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

Averages for 1991–2020 at the JMA's Kusatsu station (1,223 m above sea level).

High

−0.4°C (31°F)

Low

−7.8°C (18°F)

Precipitation

68.5 mm

Wet days

11.6 days

Sunshine

153 hours

• Highs are 3.3°C below December and 1.1°C below February.
• That is 12.7°C below Kusatsu Onsen's yearly average high of 12.3°C.
• Of our 34 places with temperature records, Kusatsu Onsen is the coldest in January, level with Sapporo.
• January is Kusatsu Onsen's 4th driest month (68.5 mm).
• Of our 35 places, Kusatsu Onsen has the 16th highest precipitation in January: 5.9 mm less than Fukuoka and 3.8 mm more than Yokohama.
• Rain or snow of 1 mm or more falls on 11.6 days, and 10 mm or more on 2.1 days.
• The temperature drops below 0°C on 30.7 nights.
• On 17.0 days it stays below 0°C all day.
• 175 cm of snow falls in an average January; snow 5 cm or deeper lies on the ground on 30.3 days.
• The sun is out for 40% or more of the possible hours on 19.9 days, and 3.2 days have under 0.1 hours of sunshine.

Average temperature

−4.1°C (25°F)

Deepest snow (average of each year's deepest)

73 cm

Early, mid and late January

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

By ten-day totals, 21–31 January is the wettest (25.5 mm) and 1–10 January the driest (19.8 mm).

Freezing: highs around −0.4°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 30.7 nights.
• A waterproof jacket with a hood: rain or snow falls on 11.6 days.

Shoes

• Waterproof boots with good grip: snow 5 cm or deeper lies on the ground on 30.3 days (deepest 73 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 Gunma Prefecture were 41.2% full on average (the quietest month of the year). Foreign guests spent 47,450 nights there that month (Japan Tourism Agency). That compares with 43.4% in December and 45.5% in February.

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