Originally Posted by
ksandness
If you're from St. Louis, Tokyo will not seem excessively cold to you. It may even seem warm, since the winters tend to be dry. Expect highs in the 30s to 40s Fahrenheit.
But I'll bet you've got better heating in St. Louis. This is not a problem in modern hotels and such, but if you visit a ryokan in midwinter be prepared to freeze your butt off. Of course, heated toilet seats and hot springs were invented for warming them up again, and the Japanese recommendation of taking a dip at least three times a day will suddenly make a lot more sense...
Personally, if I were given a choice of Tokyo in December or Tokyo in August, I'd take December any day!
No contest!