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Best time to visit · January 2027

Fushimi Inari in January: crowds, weather and the best time

1–3 January: extremely busy for New Year visits, day and night.

Best window: before 8:00 or after 18:00.

Tuesday to Thursday mornings are the quietest. Sunrise around 7:04, sunset 16:55–17:23.

How crowded is it in January?

From 1 to 3 January the shrine is extremely crowded for New Year visits (hatsumode), day and night. We don't show an hourly score during this period.

For the rest of the month, our forecast uses the shrine's usual weekly pattern. We have no month-by-month crowd data, so this is the same pattern as in other months outside the busy seasons. 100 is the busiest hour of the week.

Weekdays (Monday to Friday, average)

  1. 00:00: 6 out of 100
  2. 01:00: 5 out of 100
  3. 02:00: 4 out of 100
  4. 03:00: 4 out of 100
  5. 04:00: 4 out of 100
  6. 05:00: 6 out of 100
  7. 06:00: 12 out of 100
  8. 07:00: 25 out of 100
  9. 08:00: 45 out of 100
  10. 09:00: 67 out of 100
  11. 10:00: 81 out of 100
  12. 11:00: 83 out of 100
  13. 12:00: 80 out of 100
  14. 13:00: 78 out of 100
  15. 14:00: 77 out of 100
  16. 15:00: 73 out of 100
  17. 16:00: 64 out of 100
  18. 17:00: 49 out of 100
  19. 18:00: 36 out of 100
  20. 19:00: 27 out of 100
  21. 20:00: 21 out of 100
  22. 21:00: 17 out of 100
  23. 22:00: 14 out of 100
  24. 23:00: 11 out of 100

Weekends (Saturday and Sunday, average)

  1. 00:00: 8 out of 100
  2. 01:00: 5 out of 100
  3. 02:00: 4 out of 100
  4. 03:00: 5 out of 100
  5. 04:00: 6 out of 100
  6. 05:00: 9 out of 100
  7. 06:00: 16 out of 100
  8. 07:00: 31 out of 100
  9. 08:00: 55 out of 100
  10. 09:00: 81 out of 100
  11. 10:00: 96 out of 100
  12. 11:00: 99 out of 100
  13. 12:00: 95 out of 100
  14. 13:00: 91 out of 100
  15. 14:00: 90 out of 100
  16. 15:00: 86 out of 100
  17. 16:00: 74 out of 100
  18. 17:00: 57 out of 100
  19. 18:00: 41 out of 100
  20. 19:00: 29 out of 100
  21. 20:00: 23 out of 100
  22. 21:00: 20 out of 100
  23. 22:00: 15 out of 100
  24. 23:00: 12 out of 100
See the forecast for each day of the week

Busiest days in January 2027

  1. 1–3 January: New Year (hatsumode)

    Extremely busy, day and night. We don't give an hourly score for these days.

  2. Saturdays (9, 16, 23, 30) and Sundays (10, 17, 24, 31)

    Saturday is the busiest day of the week in our data (daytime average 83 out of 100), then Sunday (82).

  3. Fri 1 Jan: New Year's Day

    Public holiday in Japan.

  4. Mon 11 Jan: Coming of Age Day

    Public holiday in Japan. Our forecast treats it like a Sunday (daytime average 82 out of 100).

Quieter days: Tuesday to Thursday mornings are the quietest. In January 2027, those are the 5th–7th, 12th–14th, 19th–21st and 26th–28th.

January 2027
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
1NYH •2NY 3NY
473 570 •670 768 867 983 1082
1182H •1270 •1370 1468 1567 1683 1782
1873 1970 2070 2168 2267 2383 2482
2573 2670 2770 2868 2967 3083 3182
Number: daytime average, 8:00–18:00, out of 100 (100 = the busiest hour of the week). NY: New Year, no score. H: public holiday. •: shrine rite.

Best time of day in January

Best window: before 8:00 or after 18:00. Tuesday to Thursday mornings are the quietest.

DateSunriseSunset
1 January7:0416:55
15 January7:0417:07
31 January6:5717:23

Japan time, calculated for the shrine's position on a flat horizon. On the wooded mountain path it gets dark earlier.

Sunrise is at 7:04 at the start of the month, so "before 8:00" gives you about an hour of daylight. After 18:00 it is already dark: sunset is at 16:55 on 1 January and 17:23 on 31 January.

Weather in January

Average daily high9.1°C
Average daily low1.5°C
Days with 1 mm of rain or more6.4
Rain in the month53.3 mm
Nights below 0°C7.4

Averages for Kyoto, 1991–2020. Japan Meteorological Agency

What to wear

For January, a down jacket and proper winter clothing are necessary. The cold in Kyoto is much more severe compared to other places like Osaka.

See today's weather at the shrine

How long the hike takes in January

The full loop over the summit is about 4 km and takes about 2 hours 15 minutes. To finish it before sunset, start from the main hall by 14:40 at the start of January and by 15:08 at the end.

In an average January, the temperature in Kyoto drops below 0°C on 7.4 nights. Take care on the stone steps early in the morning.

Compare the three hike optionsSee walking times for each stop

Rites and festivals in January

  1. Fri 1 Jan · 6:00

    Saitan-sai (New Year's Day rite) 歳旦祭

  2. Tue 5 Jan · 12:00 at the main hall; 13:30 at Gozendani

    Ōyama-sai (mountain festival) 大山祭

  3. Mon 11 Jan · 13:00

    Seinen-sai (coming-of-age rite) 成年祭

  4. Tue 12 Jan · 14:00

    Hōsha-sai (archery rite) 奉射祭

Dates and times as listed by the shrine. Fushimi Inari Taisha: rites and events (Japanese)

Where the mountain rite is held: Gozendani HohaishoSee every festival and rite of the year

Questions about January

Is Fushimi Inari crowded in January?
From 1–3 January it is extremely crowded for New Year visits (hatsumode), day and night. After that, our forecast follows the shrine's usual weekly pattern. Best window: before 8:00 or after 18:00. Tuesday to Thursday mornings are the quietest.
What time are sunrise and sunset at Fushimi Inari in January?
Sunrise is at 7:04 on 1 January and 6:57 on 31 January; sunset is at 16:55 and 17:23 (Japan time, calculated).
How cold is Kyoto in January?
The average daily high is 9.1°C and the average low 1.5°C, with 6.4 days of 1 mm of rain or more (Japan Meteorological Agency normals, 1991–2020).
What festivals are held at Fushimi Inari in January?
Saitan-sai (New Year's Day rite) on 1 January; Ōyama-sai (mountain festival) on 5 January; Seinen-sai (coming-of-age rite) on 11 January; Hōsha-sai (archery rite) on 12 January.

Sources

Public holidays are worked out from the rules in Japan's Public Holiday Act. Sunrise and sunset are calculated, not observed. Crowd figures: how we estimate crowds.

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