When to go · Osaka
Osaka in December
Good month. Illuminations; closures Dec 29–Jan 3.
Key facts
- Verdict
- Good
- Temperature
- 12° / 5°
- average high / low
- Rain days
- 6
- Crowds
- Medium
- Japan overall
- Prices
- Medium
- Japan overall
Verdict
Illuminations; closures Dec 29–Jan 3.
Weather in December
- OsakaHighs around 12 °C, lows around 5 °C, rain on about 6 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
Illuminations from Umeda to Nakanoshima, fugu season, Tōka Ebisu in January, cheap rooms.
Watch: Closures around 28 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.
Autumn leaves and illuminations check
Mid-November to December · Midōsuji ginkgo avenue, Osaka Castle Park, Nakanoshima
Ginkgo turns gold along Midōsuji; light displays from Umeda to Namba.
Osaka Hikari Renaissance check
Mid-December to about 25 December (check) · Nakanoshima, around the Central Public Hall
Projection mapping and light installations; crowded weekend evenings.
New Year
Dec 31–Jan 3
Shrine crowds; some restaurants closed; transport runs late on New Year's Eve.
Crowds and prices
- Crowds · Japan overall
- Medium
- Prices · Japan overall
- Medium
Japan overall: Cold and clear until the New Year shutdown from 29 Dec.
What to pack
- A warm coat, hat and gloves for mornings and evenings
- Layers: a fleece or light jacket