Japan - weather in February

February is the last winter month in Japan, and it is very cold and snowy in the north, quite mild in the center-south, and very mild on the small southern islands.

The daily average temperature is -4/-6 °C (21/25 °F) on the island of Hokkaido (see Abashiri, Sapporo), which is influenced by the Siberian currents, to the point that the north coast is reached by drifting icebergs. In February, generally in the first decade, the large amount of snow available allows for the Sapporo Snow Festival to be held, which attracts millions of visitors to admire ice statues and sculptures.
On the island of Honshu, the average is around freezing in the far north (see Aomori), 2.5/3 °C (36.5/37.5 °F) in the north, on both sides (see Niigata, Sendai), and 6.5/7 °C (43.5/44.5 °F) on the southern coast (see Tokyo, Osaka). On the island of Kyushu, the average reaches 10 °C (50 °F) on the south coast (see Kagoshima).
On the small southern islands, where the climate is almost tropical, the temperature is much higher, as the average is 17.5 °C (63.5 °F) in Okinawa and 19.5 °C (67 °F) in Ishigaki. On these islands, the cherry blossom (hanami) occurs earlier than on the main islands, and lasts longer, so much so that it occurs from mid-January to mid-February, with a peak around February 1st.
In Japan the sea attenuates extreme values, however, cold waves can occur in the north, during which the temperature can drop to -20 °C (-4 °F) on the island of Hokkaido, while in Tokyo and Osaka, it drops only slightly below freezing.

Regarding precipitation, on average winter is the driest season in Japan, and January and February are the driest months, however, this is not true for the whole country. In fact, precipitation is frequent and abundant in the center-north, on the coasts facing north-west (see Sapporo, Aomori, Niigata, Kanazawa), even though it decreases compared to January; here, it often occurs in the form of snow, especially on the island of Hokkaido.
The rains are quite abundant even on the small southern islands (see Okinawa). Compared to January, the rains increase on the island of Kyushu and on the southern side of the island of Shikoku (see Kagoshima, Kochi), while they are rarer on the coast facing east (see Sendai) and south-east (see Osaka, Tokyo) of Honshu, which is also the sunniest area.
At sea level, snowfall is abundant in the north, on the island of Hokkaido and in the north of the island of Honshu, but in the mountains, heavy snowfall also occurs further south, in the central part of Honshu, whose north-west side, east of Kanazawa, is called "snow country" or Yukiguni. In the mountains there are several ski lifts.

In February, the sea is warm enough for swimming only on the small southernmost islands of Japan, namely Okinawa and even more so Miyakojima and Ishigaki, which are located just north of the Tropic of Cancer. However, air temperature is not very high and the sun does not shine often.




See also: Japan, the weather in January - March
The climate of Japan