Japan
Sendai in January
❄️ WinterCold and mostly dry.
🎒 Pack: winter coat, gloves & hat
Why January scores 7.9What goes into the score
How it works- Weather comfort6.2
- !Cold (6°C highs / -1°C lows)
- ✓Comfortable humidity (dew point -3°C)
- ✓Mostly dry (~42 mm rain)
- !Grey, overcast skies (~83% cloud cover on average)
- Air quality9.4
- ✓Good (within WHO guideline) (PM2.5 ~9 µg/m³)
- Seasonal hazards10.0
- ·No notable seasonal hazards
- Safety baseline9.0
- ·Normal precautions
| Jan | May | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 7.9 Very good | 9.2 Excellent |
| Season | ❄️ Winter | 🌿 Late spring |
| High / low | 6° / -1° | 20° / 12° |
| Rain | 42 mm | 110 mm |
| Humidity | dew pt -3° | dew pt 11° |
| PM2.5 | 9 µg/m³ | 10 µg/m³ |
Typical-month data: NASA POWER (MERRA-2 reanalysis) 2015–2024 (modelled, not a forecast). Temperatures: Sendai weather-station normals. Rainfall: Sendai weather-station normals (national met service).
Holidays & crowdsJanuary 2027
Holiday weekA long local holiday falls this month. Expect crowds at sights, fuller trains and flights, and higher hotel prices on those dates. Book ahead.
- New Year 1–3 Jan · 3 days off in a row
- Coming of Age Day 9–11 Jan · 3 days off in a row
- Year-end & New Year break 29 Dec – 3 Jan
Most businesses and some attractions close; trains and flights are busy around the start and end. Source: Japan National Tourism Organization
National holidays only; regional holidays and school breaks aren't included. Source: holidays (open-source public-holiday calendar).
Nature calendarBlossoms, leaves & seasons in Sendai
- Snowy daysIn JanuaryTypical datesSnow likely Nov–Apr (most in Jan: ~21 days)
Average number of days with snowfall at Sendai. About 21 cm of snow falls in an average Jan.
Source: Sendai weather-station normals (national weather service, via Wikipedia climate table)
- 2026 forecast: Naruko Gorge2026 forecastPeak from ~25 Oct 2026
Last year the peak began 25 Oct. JWA expects most of Japan to be on time or a little later than usual this year.
Source: Japan Weather Association (tenki.jp), forecast 14 Oct 2026
- Cherry blossom 2026 (what actually happened)2026 actualFirst blooms 31 Mar 2026, full bloom 4 Apr 2026
Observed by JMA at the city's official sample tree. The 2027 forecast isn't out yet: Japanese weather companies such as the Japan Weather Association usually publish the first one in January, and we add it then.
Source: Japan Meteorological Agency
- Cherry blossomTypical datesFirst blooms ~8 Apr, full bloom ~13 Apr
Typical dates (1991–2020 normal). In 2021–2026 first blooms came between 26 Mar and 8 Apr (31 Mar in 2026). Blossoms last about a week after full bloom.
Source: Japan Meteorological Agency
- Autumn leaves: Akiu Great FallsTypical datesUsually late-Oct to early-Nov
Usual peak viewing window for this spot.
- Autumn leaves: Naruko Gorge (day trip)Typical datesUsually mid-Oct to early-Nov
Usual peak viewing window for this spot.
Explore SendaiEvents, sights, food & souvenirs
Check event dates locallySendai is the largest city in Tōhoku, founded by the warlord Date Masamune, known for its tree-lined avenues, beef tongue and the summer Tanabata festival.
DontosaiEvery year14 January every year
New Year decorations are burned in a large bonfire, and men in white make a naked pilgrimage to the shrine.
Why go: Held in the evening and cold; very crowded.
Where: Ōsaki Hachimangū
Coming up later
Aoba MatsuriDate variesUsually the third weekend of May
A festival with decorated floats and the Suzume Odori sparrow dance.
Why go: A good spring festival with less crowding than Tanabata.
Where: Central Sendai, Jōzenji-dōri
Sendai Tanabata MatsuriEvery year6-8 August every year
One of Japan's biggest Tanabata festivals, with huge paper streamers hung throughout the arcades.
Why go: Hotels book out well in advance.
Where: Central shopping arcades
Jōzenji Streetjazz FestivalDate variesUsually the second weekend of September
Hundreds of amateur bands play outdoors across the city centre.
Why go: Free to watch.
Where: Streets and parks around Jōzenji-dōri
Zuihōden
The richly decorated mausoleum of Date Masamune in a cedar forest.
Sendai Castle ruins (Aoba Castle)
The hilltop castle site with stone walls, a statue of Date Masamune on horseback and city views.
Ōsaki Hachimangū
A shrine with a black-lacquered main hall and National Treasure status.
Matsushima Bay
A bay scattered with pine-covered islets, one of Japan's traditional Three Views, about 40 minutes by train.
Akiu Onsen
A hot spring town in the hills west of the city, near Akiu Great Falls.
Jōzenji-dōri
A central avenue lined with zelkova trees, used for many of the city's events.
Gyūtan
Grilled beef tongue, usually served with barley rice and oxtail soup.
💡 Gyūtan restaurants around Sendai station and Kokubunchō
Zunda mochi
Rice cakes topped with sweet mashed edamame paste.
💡 Sweet shops and Sendai station
Sasakamaboko
Leaf-shaped grilled fish cake.
💡 Kamaboko shops and Sendai station
Matsushima oysters
Oysters from Matsushima Bay, served grilled or raw.
💡 Matsushima seafood restaurants
Kokeshi dolls
Turned wooden dolls, a traditional Tōhoku craft with styles from local hot spring towns.
💡 Craft shops and Sendai station
Zunda sweets
Edamame-paste sweets and drinks.
💡 Sendai station shops
Sasakamaboko
Packaged leaf-shaped fish cakes.
💡 Sendai station shops
Tamamushi-nuri
Lacquerware with an iridescent finish developed in Sendai.
💡 Craft shops