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

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

High

0.9°C (34°F)

Low

−6.0°C (21°F)

Precipitation

77.4 mm

Wet days

15.0 days

Sunshine

103 hours

Snow on ground

29.4 days

• Highs are 2.3°C below December and 0.9°C below February.
• That is 12.6°C below Hakodate's yearly average high of 13.5°C.
• Of our 34 places with temperature records, Hakodate is the 3rd coldest in January: 0.9°C cooler than Aomori and 1.3°C warmer than Sapporo.
• January is Hakodate's 4th driest month (77.4 mm).
• Of our 35 places, Hakodate has the 14th highest precipitation in January: 0.9 mm less than Kagoshima and 3.0 mm more than Fukuoka.
• Rain or snow of 1 mm or more falls on 15.0 days, and 10 mm or more on 1.7 days.
• The temperature drops below 0°C on 29.9 nights.
• On 11.2 days it stays below 0°C all day.
• 91 cm of snow falls in an average January; snow lies on the ground on 29.4 days.
• The sun is out for 40% or more of the possible hours on 13.2 days, and 2.8 days have under 0.1 hours of sunshine.

Average temperature

−2.4°C (28°F)

Humidity

73%

Deepest snow (average of each year's deepest)

34 cm

Early, mid and late January

By the last ten days of January the average high in Hakodate is 0.5°C lower than in the first ten.

By ten-day totals, 1–10 January is the wettest (28.4 mm) and 11–20 January the driest (21.6 mm).

Is Hakodate cold in January?

Yes, it is very cold. Hakodate averages 0.9°C (34°F) by day and −6.0°C (21°F) at night in January. 11–20 January is the coldest stretch of the year, with highs of 0.5°C.

Freezing: highs around 0.9°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 29.9 nights.
• A waterproof jacket with a hood: rain or snow falls on 15.0 days.

Shoes

• Waterproof boots with good grip: snow lies on the ground on 29.4 days (deepest 34 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 Hokkaido were 62.1% full on average (7th busiest of 12 months). Foreign guests spent 1.98 million nights there that month (Japan Tourism Agency). That compares with 59.5% in December and 68.0% in February.

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