May brings 21°C daytime highs, 132mm of precipitation across about 9 wet days and 14 hours of daylight — best for hiking, cycling and spring greenery. The strongest run of the year is April to June. January is the quietest month: wetter, but peaceful, and still good for low-angle light and quiet and local.
Long-run climate normals for Kanazawa. Month ratings compare months within Kanazawa only — they are not a ranking of Kanazawa against other destinations, and they are not a forecast for a specific year.
Last updated: · Live forecast data refreshes hourly.
| Best month | May — Hiking, Cycling, Spring greenery |
| Best 3-month window | April–June |
| Quietest month | January — Wetter, but peaceful |
| Driest month | April — 132mm |
| Wettest month | December — 262mm |
| Warmest / coolest | July 30°C / February 7°C |
| Seasonality | Strongly seasonal — the months feel like different places |
| Annual rainfall | 2399mm over roughly 148 rain days |
January gets roughly 98% more precipitation than May — 262mm against 132mm. That difference, more than temperature, is what changes how a day here feels.
Kanazawa swings 23°C between July (30°C) and February (7°C) — the month you pick changes what you pack more than where you go.
June gives you 14.5 hours of daylight against just 9.5 in December — a 5-hour difference in how much you can actually fit into a day.
April is the driest month at 132mm across roughly 9 wet days, while December peaks at 262mm.
June is almost as good as May, but usually quieter and cheaper. If your dates are flexible, it is the easier trip.
Kanazawa changes character completely through the year — May and January are effectively two different destinations. Pick the month that matches what you want to do, not the highest-rated one.
Ratings compare months within Kanazawa, not against destinations worldwide: five stars means the best time to be here, not that Kanazawa beats anywhere else. Tags describe what the conditions actually suit.
| Month | Rating | High / Low | Precipitation | Wet days | Sun | Daylight | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | ★★☆☆☆ | 7°C / 0°C | 262mm (rain/snow) | 17 | 5h | 9.8h | Low-angle light · Quiet and local |
| February | ★★☆☆☆ | 7°C / 0°C | 165mm (rain/snow) | 11 | 3h | 10.6h | Low-angle light · Quiet and local |
| March | ★★★☆☆ | 10°C / 3°C | 148mm | 10 | 5h | 11.8h | Spring greenery |
| April | ★★★★★ | 16°C / 8°C | 132mm | 9 | 6h | 13h | Hiking · Cycling · Spring greenery |
| May | ★★★★★ | 21°C / 14°C | 132mm | 9 | 6h | 14h | Hiking · Cycling · Spring greenery |
| June | ★★★★★ | 27°C / 19°C | 175mm | 12 | 11h | 14.5h | Beach days · Swimming |
| July | ★★★★☆ | 30°C / 22°C | 202mm | 13 | 5h | 14.2h | Beach days · Swimming |
| August | ★★★★★ | 30°C / 22°C | 140mm | 9 | 7h | 13.4h | Beach days · Swimming |
| September | ★★★★☆ | 27°C / 19°C | 218mm | 14 | 11h | 12.2h | Beach days · Swimming |
| October | ★★★★☆ | 21°C / 14°C | 175mm | 12 | 6h | 11h | Hiking · Cycling · Low-angle light |
| November | ★★★☆☆ | 16°C / 8°C | 232mm | 15 | 6h | 10h | Autumn colour · Low-angle light |
| December | ★★☆☆☆ | 10°C / 3°C | 262mm | 17 | 3h | 9.5h | Festive season · Low-angle light · Quiet and local |
| You are planning | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Sun & beach days | June | 11h daily sunshine, 27°C highs and only 12 rain days. |
| City walking & sightseeing | May | 21°C highs with 14h of daylight — long days without heat fatigue. |
| Photography & light | June | 11h of sun and 14.5h daylight give the widest window for golden-hour work. |
| Value & fewer crowds | August | Scores 65/100 — close to peak conditions but outside the busiest window. |
| Cooler-weather travel | April | 16°C highs and 8°C nights suit anyone who dislikes heat. |
Each month in Kanazawa is described from long-run climate normals and then rated relative to the other eleven months in the same city. A five-star January in a cold destination means January is one of the best times to be there — not that it beats a Mediterranean summer.
| Factor | Weight | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | Described | Average daytime high and overnight low for the month, shown as measured rather than judged. |
| Precipitation | Described | Monthly millimetres and wet-day count, labelled as snow or rain/snow where temperatures make that the likely phase. |
| Sunshine & daylight | Described | Average daily sunshine hours and astronomical daylight length at mid-month, from the city’s latitude. |
| “Best for” tags | Derived | Applied only when the conditions genuinely support the activity — snow depth-friendly cold for skiing, 13–24°C and low rain risk for hiking, dark evenings at high latitude for aurora. A month with few strong use cases gets fewer tags rather than padded ones. |
| Star rating | Relative | Ranks the month against the other eleven months in the same city. Never a comparison between cities. |
Figures are long-run climate averages, not a forecast for a specific year. Where a month lacks sourced rainfall or humidity, the value is modelled from temperature range and rain frequency.
May is the best all-round month in Kanazawa: 21°C highs, 132mm of precipitation and 14 hours of daylight, which suits hiking, cycling and spring greenery. The strongest three-month window is April to June.
January — 7°C highs, 262mm of precipitation over roughly 17 days and 9.8 hours of daylight. It is the cheapest and least crowded time to go, and it still works for low-angle light and quiet and local.
April is the driest month at 132mm over about 9 rain days, against 262mm in December. Across the year Kanazawa records around 2399mm.
Yes, but the months are genuinely different trips. May suits hiking, cycling and spring greenery, while January suits low-angle light and quiet and local. Pick the month that matches what you want to do.
Daylight ranges from 9.5 hours in December to 14.5 hours in June, calculated from the city's latitude.