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Takayama in December
Mixed month: December is outside the recommended season (April – May, October – November). Against it: Deep Snow in the Alps and Hokuriku. Autumn leaves (koyo) and New Year (Shogatsu) can fall this month.
The season opens in April, 4 months away.
2 days in Takayama in December · from ₹24,768 for two
Stay, food & local travel; getting there extra
The weather in December
What the season does to Takayama 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.
What’s on in December
Timing a trip around these changes what you pay and what you can book.
Autumn leaves (koyo)
The maples turn red from late September in Hokkaido, through October in Nikko and the Alps, to mid-November to early December in Kyoto, Nara and Tokyo. Kyoto's temples open at night with lit-up gardens; trains, buses and hotels are as full as in cherry-blossom season.
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
₹24,768 for two
- Room a night₹6,050
- Food a day, each₹2,756
- Main sight entry, each₹270
Mid-range
₹51,537 for two
- Room a night₹14,520
- Food a day, each₹6,360
- Main sight entry, each₹270
Luxury
₹1,14,933 for two
- Room a night₹36,300
- Food a day, each₹14,840
- Main sight entry, each₹270
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), 226 km away
Then: Train · 4h 18m (Hida limited express (one through train a day), or shinkansen + Hida via Nagoya)
Flights from India: from 5 cities, one way from ₹24,000
Fly into Tokyo (HND), 232 km away
Then: Train · 4h 48m (Shinkansen + Hida limited express via Nagoya)
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 December
Instead 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
- Hakodate · good month
- Naha (Okinawa) · good month
- Niseko · good month
Nearby in Japan Alps & Hokuriku:
Want this as a real plan?
Takayama in December, day by day, priced for your group.