When to go · Tokyo
Tokyo in January
Good month. Cold, clear skies.
Key facts
- Verdict
- Good
- Temperature
- 10° / 1°
- average high / low
- Rain days
- 5
- Crowds
- Low
- Japan overall
- Prices
- Low
- Japan overall
Verdict
Cold, clear skies.
Weather in January
- TokyoHighs around 10 °C, lows around 1 °C, rain on about 5 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
Clear skies, Fuji visible from the city, illuminations, the New Year shrine visit at Meiji Jingū.
Watch: Closures from 29 Dec to 3 Jan (museums, some restaurants).
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 shrine visits (hatsumōde)
1–3 January · Meiji Jingū, Sensō-ji, every shrine
Millions queue at the big shrines; one-way crowd routes at Harajuku and Asakusa. Many restaurants, museums and gardens close 29 Dec–3 Jan.
New Year greeting at the Imperial Palace check
2 January · Imperial Palace inner grounds
The one day the public enters the inner palace plaza; security queues from early morning.
Coming of Age Day
Second Monday of January · Shrines and city halls
20-year-olds in kimono and suits at shrines; a public holiday, so museums shift their closing day.
Grand Sumo tournaments check
15 days, starting the second Sunday of the month · Ryōgoku Kokugikan
Tickets sell out on release weekends; same-day unreserved seats in small numbers (check).
New Year
Dec 31–Jan 3
Meiji Jingū and Sensō-ji see millions of visitors; many restaurants closed.
Crowds and prices
- Crowds · Japan overall
- Low
- Prices · Japan overall
- Low
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