Hakodate in December: weather, what to wear and what's on

Averages for 1991–2020 at the JMA's Hakodate station (35 m above sea level).

High

3.2°C (38°F)

Low

−3.6°C (26°F)

Precipitation

94.6 mm

Wet days

15.8 days

Sunshine

92 hours

Snow on ground

21.4 days

• Highs fall 6.8°C from November and drop another 2.3°C into January.
• That is 10.3°C below Hakodate's yearly average high of 13.5°C.
• Of our 34 places with temperature records, Hakodate is the 3rd coldest in December: 1.3°C cooler than Aomori and 0.3°C warmer than Kusatsu Onsen.
• December is Hakodate's 6th wettest month (94.6 mm).
• Of our 35 places, Hakodate has the 13th highest precipitation in December: 9.8 mm less than Takayama and 1.4 mm more than Kagoshima.
• Rain or snow of 1 mm or more falls on 15.8 days, and 10 mm or more on 2.7 days.
• The temperature drops below 0°C on 26.5 nights.
• On 6.7 days it stays below 0°C all day.
• 79 cm of snow falls in an average December; snow lies on the ground on 21.4 days.
• The sun is out for 40% or more of the possible hours on 11.3 days, and 3.8 days have under 0.1 hours of sunshine.

Average temperature

−0.1°C (32°F)

Humidity

74%

Deepest snow (average of each year's deepest)

22 cm

Early, mid and late December

By the last ten days of December the average high in Hakodate is 2.5°C lower than in the first ten.

Is Hakodate cold in December?

Yes, it is very cold. Hakodate averages 3.2°C (38°F) by day and −3.6°C (26°F) at night in December. It gets colder still: 11–20 January has highs of 0.5°C.

Freezing: highs around 3.2°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 26.5 nights.
• A waterproof jacket with a hood: rain or snow falls on 15.8 days.

Shoes

• Waterproof boots with good grip: snow lies on the ground on 21.4 days (deepest 22 cm on average).

Pack

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

• Our clothing rules

There are no national holidays in December 2026.

In December 2025, hotels and inns across Hokkaido were 59.5% full on average (8th busiest of 12 months). Foreign guests spent 1.79 million nights there that month (Japan Tourism Agency). That compares with 54.2% in November and 62.1% in January.

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