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Hakodate in December
Good month: December is at the start of the recommended season (June – October, December – February (snow)). Against it: Hokkaido Snow and Cold. New Year (Shogatsu) can fall this month.
The season runs to the end of February, 2 months away.
2 days in Hakodate in December · from ₹21,160 for two
Stay, food & local travel; getting there extra
The weather in December
What the season does to Hakodate this month.
Heads up
Hokkaido Snow and Cold
December to March is snowy and -5 to -15 °C in Hokkaido. Flights from New Chitose and trains are delayed or cancelled in storms a few times each winter, so keep a spare half-day before a flight home. Pack a warm coat, gloves and shoes with grip; drive only with winter experience.
What’s on in December
Timing a trip around these changes what you pay and what you can book.
New Year (Shogatsu)2026: 31 Dec
Japan's biggest holiday: temples ring their bells 108 times at midnight on 31 December and millions make the first shrine visit (hatsumode), Meiji Jingu and Fushimi Inari above all. Many museums, restaurants and offices close from about 29 December to 3 January; trains run, but are full around the start and end.
What it costs
For two sharing a room; 2 days on the ground, getting there not included.
Budget
₹21,160 for two
- Room a night₹5,450
- Food a day, each₹2,756
- Main sight entry, each₹1,090
Mid-range
₹45,963 for two
- Room a night₹12,100
- Food a day, each₹6,360
- Main sight entry, each₹1,090
Luxury
₹1,05,439 for two
- Room a night₹30,250
- Food a day, each₹14,840
- Main sight entry, each₹1,090
Totals cover the room (taxes included), food, local transport, entry and a 10% buffer: the figures the planner opens on. These are typical rates; Tourisma has no month-by-month rates for Japan yet, so they don't move with the month.
Getting there
Fly into Tokyo (HND), 682 km away
Then: Flight · 4h 12m (JAL / ANA / AirDo, Haneda–Hakodate + airport bus)
Flights from India: from 7 cities, one way from ₹22,000
Fly into Tokyo (NRT), 682 km away
Then: Flight · 4h 12m (JAL / ANA / AirDo, Haneda–Hakodate + airport bus)
Flights from India: from 3 cities, one way from ₹31,000
Routes compared
Entry rules
E-visa before you fly for up to 90 days, about ₹1,300
- Book an appointment at the Japan Visa Application Centre (VFS Global) for your area and apply for the single-entry tourist visa, no more than three months before you travel. Walk-ins ended in February 2026. The visa fee is ₹500, plus VFS's service charge of ₹800.
- Apply 3-4 weeks before you fly: processing takes at least 5 working days. The visa comes as an eVISA (an electronic notice), not a sticker; keep it on your phone and as a printout for the airline and immigration.
- Before you fly, fill in Visit Japan Web (vjw.digital.go.jp) for one immigration and customs QR code. It is optional; paper cards are handed out on the plane.
- At immigration, your fingerprints and photo are taken and you are given the stay the visa allows (up to 90 days).
Carry: Passport with at least two blank pages, valid for the whole stay; Visa application form with a 45 x 35 mm photo; Flight booking in and out of Japan; Day-by-day schedule of the stay with hotel bookings; Bank statements for the last 3-6 months and income-tax returns for the last 2-3 years (the VFS centre's checklist says which); Employees: a leave letter or NOC; self-employed: business registration; The eVISA notice, on your phone and printed.
Indians need a visa for Japan, but it is cheap: ₹500, unchanged when Japan raised its visa fees five-fold for most countries in July 2026. JESTA, Japan's planned online travel authorisation, is for visa-free nationalities and is not due before 2028.
Checked 2026-10; confirm with the embassy before you fly.
Elsewhere in Japan in December
Also in season this month.
- Beppu · great month
- Hakone · great month
- Mount Fuji & Kawaguchiko · good month
- Nagano (Jigokudani Snow Monkeys) · good month
- Furano & Biei · good month
- Naha (Okinawa) · good month
- Niseko · good month
- Sapporo · good month
Nearby in Hokkaido:
Want this as a real plan?
Hakodate in December, day by day, priced for your group.