Kagoshima in January: weather, what to wear and what's on

Averages for 1991–2020 at the JMA's Kagoshima station (4 m above sea level).

High

13.1°C (56°F)

Low

4.9°C (41°F)

Precipitation

78.3 mm

Wet days

8.5 days

Sunshine

133 hours

Snow on ground

0.5 days

• Highs are 2.2°C below December and 1.5°C below February.
• That is 10.0°C below Kagoshima's yearly average high of 23.1°C.
• Of our 34 places with temperature records, Kagoshima is the 5th warmest in January: 1.6°C cooler than Yakushima and 2.4°C warmer than Kumamoto.
• Of our 35 places, Kagoshima has the 13th highest precipitation in January: 23.3 mm less than Naha and 0.9 mm more than Hakodate.
• Rain or snow of 1 mm or more falls on 8.5 days, and 10 mm or more on 2.7 days.
• The temperature drops below 0°C on 0.8 nights.
• 1 cm of snow falls in an average January; snow lies on the ground on 0.5 days.
• The sun is out for 40% or more of the possible hours on 14.8 days, and 4.0 days have under 0.1 hours of sunshine.
• By the JMA's cloud records, 2.9 days are clear and 9.6 are overcast.
• On 15 January 2027 the sun rises at 7:18 and sets at 17:36 in Kagoshima, giving 10 hours 18 minutes of daylight (NAOJ).

Average temperature

8.7°C (48°F)

Humidity

66%

Deepest snow (average of each year's deepest)

2 cm

Early, mid and late January

By the last ten days of January the average high in Kagoshima is 0.7°C lower than in the first ten.

By ten-day totals, 21–31 January is the wettest (32.6 mm) and 1–10 January the driest (17.8 mm).

Is Kagoshima cold in January?

Yes, it is chilly. Kagoshima averages 13.1°C (56°F) by day and 4.9°C (41°F) at night in January. 21–31 January is the coldest stretch of the year, with highs of 12.8°C.

Chilly: highs around 13.1°C

• A warm jacket or light coat over a sweater.
• A folding umbrella: rain or snow falls on 8.5 days.

Shoes

• Shoes with good grip: snow or sleet falls on 4.3 days.

Pack

• Folding umbrella

• Our clothing rules

National holidays in January 2027:

• Fri 1 January — New Year's Day
• Mon 11 January — Coming of Age Day

• Fri 1 January to Sun 3 January: 3 days off in a row
• Sat 9 January to Mon 11 January: 3 days off in a row

In January 2025, hotels and inns across Kagoshima Prefecture were 47.9% full on average (10th busiest of 12 months). Foreign guests spent 69,450 nights there that month (Japan Tourism Agency). That compares with 52.5% in December and 57.0% in February.

• Japan in January: visitor numbers and busy travel days
• Holidays in January
• Year-end and New Year holidays