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

Averages for 1991–2020 at the JMA's Kumamoto station (38 m above sea level).

High

10.7°C (51°F)

Low

1.6°C (35°F)

Precipitation

57.2 mm

Wet days

6.5 days

Sunshine

133 hours

• Highs are 2.2°C below December and 1.7°C below February.
• That is 11.5°C below Kumamoto's yearly average high of 22.2°C.
• Of our 34 places with temperature records, Kumamoto is the 6th warmest in January: 2.4°C cooler than Kagoshima and level with Nagasaki.
• Of our 35 places, Kumamoto has the 14th lowest precipitation in January: 2.5 mm less than Tokyo and 2.6 mm more than Nagano.
• Rain or snow of 1 mm or more falls on 6.5 days, and 10 mm or more on 2.2 days.
• The temperature drops below 0°C on 10.5 nights.
• 1 cm of snow falls in an average January.
• Snow or sleet falls on 6.6 days.
• The sun is out for 40% or more of the possible hours on 15.7 days, and 3.8 days have under 0.1 hours of sunshine.
• On 15 January 2027 the sun rises at 7:20 and sets at 17:33 in Kumamoto, giving 10 hours 13 minutes of daylight (NAOJ).

Average temperature

6.0°C (43°F)

Humidity

70%

Deepest snow (average of each year's deepest)

1 cm

Early, mid and late January

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

By ten-day totals, 11–20 January is the wettest (22.0 mm) and 1–10 January the driest (13.4 mm).

Is Kumamoto cold in January?

Yes, it is chilly. Kumamoto averages 10.7°C (51°F) by day and 1.6°C (35°F) at night in January. 21–31 January is the coldest stretch of the year, with highs of 10.4°C.

Chilly: highs around 10.7°C

• A warm jacket or light coat over a sweater.
• Gloves and a hat for mornings and nights: the temperature drops below 0°C on 10.5 nights.
• Layers you can take off: afternoons are 9.1°C warmer than early mornings on average.
• A folding umbrella: rain or snow falls on 6.5 days.

Shoes

• Shoes with good grip: snow or sleet falls on 6.6 days.

Pack

• Folding umbrella
• Gloves and a warm hat

• 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 Kumamoto Prefecture were 49.7% full on average (the quietest month of the year). Foreign guests spent 121,560 nights there that month (Japan Tourism Agency). That compares with 58.4% in December and 60.2% in February.

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