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

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

High

16.1°C (61°F)

Low

5.9°C (43°F)

Precipitation

124.8 mm

Wet days

10.4 days

Sunshine

170 hours

• Highs rise 3.7°C from February and climb another 5.3°C into April.
• That is 6.1°C below Kumamoto's yearly average high of 22.2°C.
• Of our 34 places with temperature records, Kumamoto is the 6th warmest in March: 1.4°C cooler than Kagoshima and 0.8°C warmer than Nagasaki.
• March is Kumamoto's 6th driest month (124.8 mm).
• Of our 35 places, Kumamoto has the 11th highest precipitation in March: 9.6 mm less than Ishigaki and 1.6 mm more than Nagasaki.
• Rain of 1 mm or more falls on 10.4 days, and 10 mm or more on 4.4 days.
• Rain of 30 mm or more in one day falls on 0.7 days.
• The temperature drops below 0°C on 1.4 nights.
• Snow or sleet falls on 1.6 days.
• The sun is out for 40% or more of the possible hours on 17.6 days, and 5.5 days have under 0.1 hours of sunshine.
• On 15 March 2027 the sun rises at 6:28 and sets at 18:25 in Kumamoto, giving 11 hours 57 minutes of daylight (NAOJ).

Average temperature

10.9°C (52°F)

Humidity

66%

Early, mid and late March

By the last ten days of March the average high in Kumamoto is 2.8°C higher than in the first ten.

By ten-day totals, 21–31 March is the wettest (46.3 mm) and 1–10 March the driest (37.6 mm).

Cool: highs around 16.1°C

• Long sleeves with a light jacket or sweater.
• Gloves and a hat for mornings and nights: the temperature drops below 0°C on 1.4 nights.
• Layers you can take off: afternoons are 10.2°C warmer than early mornings on average.
• An umbrella: rain falls on 10.4 days.

Pack

• Umbrella
• Gloves and a warm hat

• Our clothing rules

Cherry blossom

The JMA's sample cherry tree in Kumamoto opens around 22 March and is in full bloom around 1 April in an average year (1991–2020). In 2026 it opened on 23 March and was in full bloom on 2 April.

Dates are for one sample tree at or near the JMA observatory, not for every park in the city.

National holidays in March 2027:

• Sun 21 March — Vernal Equinox Day
• Mon 22 March — Substitute holiday

• Sat 20 March to Mon 22 March: 3 days off in a row

In March 2025, hotels and inns across Kumamoto Prefecture were 62.8% full on average (3rd busiest of 12 months). Foreign guests spent 170,190 nights there that month (Japan Tourism Agency). That compares with 60.2% in February and 58.8% in April.

• Japan in March: visitor numbers and busy travel days
• Holidays in March