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

Averages for 1991–2020 from the JMA station in each place. Tap a heading to sort.

• The most wet days (1 mm or more of rain or snow) are in Fukuoka (9.3 days), the fewest in Oita (4.8 days).
• Precipitation ranges from 49.8 mm in Oita to 78.3 mm in Kagoshima.
• Miyazaki gets the most sunshine (193 hours in the month) and Nagasaki the least (104 hours).
• Fukuoka, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Kagoshima, Oita, Miyazaki and Saga are warmer than Tokyo (9.8°C) in January; the rest are colder.

Average high and low for each ten days of January (JMA ten-day normals, 1991–2020).

In Fukuoka, the average high is 10.7°C in the first ten days of January, 10.2°C in the middle ten and 9.8°C in the last ten.

Snowfall is the total for the month; deepest snow is the average of each year's deepest (JMA, 1991–2020).

The deepest snow is in Nagasaki (2 cm), then Kagoshima (2 cm) and Fukuoka (1 cm).

Snow does not usually lie for long in Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Oita and Kagoshima, but snow or sleet falls on 3.0 days or more.

How we choose: from the JMA's average high and low for January, by our own rules.

Is Kyushu cold in January?

Yes, it is chilly. Fukuoka, the main city, averages 10.2°C (50°F) by day and 3.9°C (39°F) at night in January. 21–31 January is the coldest stretch of the year, with highs of 9.8°C.

In January the clothing level runs from Cold in Yufuin to Chilly in Fukuoka, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Kagoshima, Oita, Miyazaki and Saga, so pack for the coldest place on your route.

• Gloves and a warm hat: frost on 10 nights or more in Kumamoto and Yufuin.

• Our clothing rules

The first plum blossom in Kyushu in an average year is in Miyazaki on 22 January.

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

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

• Holidays in January
• Year-end and New Year holidays

One place in January

• Fukuoka in January
• Nagasaki in January
• Kumamoto in January
• Kagoshima in January

Kyushu in other months

• Kyushu in February
• Kyushu in March
• Kyushu in April
• Kyushu in November
• Kyushu in December
• Kyushu by month

Other regions in January

• Hokkaido in January
• Shikoku in January
• Tohoku in January
• Japan in January