Japan›Japan Alps & Hokuriku›Kanazawa›January
Kanazawa in January
Mixed month: January is outside the recommended season (April – May, October – November). Against it: New Year Closures (29 Dec – 3 Jan); Deep Snow in the Alps and Hokuriku. New Year (Shogatsu) can fall this month.
The season opens in April, 3 months away.
2 days in Kanazawa in January · from ₹20,008 for two
Stay, food & local travel; getting there extra
The weather in January
What the season does to Kanazawa this month.
Heads up
Deep Snow in the Alps and Hokuriku
Heavy snow from December to February makes Shirakawa-go and the Alps beautiful and slows everything: buses run but can be late or cancelled in storms, and mountain roads need winter tyres. Wear boots with grip.
Before you book January
Closures, crowds and rules at Kanazawa this month.
Heads up
New Year Closures (29 Dec – 3 Jan)
Over the New Year holiday many museums, castles, gardens and small restaurants close from about 29 December to 3 January, while the big shrines are packed for the first visit of the year. Check opening days before you plan a sight for those dates.
What’s on in January
Timing a trip around these changes what you pay and what you can book.
New Year (Shogatsu)2027: 1–3 Jan
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
₹20,008 for two
- Room a night₹6,050
- Food a day, each₹2,756
- Main sight entry, each₹190
Mid-range
₹44,163 for two
- Room a night₹12,100
- Food a day, each₹6,360
- Main sight entry, each₹190
Luxury
₹1,06,911 for two
- Room a night₹33,280
- Food a day, each₹14,840
- Main sight entry, each₹190
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 Osaka (KIX), 232 km away
Then: Train · 3h (Thunderbird + Hokuriku Shinkansen via Tsuruga)
Flights from India: from 5 cities, one way from ₹24,000
Fly into Tokyo (HND), 296 km away
Then: Train · 2h 54m (Hokuriku Shinkansen (Kagayaki))
Flights from India: from 7 cities, one way from ₹22,000
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 January
Instead in season this month.
- Beppu · great month
- Hakone · great month
- Nagano (Jigokudani Snow Monkeys) · good month
- Furano & Biei · good month
- Hakodate · good month
- Mount Fuji & Kawaguchiko · good month
- Niseko · good month
- Sapporo · good month
Nearby in Japan Alps & Hokuriku:
Want this as a real plan?
Kanazawa in January, day by day, priced for your group.