December was Tokyo's busiest month in 2025, with 9.1% of its year's guest nights. 8 prefectures in Japan had December weather close to Tokyo's and a less crowded December, as a share of their own year: Tsu, Kobe, Hiroshima and more. The closest was Tsu, with an average high of 12.0 °C against 12.0 °C.
8 quieter places with similar December weather
Each place below had an average high within 2 °C and rainy days within 3 of Tokyo's in December, in a different prefecture, and December took a smaller share of its 2025 guest nights than December did of Tokyo's.21 Closest weather first.
| Place | Average high | Rainy days | Rain | Share of its year in December | Its busiest month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tsu, Mie | 12.0 °C | 5.5 days | 47 mm | 8.5% | August |
| Kobe, Hyogo | 12.0 °C | 5.7 days | 49 mm | 8.5% | August |
| Hiroshima | 12.1 °C | 5.7 days | 54 mm | 8.1% (quieter than average) | August |
| Okayama | 11.7 °C | 5.0 days | 42 mm | 8.2% (quieter than average) | August |
| Tokushima | 12.5 °C | 5.4 days | 64 mm | 7.8% (quieter than average) | August |
| Mito, Ibaraki | 11.4 °C | 5.4 days | 50 mm | 8.4% | August |
| Takamatsu, Kagawa | 12.1 °C | 6.3 days | 47 mm | 7.9% (quieter than average) | August |
| Saitama | 11.7 °C | 4.4 days | 45 mm | 8.8% | August |
Weather: 1991–2020 averages at each city's weather station (World Meteorological Organization normals in Europe, Japan Meteorological Agency in Japan); a rainy day has at least 1 mm of rain. The share is of the place's whole country or prefecture.
Tokyo in December: what we matched against
Tokyo is the weather station on our Tokyo page. In December it averages a high of 12.0 °C, a low of 3.8 °C, 58 mm of rain and 5.2 rainy days. December carried 9.1% of Tokyo's 2025 guest nights; its quietest month was February (7.3%).
Other months, or another starting place: try the similar-but-quieter finder. Month by month for Tokyo: weather in Tokyo.
The places, one by one
- Tsu, Mie: December average high 12.0 °C (±0.0 °C against Tokyo), 5.5 rainy days; December was 8.5% of Mie's year, against 9.1% of Tokyo's, and its busiest month was August.
- Kobe, Hyogo: December average high 12.0 °C (±0.0 °C against Tokyo), 5.7 rainy days; December was 8.5% of Hyogo's year, against 9.1% of Tokyo's, and its busiest month was August.
- Hiroshima: December average high 12.1 °C (+0.1 °C against Tokyo), 5.7 rainy days; December was 8.1% of Hiroshima's year (quieter than average), against 9.1% of Tokyo's, and its busiest month was August.
- Okayama: December average high 11.7 °C (−0.3 °C against Tokyo), 5.0 rainy days; December was 8.2% of Okayama's year (quieter than average), against 9.1% of Tokyo's, and its busiest month was August.
- Tokushima: December average high 12.5 °C (+0.5 °C against Tokyo), 5.4 rainy days; December was 7.8% of Tokushima's year (quieter than average), against 9.1% of Tokyo's, and its busiest month was August.
- Mito, Ibaraki: December average high 11.4 °C (−0.6 °C against Tokyo), 5.4 rainy days; December was 8.4% of Ibaraki's year, against 9.1% of Tokyo's, and its busiest month was August.
- Takamatsu, Kagawa: December average high 12.1 °C (+0.1 °C against Tokyo), 6.3 rainy days; December was 7.9% of Kagawa's year (quieter than average), against 9.1% of Tokyo's, and its busiest month was August.
- Saitama: December average high 11.7 °C (−0.3 °C against Tokyo), 4.4 rainy days; December was 8.8% of Saitama's year, against 9.1% of Tokyo's, and its busiest month was August.
What this cannot tell you
- Quieter is relative. A quieter month is a smaller share of that place's own year, not fewer visitors than somewhere else.
- One weather station per city. Coasts, mountains and city centres differ; these are long-term averages, not a forecast.
- Country and prefecture totals. How busy a month is comes from the whole country or prefecture, not the city.
- 2025 only. One year of visits; events and holidays move between years.
- Not a recommendation. The list says where the weather and the timing line up, not where you would enjoy more.
Key takeaways
- December was Tokyo's busiest month of 2025 (9.1% of the year).
- Closest weather in a quieter month: Tsu, Mie.
- 8 prefectures in Japan matched our rule for December.
- What we would skip: choosing on this list alone. Open each place, check its holidays and the dates you have in mind.
Sources
Visits come from the Japan Tourism Agency and the weather from the Japan Meteorological Agency, copied from each place's own page, where every source is cited in full. See how we research.
- Source: 「宿泊旅行統計調査」（観光庁） (Overnight Travel Statistics Survey, Japan Tourism Agency), 2025 annual figures (final), tables 2 and 8 and reference table 1, published 6 July 2026. Survey page · workbook. Accessed 17 September 2026. Licensed under the Public Data License 1.0 (PDL1.0).
- Weather in Japan: 出典：気象庁ホームページ（過去の気象データ検索）. Japan Meteorological Agency, 1991–2020 normals for the station named for each prefecture (the same station its prefecture page uses, where the page links the station's own table): daily maximum and minimum temperature, precipitation and days with at least 1.0 mm of precipitation (降水量の階級日数). Accessed 22 September 2026. Licensed under PDL1.0. 気象庁「平年値」を加工して作成 — edited by Traveloffsy (English wording, selection and rounding).
We matched, sorted and rounded the figures ourselves, and the rule for a match is ours; the agencies have not checked or endorsed these pages. Shares are rounded once, to one decimal.