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

Averages for 1991–2020 at the JMA's Nagano station (418 m above sea level).

High

3.8°C (39°F)

Low

−3.9°C (25°F)

Precipitation

54.6 mm

Wet days

9.8 days

Sunshine

128 hours

Snow on ground

21.2 days

• Highs are 3.1°C below December and 1.5°C below February.
• That is 14.0°C below Nagano's yearly average high of 17.8°C.
• Of our 34 places with temperature records, Nagano is the 9th coldest in January: 1.5°C cooler than Niigata and 0.6°C warmer than Takayama.
• January is Nagano's 4th driest month (54.6 mm).
• Of our 35 places, Nagano has the 13th lowest precipitation in January: 2.6 mm less than Kumamoto and 0.5 mm more than Hachioji.
• Rain or snow of 1 mm or more falls on 9.8 days, and 10 mm or more on 1.6 days.
• The temperature drops below 0°C on 28.8 nights.
• On 2.8 days it stays below 0°C all day.
• 63 cm of snow falls in an average January; snow lies on the ground on 21.2 days.
• The sun is out for 40% or more of the possible hours on 15.8 days, and 3.3 days have under 0.1 hours of sunshine.
• On 15 January 2027 the sun rises at 6:59 and sets at 16:54 in Nagano, giving 9 hours 55 minutes of daylight (NAOJ).

Average temperature

−0.4°C (31°F)

Humidity

79%

Deepest snow (average of each year's deepest)

26 cm

Early, mid and late January

Is Nagano cold in January?

Yes, it is very cold. Nagano averages 3.8°C (39°F) by day and −3.9°C (25°F) at night in January. 11–20 January is the coldest stretch of the year, with highs of 3.6°C.

Freezing: highs around 3.8°C

• A heavy winter coat (down or similar), thermal underwear, a hat, gloves and a scarf.
• Gloves and a hat for mornings and nights: the temperature drops below 0°C on 28.8 nights.
• A waterproof jacket with a hood: rain or snow falls on 9.8 days.

Shoes

• Waterproof boots with good grip: snow lies on the ground on 21.2 days (deepest 26 cm on average).

Pack

• Waterproof jacket with a hood
• Gloves and a warm hat
• Thermal underwear
• Scarf
• Waterproof boots with grip

• 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 Nagano Prefecture were 38.3% full on average (6th busiest of 12 months). Foreign guests spent 445,590 nights there that month (Japan Tourism Agency). That compares with 33.3% in December and 41.8% in February.

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