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

Averages for 1991–2020 at the JMA's Kobe station (5 m above sea level).

High

9.4°C (49°F)

Low

3.1°C (38°F)

Precipitation

38.4 mm

Wet days

4.7 days

Sunshine

146 hours

• Highs are 2.6°C below December and 0.7°C below February.
• That is 11.1°C below Kobe's yearly average high of 20.5°C.
• Of our 34 places with temperature records, Kobe is the 15th warmest in January: 0.1°C cooler than Ise and 0.1°C warmer than Nagoya.
• Of our 35 places, Kobe has the 2nd lowest precipitation in January: 3.9 mm less than Sendai and 1.6 mm more than Karuizawa.
• Rain of 1 mm or more falls on 4.7 days, and 10 mm or more on 1.3 days.
• The temperature drops below 0°C on 2.2 nights.
• Snow or sleet falls on 8.9 days.
• The sun is out for 40% or more of the possible hours on 19.4 days, and 2.9 days have under 0.1 hours of sunshine.
• On 15 January 2027 the sun rises at 7:06 and sets at 17:11 in Kobe, giving 10 hours 5 minutes of daylight (NAOJ).

Average temperature

6.2°C (43°F)

Humidity

62%

Early, mid and late January

By the last ten days of January the average high in Kobe is 1.0°C lower than in the first ten.

By ten-day totals, 21–31 January is the wettest (17.1 mm) and 1–10 January the driest (10.2 mm).

Is Kobe cold in January?

Yes, it is cold. Kobe averages 9.4°C (49°F) by day and 3.1°C (38°F) at night in January. 21–31 January is the coldest stretch of the year, with highs of 8.9°C.

Cold: highs around 9.4°C

• A winter coat over layers, and a scarf.
• Gloves and a hat for mornings and nights: the temperature drops below 0°C on 2.2 nights.
• Rain is less common (on 4.7 days); a compact umbrella is enough.

Shoes

• Shoes with good grip: snow or sleet falls on 8.9 days.

Pack

• Compact umbrella
• Gloves and a warm hat
• Scarf

• 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 Hyogo Prefecture were 52.9% full on average (the quietest month of the year). Foreign guests spent 134,540 nights there that month (Japan Tourism Agency). That compares with 60.3% in December and 57.4% in February.

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