Karuizawa weather in January

In January, Karuizawa sees average daytime highs of 3°C and overnight lows near -4°C, with 59 mm of precipitation across 7.4 wet days and about 9.8 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 3°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 47% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 36 min at the start of January to 10 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Karuizawa's 2nd-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Karuizawa's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12th warmest
Overnight low
-4°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
59 mm
7.4 wet days
Daylight
9 h 48 min
7:01 AM – 4:48 PM
Cloud cover
47%
2nd clearest
Wind
9 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
2.97 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 3°C through the month.

A typical January day in Karuizawa reaches about 3°C in the afternoon and slips back to -4°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -1°C and 7°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 3°C cooler than December and about 1°C cooler than February.

-10°-5°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
14-3
24-3
34-3
44-3
54-3
64-3
74-4
83-4
93-4
103-4
113-4
123-4
133-4
143-4
153-4
163-4
173-4
183-5
193-5
203-5
213-5
223-5
233-5
243-5
253-5
263-5
273-5
283-5
293-5
303-5
313-5

How January really feels in Karuizawa

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 31 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
31
wind chill below the day's low

The story in January is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Karuizawa weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -4°597.46.59.80.0
Feb / -4°608.66.710.60.0
Mar / -1°11013.17.111.71.3
Apr14° / 12213.82.112.93.7
May19° / 10°16516.80.113.95.1
Jun21° / 15°25422.7014.44.3
Jul25° / 19°28224014.24.5
Aug26° / 19°24024.1013.44.5
Sep22° / 16°24120.6012.24.8
Oct17° / 19515.5011.14.7
Nov11° / 728.80.610.13.1
Dec / -1°497.64.49.60.6

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 47% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 21% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 32%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17525
27525
37525
47426
57426
67426
77327
87228
97228
107129
117030
126931
136832
146733
156634
166535
176535
186436
196337
206337
216337
226337
236337
246337
256337
266337
276436
286535
296535
306535
316535

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Karuizawa gets around 59 mm of rain and snow over 7.4 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 25% and peaks near 27% on the wettest days, and about 7 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12017
22018
32018
42018
52118
62118
72118
82219
92319
102320
112420
122521
132521
142622
152622
162723
172723
182723
192724
202724
212724
222724
232724
242724
252724
262624
272623
282623
292622
302622
312622

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of January feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, January lands in the dry band about 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in January

Winds average 9 km/h in January, the windiest month of the year.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 36 min at the start of January to 10 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 30 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:02 AM to 6:54 AM, and sunset from 4:35 PM to 5:03 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.67:024:35
29.67:024:36
39.67:024:37
49.67:024:38
59.67:024:38
69.67:024:39
79.67:024:40
89.67:024:41
99.77:024:42
109.77:024:43
119.77:024:43
129.77:024:44
139.77:024:45
149.77:024:46
159.87:024:47
169.87:014:48
179.87:014:49
189.87:014:50
199.87:014:51
209.97:004:52
219.97:004:53
229.96:594:54
239.96:594:55
2410.06:594:56
2510.06:584:57
2610.06:584:58
2710.06:574:59
2810.16:565:00
2910.16:565:01
3010.16:555:02
3110.16:545:03

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.97 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.51 kWh/m² to a high of 5.52 kWh/m² in May across the year — January's 2.97 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.8Moderate
22.8Moderate
32.8Moderate
42.8Moderate
52.8Moderate
62.8Moderate
72.8Moderate
82.8Moderate
92.8Moderate
102.8Moderate
112.8Moderate
122.8Moderate
132.8Moderate
142.9Moderate
152.9Moderate
162.9Moderate
172.9Moderate
182.9Moderate
193.0Moderate
203.0Moderate
213.0Moderate
223.0Moderate
233.1Moderate
243.1Moderate
253.1Moderate
263.2Moderate
273.2Moderate
283.3Moderate
293.3Moderate
303.3Moderate
313.4Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Karuizawa

In seasonPeak

None of Karuizawa's seasonal hazards are active in January. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Karuizawa's rainy season runs May–October, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is January a good time to visit Karuizawa?

Our two travel scores rate January for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

0.0
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Karuizawa.

What to pack for Karuizawa in January

From January's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In January, Karuizawa sees daytime highs around 3°C and nights near -4°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 7 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Karuizawa in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Karuizawa peaks around July 18 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 23 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highModerateJul 18UV 10Dec 23UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct6High
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Karuizawa in January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where January falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Karuizawa is worst in April — around 21 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (December, 10 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodApr 1821 µg/m³Dec 1810 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb14Moderate
Mar19Moderate
Apr21Moderate
May20Moderate
Jun18Moderate
Jul15Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct12Moderate
Nov11Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Karuizawa?

Karuizawa sits at 36.4°N, 138.6°E, 952 m above sea level, in Japan. The nearest listed city is Miyota, 11 km away.

Topography around Karuizawa

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Karuizawa.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Karuizawa has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 632 m around an average of 1,004 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,316 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,985 m.

The land around Karuizawa is covered by trees (86%) within 3 km, trees (86%) within 16 km, and trees (80%) within 80 km.

3 km
632 m
16 km
2,316 m
80 km
2,985 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Miyota 11 km · Komoro 18 km · Saku 20 km · Annaka 24 km · Tōmi 24 km · Tomioka 26 km · Ueda 32 km · Nakanojō 32 km

Japan travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type A / B
100 V · 50 / 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 65% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$35,951
2025
Happiness
6.1 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
99%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.2
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
3.6
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Very low
EF EPI 446
Religion
Shintoism 49%Buddhism 46%other 4%Christianity 1%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Karuizawa (36.35°, 138.6333°, elevation 952 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).