At a glance
Quietest month in Hokkaido: April. Busiest: August, with about 1.9 times as many guest nights as April. In Sapporo, August is warmest (average high 26.4 °C) and September wettest (142 mm of rain).
- January: 8.8%, busier than average
- February: 8.8%, busier than average
- March: 7.6%, quieter than average
- April: 5.6%, quieter than average
- May: 7.5%, quieter than average
- June: 8.2%, quieter than average
- July: 10.1%, one of the two busiest months
- August: 10.8%, one of the two busiest months
- September: 8.7%, busier than average
- October: 8.5%, busier than average
- November: 6.7%, quieter than average
- December: 8.6%, busier than average
quieter than average busier than average two busiest months · each month's share of Hokkaido's 2025 guest nights; an even spread is 8.3% a month
- Weather
- Coldest: January (average low −6.4 °C). Driest: April (55 mm). Month by month
- Holidays
- 18 national public holidays in 2026. See the dates
- Next
- Plan a trip with your dates
At the Sapporo (札幌) weather station, which we use for Sapporo, the warmest month is August (average high 26.4 °C) and the coldest January (average low −6.4 °C), averaged over 1991–2020. The wettest month is September (142 mm of rain). Hokkaido's quietest month for visitors in 2025 was April.
Sapporo weather by month
Averages for 1991–2020 at the Sapporo (札幌) weather station, copied from our Hokkaido page, next to each month's share of Hokkaido's guest nights (Japan Tourism Agency, 2025). These are long-term averages, not a forecast.
| Month | Average high | Average low | Rain | Rainy days | Daylight on the 15th | Share of 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −0.4 °C | −6.4 °C | 108 mm | 18.3 days | 9 h 20 min | 8.8% |
| February | 0.4 °C | −6.2 °C | 92 mm | 16.0 days | 10 h 35 min | 8.8% |
| March | 4.5 °C | −2.4 °C | 78 mm | 13.9 days | 11 h 55 min | 7.6% |
| April | 11.7 °C | 3.4 °C | 55 mm | 9.6 days | 13 h 25 min | 5.6% |
| May | 17.9 °C | 9.0 °C | 56 mm | 8.5 days | 14 h 40 min | 7.5% |
| June | 21.8 °C | 13.4 °C | 60 mm | 7.5 days | 15 h 20 min | 8.2% |
| July | 25.4 °C | 17.9 °C | 91 mm | 7.7 days | 15 h 5 min | 10.1% |
| August | 26.4 °C | 19.1 °C | 127 mm | 9.5 days | 13 h 55 min | 10.8% |
| September | 22.8 °C | 14.8 °C | 142 mm | 10.2 days | 12 h 30 min | 8.7% |
| October | 16.4 °C | 8.0 °C | 110 mm | 11.6 days | 11 h 5 min | 8.5% |
| November | 8.7 °C | 1.6 °C | 114 mm | 14.6 days | 9 h 45 min | 6.7% |
| December | 2.0 °C | −4.0 °C | 114 mm | 16.0 days | 9 h | 8.6% |
Golden hour
Evening golden hour is our calculation for the 15th of each month of 2026: the time the sun takes to go from 6° above to 4° below the horizon (there is no official definition).
Public holidays by month
National public holidays from the official list on our holiday page, by month, so you can see them next to the weather and how busy each month was. Regional and local holidays are not included.
| Month | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1 Jan: New Year's Day, 12 Jan: Coming-of-Age Day | 1 Jan: New Year's Day, 11 Jan: Coming-of-Age Day |
| February | 11 Feb: National Foundation Commemoration Day, 23 Feb: Emperor's Birthday | 11 Feb: National Foundation Commemoration Day, 23 Feb: Emperor's Birthday |
| March | 20 Mar: Vernal Equinox Day | 21 Mar: Vernal Equinox Day, 22 Mar: Public holiday (Vernal Equinox Day fell on a Sunday) |
| April | 29 Apr: Showa Day | 29 Apr: Showa Day |
| May | 3 May: Constitution Memorial Day, 4 May: Greenery Day, 5 May: Children's Day, 6 May: Public holiday (Constitution Memorial Day fell on a Sunday) | 3 May: Constitution Memorial Day, 4 May: Greenery Day, 5 May: Children's Day |
| July | 20 Jul: Marine Day | 19 Jul: Marine Day |
| August | 11 Aug: Mountain Day | 11 Aug: Mountain Day |
| September | 21 Sep: Respect for the Aged Day, 22 Sep: Public holiday (between Respect for the Aged Day and Autumnal Equinox Day), 23 Sep: Autumnal Equinox Day | 20 Sep: Respect for the Aged Day, 23 Sep: Autumnal Equinox Day |
| October | 12 Oct: Sports Day | 11 Oct: Sports Day |
| November | 3 Nov: Culture Day, 23 Nov: Labor Thanksgiving Day | 3 Nov: Culture Day, 23 Nov: Labor Thanksgiving Day |
The quietest and busiest months
In 2025, April was Hokkaido's quietest month (5.6% of the year's guest nights): average high 11.7 °C, average low 3.4 °C, 55 mm of rain. August was the busiest (10.8%): average high 26.4 °C, average low 19.1 °C, 127 mm of rain. The figures do not show that the weather makes a month busier or quieter, so we do not say it does.
Similar weather, quieter: ideas for August
August was Hokkaido's busiest month in 2025 (10.8% of its guest nights). These places had an average high within 2 °C and rainy days within 3 of Sapporo's in August, in a different prefecture, and August took a smaller share of its 2025 guest nights than August did of Hokkaido's:
- Sendai, Miyagi: average high 28.2 °C, 10.9 rainy days; August was 10.5% of Miyagi's year.
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. “Quieter” compares a month with the rest of that place's own year. Try another month or place.
What these figures are
One weather station stands for Sapporo; places nearby can differ, especially by height or distance from the sea. For the full picture of Hokkaido, including regions and holidays, see our Hokkaido page; for other places, the visual guides and golden hour by place.
Key takeaways
- Warmest month: August (average high 26.4 °C); coldest: January (average low −6.4 °C).
- Wettest month: September (142 mm); driest: April (55 mm).
- In 2025, April was Hokkaido's quietest month for visitors and August the busiest.
Sources
Weather normals and daylight copied from our country or prefecture page; tourism shares from the same page. See how we research.
- Weather: 出典：気象庁ホームページ（札幌 平年値）. Japan Meteorological Agency, 1991–2020 normals for the Sapporo station: daily maximum and minimum temperature, precipitation, days with at least 1.0 mm of precipitation (降水量の階級日数) and hours of sunshine (日照時間). 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).
- Daylight: our calculation of the time from sunrise to sunset on the 15th of each month of 2026 at the weather station's location, by the method of the NOAA Solar Calculator (NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory, “Solar Calculation Details”, based on Jean Meeus, Astronomical Algorithms, allowing 0.833° for refraction and the size of the sun). Read it. Checked 22 September 2026. NOAA notes that calculated times can differ from what is observed.
- 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).
Modified data: the arrangement, the golden-hour and sea columns and the quietest/busiest comparison are ours, from the cited figures.