack
- A warm coat, hat and gloves for mornings and evenings
- Layers: a fleece or light jacket