Yakushima weather in January

In January, Yakushima sees average daytime highs of 14°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 122 mm of rain across 13.1 wet days and about 10.3 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 14°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 06 min at the start of January to 10 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Yakushima's 10th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Yakushima's year-round climate.

Daytime high
14°
12th warmest
Overnight low
12°
1st coldest
Rainfall
122 mm
13.1 wet days
Daylight
10 h 12 min
7:20 AM – 5:34 PM
Cloud cover
68%
10th clearest
Wind
30 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
2.43 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.8
out of 10

Yakushima is human settlement in Japan.

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 14°C through the month.

A typical January day in Yakushima reaches about 14°C in the afternoon and slips back to 12°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 11°C and 19°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°C cooler than December and on par with February.

10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11512
21512
31512
41512
51512
61512
71512
81512
91512
101412
111412
121412
131412
141412
151412
161412
171412
181411
191411
201411
211411
221411
231411
241411
251411
261411
271411
281411
291411
301411
311411

How January really feels in Yakushima

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 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
0
wind chill below the day's low

January sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Yakushima 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 daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan14° / 12°12213.110.33.8
Feb15° / 12°12612.710.94.0
Mar17° / 14°18214.611.84.8
Apr19° / 17°19012.712.75.7
May22° / 20°21012.913.56.1
Jun25° / 23°43819.613.95.1
Jul27° / 26°17312.613.85.9
Aug28° / 27°14114.713.15.4
Sep27° / 25°23715.812.25.7
Oct24° / 22°1701311.36.5
Nov20° / 18°1491210.56.1
Dec16° / 14°11411.810.14.9

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 67%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13862
23763
33664
43565
53565
63466
73565
83466
93466
103367
113367
123367
133268
143268
153169
163169
173268
183268
193268
203268
213367
223367
233367
243367
253367
263367
273367
283466
293466
303466
313565

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Yakushima gets around 122 mm of rain over 13.1 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 43% and peaks near 46% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
137
237
337
438
538
639
739
840
940
1040
1141
1242
1342
1443
1544
1645
1745
1846
1946
2046
2146
2246
2346
2446
2546
2645
2745
2845
2944
3044
3144

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 93% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19451
29451
39541
49541
59541
69541
79442
89442
99442
109352
119352
129352
139352
149352
159352
169352
179352
189352
199262
209262
219262
229262
239262
249262
259262
269262
279262
289262
299262
309262
319262

Wind in January

Winds average 30 km/h in January, the windiest month of the year.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 30 km/h on the calmest days to 31 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0102030151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
130windy
230windy
330windy
430windy
530windy
630windy
730windy
830windy
930windy
1030windy
1130windy
1230windy
1330windy
1430windy
1530windy
1630windy
1730windy
1830windy
1930windy
2030windy
2130windy
2230windy
2330windy
2431windy
2531windy
2631windy
2731windy
2831windy
2930windy
3030windy
3130windy

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 06 min at the start of January to 10 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 24 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:18 AM to 7:15 AM, and sunset from 5:23 PM to 5:47 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.17:185:23
210.17:195:23
310.17:195:24
410.17:195:25
510.17:195:25
610.17:195:26
710.17:205:27
810.17:205:28
910.17:205:28
1010.27:205:29
1110.27:205:30
1210.27:205:31
1310.27:205:31
1410.27:205:32
1510.27:205:33
1610.27:205:34
1710.37:195:35
1810.37:195:35
1910.37:195:36
2010.37:195:37
2110.37:195:38
2210.37:185:39
2310.47:185:40
2410.47:185:41
2510.47:175:41
2610.47:175:42
2710.47:175:43
2810.57:165:44
2910.57:165:45
3010.57:155:46
3110.57:155:47

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.43 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.24 kWh/m² to a high of 5.86 kWh/m² in July across the year — January's 2.43 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.4Moderate
22.4Moderate
32.4Moderate
42.4Moderate
52.3Moderate
62.3Moderate
72.3Moderate
82.3Moderate
92.3Moderate
102.3Moderate
112.3Moderate
122.3Moderate
132.3Moderate
142.3Moderate
152.3Moderate
162.3Moderate
172.4Moderate
182.4Moderate
192.4Moderate
202.4Moderate
212.4Moderate
222.5Moderate
232.5Moderate
242.5Moderate
252.5Moderate
262.6Moderate
272.6Moderate
282.6Moderate
292.6Moderate
302.7Moderate
312.7Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Yakushima

In seasonPeak

In January, Yakushima sits inside its pacific typhoon season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Yakushima sits in the Pacific typhoon belt; the season peaks July–October.

Pacific typhoon
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is January a good time to visit Yakushima?

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

3.8
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Yakushima.

What to pack for Yakushima in January

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

In January, Yakushima sees daytime highs around 14°C and nights near 12°C. Pack a windbreaker. Worth having: a warm layer and rain gear. About 13 days see rain.

a windbreakera warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Yakushima in January

The nearest coast averages about 21°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 29°C and coldest in February near 20°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Feb 25 to Feb 7 — about 11.4 months when the water holds above 20°C.

20°25°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan21Refreshing
Feb20Cool
Mar20Refreshing
Apr21Refreshing
May23Refreshing
Jun25Warm
Jul28Warm
Aug29Tropical
Sep28Warm
Oct26Warm
Nov24Warm
Dec22Refreshing

UV index in Yakushima in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Yakushima peaks around June 22 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 10 at about 4 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJun 22UV 11Jan 10UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb6High
Mar7Very high
Apr9Very high
May9Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug10Very high
Sep10Extreme
Oct7High
Nov5High
Dec4Moderate

Air quality in Yakushima 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 Yakushima is worst in April — around 21 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.1× the cleanest month (July, 10 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodApr 1420 µg/m³Jul 2010 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan13Moderate
Feb16Moderate
Mar20Moderate
Apr21Moderate
May19Moderate
Jun13Moderate
Jul10Good
Aug11Good
Sep10Good
Oct10Good
Nov11Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Yakushima?

Yakushima sits at 30.4°N, 130.6°E, 0 m above sea level, in Japan. The nearest listed city is Nishinoomote, 51 km away.

Topography around Yakushima

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Yakushima has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 608 m around an average of 81 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,916 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,893 m.

The land around Yakushima is covered by trees (54%) and water (44%) within 3 km, water (67%) and trees (33%) within 16 km, and water (93%) within 80 km.

3 km
608 m
16 km
1,916 m
80 km
1,893 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Nishinoomote 51 km · Ibusuki 94 km · Makurazaki 103 km · Minamikyushu 108 km · Kanoya 112 km · Minamisatsuma 117 km · Kaseda-shirakame 119 km · Tarumizu 122 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 Yakushima (30.388°, 130.6492°, elevation 0 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).