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Weekly note

Where to go in Japan in winter

Winter is December to February north of the equator and in South Asia; June to August south of the equator. These are the places in Japan where at least two of those three months are a sweet spot or good, ranked on ten years of climate readings, public holidays and fares.

Winter in the north: December to February

2 of the 8 places are a sweet spot or good in at least two of December, January and February.

  1. Okinawa Japan December: okJanuary: goodFebruary: sweet spot 2 of 3 good or better · highs 19–21°C
  2. Tokyo Japan December: avoidJanuary: goodFebruary: good 2 of 3 good or better · highs 9–11°C

Fewer than two good months

Winter in the south: June to August

3 of the 8 places are a sweet spot or good in at least two of June, July and August; 2 of them in each of the three.

  1. Sapporo Japan June: sweet spotJuly: sweet spotAugust: good 3 of 3 good or better · highs 21–26°C
  2. Niseko Japan June: sweet spotJuly: sweet spotAugust: good 3 of 3 good or better · highs 20–25°C
  3. Okinawa Japan June: okJuly: goodAugust: good 2 of 3 good or better · highs 28–30°C

Fewer than two good months

Japan, season by season

Winter elsewhere

Labelled and ranked by the score from London, as every month page is, until you choose your own city: then your own city's score decides, and the places are split into your own country, short hops within 1,500 km, and further away. A month counts when it is a sweet spot or good; two such months put a place on the list, and more months, then a higher average score, put it higher. The climate is each place's own, from ten years of readings. How we rank