‘Rainbow Red’ (Actinidia chinensis Planch.) kiwifruit fruits on vines soften gradually. The fruits ripen in a short time after harvest, necessitating a novel long-term storage method. The effects of precooling during or after harvesting on 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) treatment effects were investigated using ‘Rainbow Red’. The effects of 1-MCP treatment varied with the harvesting time, precooling periods, and precooling temperature. In comparison with the control, the 1-MCP treatment fruits harvested in the middle of September did not show differences when harvested 124 days later. Of note, 1-MCP treatment of fruits before precooling below 10°C for 2 days helped to maintain high-level hardness even at four months after the harvest. In addition, fruits stored for 121 days after the harvest ripened after ethylene treatment, although no ethylene was generated. Thus, short-term precooling increases the effects of 1-MCP treatment.