Practical Travel · 公開 2026-10-31 · 更新 2026-10-31
事実の最終確認 2026-10-30 · 次の見直し 2027-04-30
Japan weather by month: what the official averages say for Tokyo, Kyoto, Sapporo and Okinawa
Monthly mean temperature and rainfall for Tokyo, Kyoto, Sapporo and Naha, from Japan Meteorological Agency 1991-2020 climate normals. Averages, not a forecast.
You are packing for Japan and want to know whether December means a light jacket or snow boots, or whether your June dates fall in a wet month. Japan runs a long way from north to south, so the answer depends on where you go. This article puts the official monthly averages for Tokyo, Kyoto, Sapporo (Hokkaido) and Naha (Okinawa) side by side.
All numbers come from the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), checked on 2026-10-30. They are 30-year averages, not a forecast for your trip.
What a "climate normal" is
JMA publishes heinenchi (平年値), usually called climate normals. JMA says its current "2020 normals" were made from 1991-2020 data and have been in use since 19 May 2021. Each station page shows the period 1991-2020 and 30 years of data for these values.
Each city here is one JMA station: Tokyo (Tokyo Metropolis), Kyoto (Kyoto Prefecture), Sapporo (Ishikari region, Hokkaido) and Naha (Okinawa Prefecture). Mountains and coasts nearby can differ. Any single year can be warmer, colder, wetter or drier than these tables.
Monthly mean temperature (°C)
| Month | Tokyo | Kyoto | Sapporo | Naha |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5.4 | 4.8 | -3.2 | 17.3 |
| Feb | 6.1 | 5.4 | -2.7 | 17.5 |
| Mar | 9.4 | 8.8 | 1.1 | 19.1 |
| Apr | 14.3 | 14.4 | 7.3 | 21.5 |
| May | 18.8 | 19.5 | 13.0 | 24.2 |
| Jun | 21.9 | 23.3 | 17.0 | 27.2 |
| Jul | 25.7 | 27.3 | 21.1 | 29.1 |
| Aug | 26.9 | 28.5 | 22.3 | 29.0 |
| Sep | 23.3 | 24.4 | 18.6 | 27.9 |
| Oct | 18.0 | 18.4 | 12.1 | 25.5 |
| Nov | 12.5 | 12.5 | 5.2 | 22.5 |
| Dec | 7.7 | 7.2 | -0.9 | 19.0 |
Sapporo's mean is below 0 °C from December to February, while Naha's lowest monthly mean is 17.3 °C in January. Tokyo and Kyoto are close in most months, with Kyoto slightly warmer in summer and slightly colder in winter.
A monthly mean blends day and night. For packing, the average daily high and low help more. Here are December and August from the same tables:
| City | Dec high | Dec low | Aug high | Aug low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tokyo | 12.0 | 3.8 | 31.3 | 23.5 |
| Kyoto | 11.6 | 3.5 | 33.7 | 24.7 |
| Sapporo | 2.0 | -4.0 | 26.4 | 19.1 |
| Naha | 21.5 | 16.8 | 31.8 | 26.8 |
With average August highs above 30 °C in Tokyo, Kyoto and Naha, heat matters for summer sightseeing. See Heat stroke alerts in Japan.
Monthly precipitation (mm)
This is the monthly precipitation total (降水量 合計).
| Month | Tokyo | Kyoto | Sapporo | Naha |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 59.7 | 53.3 | 108.4 | 101.6 |
| Feb | 56.5 | 65.1 | 91.9 | 114.5 |
| Mar | 116.0 | 106.2 | 77.6 | 142.8 |
| Apr | 133.7 | 117.0 | 54.6 | 161.0 |
| May | 139.7 | 151.4 | 55.5 | 245.3 |
| Jun | 167.8 | 199.7 | 60.4 | 284.4 |
| Jul | 156.2 | 223.6 | 90.7 | 188.1 |
| Aug | 154.7 | 153.8 | 126.8 | 240.0 |
| Sep | 224.9 | 178.5 | 142.2 | 275.2 |
| Oct | 234.8 | 143.2 | 109.9 | 179.2 |
| Nov | 96.3 | 73.9 | 113.8 | 119.1 |
| Dec | 57.9 | 57.3 | 114.5 | 110.0 |
Reading the table, and no further:
- Tokyo is wettest in October and September, and driest in February, December and January.
- Kyoto is wettest in July, then June.
- Naha is wettest in June, then September and May.
- Sapporo gets more in December and January than in April and May, much of it as snow.
These tables do not date the rainy season or typhoons, so we do not either. If a typhoon affects your trip, see Earthquakes and typhoons in Japan.
Snow from December to February
The same JMA pages list snowfall totals (降雪の深さ 合計) and the deepest snow cover (最深積雪).
- Sapporo: total snowfall of 113 cm in December, 137 cm in January and 116 cm in February. Deepest snow cover is 47 cm in December, 76 cm in January and 95 cm in February. The table also counts snow days (雪日数): 27.9 in December and 29.1 in January.
- Tokyo: total snowfall of 0 cm in December and 4 cm in both January and February.
- Kyoto: 2 cm in December, 5 cm in January and 7 cm in February.
- Naha: 0 cm in January, and no snowfall value for the other months.
What can change
- The normals: JMA has issued corrected editions of the 2020 normals. Its download page lists the fifth edition, in use from 21 May 2025. Station values can be revised again.
- Your actual weather: check JMA's forecasts and warnings close to your dates. For closures caused by weather, see Weather closures at Japanese sights.
- Next review of this article: 2027-04-30.
Sources
- Japan Meteorological Agency, "東京（東京都） 平年値（年・月ごとの値） 主な要素" (in Japanese): https://www.data.jma.go.jp/stats/etrn/view/nml_sfc_ym.php?prec_no=44&block_no=47662&year=&month=&day=&view= (checked 2026-10-30)
- Japan Meteorological Agency, "京都（京都府） 平年値（年・月ごとの値） 主な要素" (in Japanese): https://www.data.jma.go.jp/stats/etrn/view/nml_sfc_ym.php?prec_no=61&block_no=47759&year=&month=&day=&view= (checked 2026-10-30)
- Japan Meteorological Agency, "札幌（石狩地方） 平年値（年・月ごとの値） 主な要素" (in Japanese): https://www.data.jma.go.jp/stats/etrn/view/nml_sfc_ym.php?prec_no=14&block_no=47412&year=&month=&day=&view= (checked 2026-10-30)
- Japan Meteorological Agency, "那覇（沖縄県） 平年値（年・月ごとの値） 主な要素" (in Japanese): https://www.data.jma.go.jp/stats/etrn/view/nml_sfc_ym.php?prec_no=91&block_no=47936&year=&month=&day=&view= (checked 2026-10-30)
- Japan Meteorological Agency, "平年値ダウンロード" (Climate normals download, in Japanese): https://www.data.jma.go.jp/stats/data/mdrr/normal/index.html (checked 2026-10-30)