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What to pack for Japan in December

Typical December, built from ten years of weather

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Typical for your dates
Highs 52°F, lows 36°F, rain 7 of 31 days
coldwindyshort days
Sunset lands around 4:25pm. Wind averages 14 mph. There is paperwork on this one, so start with Before you go.
Packing for

Essentials

16 items · 0 packed
Insulated puffy (down or synthetic)
Lows around 36°F. Goes under the shell when the wind picks up.
On sale
Fuego Down Jacket - Men's
budgetMen's
Fuego Down Jacket - Men's
$108 $270
Shop
at Cotopaxi
On sale
Fuego Hooded Down Jacket - Women's
budgetWomen's
Fuego Hooded Down Jacket - Women's
$148 $295
Shop
at Cotopaxi
On sale
Insulated Puffy Parka Jacket - Women's
mid
Insulated Puffy Parka Jacket - Women's
$152 $379
Shop
at Backcountry.com
On sale
Hybrid WINDSTOPPER Lightweight Puffy Jacket - Men's
mid
Hybrid WINDSTOPPER Lightweight Puffy Jacket…
$196 $280
Shop
at Backcountry.com
On sale
Solazo Down Hooded Jacket - Women's
budgetWomen's
Solazo Down Hooded Jacket - Women's
$90 $240
Shop
at Cotopaxi
Swipe for all 5 options →
Merino base layer top
Wear one, dry one. Cotton stays wet all week here.
On sale
Terramar Men's 3.0 Merino Bi-Layer Long-Sleeve Crew Base Layer Top Gray S
budgetMen's
Terramar Men's 3.0 Merino Bi-Layer Long-Sleeve…
$29.73 $45
Shop
at REI
On sale
Terramar Women's 3.0 Merino Flex Long-Sleeve Crew Base Layer Top Blue XL
budgetWomen's
Terramar Women's 3.0 Merino Flex Long-Sleeve…
$54.73 $80
Shop
at REI
On sale
Arc'teryx Women's Lana Merino Wool Crew Base Layer Top Black XS
midWomen's
Arc'teryx Women's Lana Merino Wool Crew Base…
$63.93 $90
Shop
at REI
On sale
Arc'teryx Women's Satoro Merino Wool Crew Neck Long-Sleeve Base Layer Top Green XS
midWomen's
Arc'teryx Women's Satoro Merino Wool Crew Neck…
$95.73 $120
Shop
at REI
On sale
Wedze Women’s BL900 Merino Wool Ski Base Layer Top
budgetWomen's
Wedze Women’s BL900 Merino Wool Ski Base Layer Top
$60 $99.99
Shop
at Decathlon America
Swipe for all 5 options →
Fleece or midlayer
The layer you'll wear more than any other.
Warm hat (beanie)
Lows drop to 36°F and wind gusts to 22 km/h, so your head needs insulation.
Gloves
At 36°F with 22 km/h wind, bare hands go numb fast in urban streets.
Polarized sunglasses
UV index 3.2 and 9.8 hours of daylight mean glare off wet pavement.
DEET or picaridin repellent
This item is not needed; December has no insect season in Japan.
Tick remover
Check ankles and, if there's a dog, paws and ears every night.

Before you go

5 to sort

Recommended

11 items
Merino base layer bottoms
Neck gaiter / buff
Thermal socks
Permethrin-treated clothing spray
Reusable water bottle
Multi-port USB-C charger (GaN)