Takayama weather in January

In January, Takayama sees average daytime highs of 0°C and overnight lows near -7°C, with 155 mm of precipitation across 21.4 wet days and about 9.8 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 0°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% 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 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Takayama's 10th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Takayama's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12th warmest
Overnight low
-7°
1st coldest
Precipitation
155 mm
21.4 wet days
Daylight
9 h 48 min
7:06 AM – 4:54 PM
Cloud cover
72%
10th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
2.46 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Takayama is city in Gifu Prefecture, Japan.

Density
41/km²
people per km²
Founded
1936

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 0°C through the month.

A typical January day in Takayama reaches about 0°C in the afternoon and slips back to -7°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -4°C and 4°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 3°C cooler than December and about 1°C cooler than February.

-15°-10°-5°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11-6
21-6
31-6
41-6
51-6
61-7
71-7
81-7
91-7
100-7
110-7
120-7
130-7
140-7
150-7
160-7
170-7
180-7
190-7
200-7
210-7
220-7
230-7
240-7
250-7
260-7
270-7
280-7
290-7
300-7
310-7

How January really feels in Takayama

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
26 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

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

Takayama weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -7°15521.422.19.80.0
Feb / -6°13317.917.210.60.0
Mar / -3°17217.813.311.70.3
Apr12° / 15815.53.812.92.8
May18° / 16314.80.213.95.0
Jun21° / 13°22017.7014.45.0
Jul25° / 18°27821.1014.25.0
Aug26° / 18°17918.8013.45.3
Sep22° / 14°21616012.25.5
Oct16° / 18214.50.211.14.6
Nov10° / 14115.94.810.11.9
Dec / -4°15920.616.79.60.1

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 77%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12773
22773
32773
42674
52674
62674
72674
82575
92575
102575
112575
122575
132476
142476
152377
162377
172377
182377
192278
202278
212179
222179
232179
242179
252179
262179
272179
282179
292179
302278
312278

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Takayama gets around 155 mm of rain and snow over 21.4 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 69% and peaks near 71% on the wettest days, and about 22 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
16968
26969
36969
46869
56869
66769
76769
86769
96769
106769
116768
126768
136768
146769
156869
166869
176969
186970
197070
207071
217171
227172
237173
247173
257173
267174
277174
287073
297073
307073
316973

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 7 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 7 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 36 min at the start of January to 10 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 36 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:07 AM to 7:00 AM, and sunset from 4:42 PM to 5:09 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.67:074:42
29.67:074:42
39.67:074:43
49.67:074:44
59.67:074:45
69.67:074:45
79.67:074:46
89.77:074:47
99.77:074:48
109.77:074:49
119.77:074:50
129.77:074:50
139.77:074:51
149.87:074:52
159.87:074:53
169.87:064:54
179.87:064:55
189.87:064:56
199.97:064:57
209.97:054:58
219.97:054:59
229.97:045:00
239.97:045:01
2410.07:045:02
2510.07:035:03
2610.07:035:04
2710.07:025:05
2810.17:015:06
2910.17:015:07
3010.17:005:08
3110.27:005:09

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.46 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.12 kWh/m² to a high of 5.58 kWh/m² in May across the year — January's 2.46 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.3Moderate
22.3Moderate
32.3Moderate
42.3Moderate
52.3Moderate
62.3Moderate
72.3Moderate
82.3Moderate
92.3Moderate
102.3Moderate
112.3Moderate
122.4Moderate
132.4Moderate
142.4Moderate
152.4Moderate
162.4Moderate
172.4Moderate
182.5Moderate
192.5Moderate
202.5Moderate
212.5Moderate
222.5Moderate
232.6Moderate
242.6Moderate
252.6Moderate
262.7Moderate
272.7Moderate
282.7Moderate
292.8Moderate
302.8Moderate
312.8Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Takayama?

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 Takayama.

What to pack for Takayama in January

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

In January, Takayama sees daytime highs around 0°C and nights near -7°C. Pack a warm layer, a heavy coat and rain gear. About 21 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Takayama in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 3. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Takayama peaks around July 14 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 23 at about 3 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highModerateJul 14UV 11Dec 23UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5High
Apr7Very high
May9Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul11Extreme
Aug9Very high
Sep10Very high
Oct6High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Takayama 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 Takayama is worst in April — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (December, 10 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodApr 1719 µg/m³Dec 1510 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar18Moderate
Apr19Moderate
May18Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul13Moderate
Aug12Good
Sep11Good
Oct11Good
Nov10Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Takayama?

Takayama sits at 36.1°N, 137.3°E, 583 m above sea level, in Japan. The nearest listed city is Furukawa, 13 km away.

Topography around Takayama

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Takayama has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 352 m around an average of 638 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,101 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,123 m.

The land around Takayama is covered by trees (53%) and artificial surfaces (37%) within 3 km, trees (90%) within 16 km, and trees (85%) within 80 km.

3 km
352 m
16 km
1,101 m
80 km
3,123 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Furukawa 13 km · Hida 14 km · Gero 37 km · Yatsuomachi-higashikumisaka 49 km · Gujō 51 km · Nanto 53 km · Nanto-shi 57 km · Fukumitsu 58 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 Takayama (36.1333°, 137.25°, elevation 583 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).