Winter Survival Guide in Japan for Malaysian Travelers

 

Konnichiwa! While it’s still autumn season here in Japan, in a month we will welcome winter of 2025-2026. Since we are starting to receive winter bookings from our customers, we would like to share a “survival guide” for our Malaysian customers this winter.

Everyone knows that winter will be cold; so it is important to know the temperature beforehand. Depending on which part of Japan you are going to, there are different temperature ranges. For example, Honshu/Tokyo (10°C to -5°C), Hokkaido (2°C to -10°C), and Kyushu (13°C to 7°C) all differ. Temperature also depends which month you are going; end of January~mid-February is the peak of winter season.

Layering

Always remember one word – Layering! What I’ve noticed is that because of our weather, our Malaysian dress style usually doesn’t involve layering. However, layering during cold weather in Japan is essential because it doesn’t only keep you warm, but it’s easier to “u-turn” too if you overdress and make yourself too hot. (It does happen to me lol) This is because some of the indoor places are actually quite warm and it will be more comfortable to take off the layers.

Heat packs, scarf, hat

If you are still not sure you’re wearing enough for the weather or not, always back up with heat packs, scarf, and a hat. You can usually keep yourself warmer when you cover your neck and head. Heat packs (Kairo) are very useful if you are that type of person who has cold hands.

Skin care

Due to the different weather in Malaysia and Japan, most of the skin care products from Malaysia are designed to be lightweight and might not be enough for the winter in Japan. You might feel the dryness on your skin after a few days here, so make sure you prepare some lotion or moisturiser in advance. Don’t forget your lip balm and hand cream too!

Hot Water

Compared to Malaysia, you don’t really find too many options on hot drinks, even during winter. If you don’t want to keep hopping into the café just to order hot drinks, our advice is to prepare a thermal bottle with your favourite hot beverage inside. Having hot beverages could keep your body warm and make you feel more comfortable during the winter.

We hope this article helps to prepare your winter trip in Japan! Although Japan’s winter is not unbearably cold, it will still be a challenging one for the first-timer. We will share more on what to do/sight-see during winter in Japan in the next post, so stay tuned!

Tabigo Japan is opening booking for 2025/2026 Winter and 2026 Spring. Contact us now if you are seeking for professional help for booking or itinerary planning!