February is Japan’s second-coldest month on paper and, in Tokyo, the month with the highest chance of snow: 10% of days, twice January’s figure. Tokyo still averages a high of 10.9°C (52°F) and stays sunny six days in ten, while Sapporo is locked below freezing for its Snow Festival and Okinawa is already a mild 20°C.
Below you will find 58 years of Japan Meteorological Agency data for 12 cities, the events worth timing a trip around (Snow Festival, plum blossoms, ski season), what to pack, and a tool to check the weather odds for your exact travel dates.
- Tokyo: high 10.9°C (52°F), low 2.1°C (36°F), sunny days 61%, rain days 20%, 30°C days 0%, snow days 10%
- Coldest of the 12 cities: Sapporo (high 0.4°C (33°F)); warmest: Naha (Okinawa) (high 20.2°C (68°F))
- Wettest: Kanazawa (rain on 66% of days); driest: Sendai (19%)
- Verdict: Yes for skiing, the Sapporo Snow Festival and quiet temples; it is the second coldest month but Tokyo is dry and sunny two days in three.
Check the weather odds for your exact dates (58 years of records)
Choose a city, a date and a window, and the tool counts every February day since 1968 at that weather station: how often it was sunny, how often it rained or snowed, how often it hit 30°C, and what the last dozen years actually looked like. It is the same data set the rest of this page is built on, narrowed to your itinerary.
February weather in 12 Japanese cities
Japan stretches 3,000km from Hokkaido to Okinawa, so a single national figure means little. The table runs north to south. “Sunny days” is the share of days whose daytime weather log starts with clear or sunny; “rain days” is days with 1mm or more.
| City | High / low | Rain days (1mm+) | Sunny days | Rainfall | 30°C+ days | Also |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sapporo | 0 / -6°C 33°F / 21°F | 55% | 38% | 92mm | 0% | snow 84% |
| Sendai | 6 / -1°C 44°F / 30°F | 19% | 59% | 34mm | 0% | snow 47% |
| Kanazawa | 8 / 1°C 46°F / 34°F | 66% | 23% | 163mm | 0% | snow 51% |
| Tokyo | 11 / 2°C 52°F / 36°F | 20% | 61% | 57mm | 0% | snow 10% |
| Chiba (Tokyo Disney Resort) | 11 / 3°C 51°F / 37°F | 22% | 59% | 59mm | 0% | snow 7% |
| Nagoya | 10 / 1°C 51°F / 35°F | 22% | 62% | 65mm | 0% | snow 14% |
| Kyoto | 10 / 2°C 50°F / 35°F | 26% | 39% | 65mm | 0% | snow 26% |
| Osaka | 10 / 3°C 51°F / 38°F | 22% | 53% | 61mm | 0% | snow 13% |
| Hiroshima | 11 / 2°C 52°F / 36°F | 24% | 52% | 64mm | 0% | snow 18% |
| Fukuoka | 12 / 4°C 53°F / 40°F | 32% | 40% | 70mm | 0% | snow 13% |
| Nagasaki | 12 / 4°C 54°F / 40°F | 31% | 42% | 84mm | 0% | snow 12% |
| Naha (Okinawa) | 20 / 15°C 68°F / 59°F | 37% | 33% | 115mm | 0% | – |
Hokkaido and Tohoku (Sapporo, Sendai)
Sapporo is at its snowiest for the Snow Festival; Sendai is cold and dry. Sapporo 0.4°C (33°F) / -6.2°C (21°F), rain 55%, sunny 38%; Sendai 6.5°C (44°F) / -1.1°C (30°F), rain 19%, sunny 59%.
Sea of Japan coast (Kanazawa)
Kanazawa is still under the winter monsoon with rain or snow on two days in three. Kanazawa 7.8°C (46°F) / 1.0°C (34°F), rain 66%, sunny 23%.
Tokyo, Nagoya, Kyoto and Osaka
Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka are sunny and dry with the year’s highest (but still small) chance of snow. Tokyo 10.9°C (52°F) / 2.1°C (36°F), rain 20%, sunny 61%; Kyoto 10.0°C (50°F) / 1.6°C (35°F), rain 26%, sunny 39%; Osaka 10.5°C (51°F) / 3.2°C (38°F), rain 22%, sunny 53%.
Western Japan and the south (Hiroshima, Fukuoka, Nagasaki, Okinawa)
Fukuoka and Nagasaki are cool and rather cloudy; Okinawa reaches 20°C. Fukuoka 11.6°C (53°F) / 4.4°C (40°F), rain 32%, sunny 40%; Naha (Okinawa) 20.2°C (68°F) / 15.1°C (59°F), rain 37%, sunny 33%.
What February feels like, and why
Winter loosens its grip, then bites back. The Siberian high weakens in the second half of February, so the winter monsoon comes in bursts rather than as a steady stream. Between the bursts, low-pressure systems start to run along the south coast of Honshu, and those are the systems that bring Tokyo, Yokohama and Chiba their biggest snowfalls of the year. Tokyo’s 27cm in February 2014 and most of its other notable snows came this way.
Days get noticeably longer and brighter. Sunshine in Tokyo is still 170 hours for the month and the sun is higher, so a clear February afternoon feels warmer than a January one at the same temperature. Kyoto and Nara are quiet and cold, with sub-zero mornings on 30% of days; the Sea of Japan coast (Kanazawa, Niigata) remains grey with snow or rain on two days in three.
The north is at its snowiest. Sapporo has snow on 84% of February days and the deepest snowpack of the year; that is the point of the Sapporo Snow Festival in the first week. Hokkaido’s powder is still excellent and the drift ice reaches the Okhotsk coast at Abashiri.
What to pack for Japan in February
The rule of thumb: dress for Tokyo’s average low in the morning and its average high in the afternoon, then adjust north or south. Indoor spaces are heated hard in winter and cooled hard in summer, so removable layers matter in every month.
| City | Feels like | What to wear | Rain gear |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sapporo | Freezing | a down coat, hat, gloves, thermal layers and shoes with grip for icy pavements | umbrella essential |
| Tokyo | Chilly | a coat and sweater, scarf on windy days | rain gear optional |
| Kyoto | Chilly | a coat and sweater, scarf on windy days | folding umbrella |
| Fukuoka | Chilly | a coat and sweater, scarf on windy days | folding umbrella |
| Naha (Okinawa) | Mild | long sleeves or a T-shirt with a light jacket; evenings need the jacket | umbrella essential |
- If you are going to the Snow Festival, shoes with grip matter more than the coat: the packed-ice pavements cause more injuries than the cold.
- February is the cheapest month for Tokyo and Kyoto hotels outside the Chinese New Year peak; check the lunar calendar because that week fills up fast.
- Watch for a south-coast low if you have a flight out of Tokyo; the airport and expressways can close for a few hours after a heavy fall.
- Hay fever (sugi pollen) starts in the second half of February in the Tokyo area.
Events and seasonal highlights in February
- Sapporo Snow Festival (early February, about a week): giant snow sculptures in Odori Park; daytime highs around 0°C and lows near minus 6°C, with pavements of packed ice.
- Setsubun (3 February): bean-throwing at shrines and temples nationwide.
- Plum blossoms (mid February to early March): Kairakuen in Mito, Yushima Tenjin in Tokyo, Kitano Tenmangu in Kyoto.
- Drift ice: icebreaker cruises from Abashiri and Monbetsu in eastern Hokkaido.
- Valentine’s Day: chocolate season in department stores.
- Okinawa: cherry blossoms in Nago and Motobu in the first half of the month.
Compare any two cities, month by month
Pick two of the 12 cities to see their highs, lows, rain days, sunny days, hot days and snow days side by side for the whole year. February is highlighted.
How February compares with the rest of the year in Tokyo
| Month | Tokyo high / low | Rain days | Sunny days | 30°C+ days | Snow days | Rainfall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 10 / 1°C | 14% | 70% | 0% | 6% | 60mm |
| February | 11 / 2°C | 20% | 61% | 0% | 10% | 57mm |
| March | 14 / 5°C | 29% | 51% | 0% | 3% | 116mm |
| April | 19 / 10°C | 33% | 48% | 0% | 0% | 134mm |
| May | 24 / 15°C | 32% | 43% | 1% | 0% | 140mm |
| June | 26 / 18°C | 39% | 27% | 11% | 0% | 168mm |
| July | 30 / 22°C | 33% | 34% | 53% | 0% | 156mm |
| August | 31 / 24°C | 27% | 46% | 73% | 0% | 155mm |
| September | 28 / 20°C | 37% | 35% | 27% | 0% | 225mm |
| October | 22 / 15°C | 32% | 43% | 1% | 0% | 235mm |
| November | 17 / 9°C | 22% | 55% | 0% | 0% | 96mm |
| December | 12 / 4°C | 15% | 67% | 0% | 1% | 58mm |
In Tokyo, February ranks 3rd of 12 for sunny days and 3rd of 12 for fewest rain days. The previous month, January, averages a high of 9.8°C (50°F); the next, March, 14.2°C (58°F).
The same south-coast lows that give Tokyo its snow give the Kanto plain its coldest, wettest days; a February forecast of “rain or snow” is the one to take seriously. The rest of the month, the winter monsoon means dry sunshine on the Pacific side.
Frequently asked questions
How cold or hot is Japan in February?
Tokyo averages a high of 10.9°C (52°F) and a low of 2.1°C (36°F) in February. Sapporo in the north averages 0.4°C (33°F) / -6.2°C (21°F), while Naha in Okinawa averages 20.2°C (68°F) / 15.1°C (59°F). Kyoto and Osaka run a degree or two warmer than Tokyo in summer and slightly colder on winter mornings.
Does it rain a lot in Japan in February?
In Tokyo, 20% of February days get 1mm or more of rain (about 6 days), and 20% have a rainy weather log. Kyoto is at 26% of days and Naha at 37%. Sapporo records 55% of days with precipitation, much of it snow.
Is February a good month to visit Japan?
Yes for skiing, the Sapporo Snow Festival and quiet temples; it is the second coldest month but Tokyo is dry and sunny two days in three. The plum blossom season starts late in the month.
Is February a good time to see snow in Tokyo?
It is the best month for it, but the odds are still low: 10% of days, and most of those are a light dusting. If snow is the goal, take the train to Nikko, Karuizawa or GALA Yuzawa (75 minutes by shinkansen) where it is guaranteed.
How cold is the Sapporo Snow Festival?
Expect highs around 0°C (32°F) and lows of minus 6 to minus 8°C (18 to 21°F), with wind chill on the open avenue. Snow falls on more than 8 days in 10. Dress as you would for a ski day.
Can I swim in Okinawa in February?
The sea is around 21°C and air highs are 20°C, so it is possible in a wetsuit but not beach weather. Whale watching and cherry blossoms are the February attractions there.
- Tokyo averages 10.9°C (52°F) / 2.1°C (36°F); sunny on 61% of days, rain on 20%
- North to south range: Sapporo 0.4°C (33°F) to Naha 20.2°C (68°F)
- Yes for skiing, the Sapporo Snow Festival and quiet temples; it is the second coldest month but Tokyo is dry and sunny two days in three.
- Use the date tool above to check the odds for your own dates
Sources: Japan Meteorological Agency climatological normals (1991 to 2020) for temperatures, precipitation and sunshine; JMA daily observations 1968 to 2025 (58 years) compiled by this site for the share of sunny, rainy, snowy, hot and cold days. Written by a certified Japanese weather forecaster (気象予報士). Percentages are the share of days in the month; a 30 percent rain-day figure means roughly 9 days a month.