Japanese National Holidays

Basic rule of thumb: If the national holiday falls on a Saturday, it remains on that day; if it falls on a Sunday, it is observed on the following Monday. Please note the below example of Sports Day in October.

Also, while New Year's Day is officially observed only on January 1, almost everyone takes off at least the first three days of the New Year, depending on how the days fall within the calendar week. "Golden Week" comprising of the holidays of Greenery Day, April 29, through Children's Day, May 5, is a time of slow activity. While most businesses will remain open during the non-holidays of that period, many or most of their employees will fill in the non-holidays with their personal vacation days. Finally, mid-August is traditional vacation month as many people visit their home towns outside of Tokyo to participate in O-Bon, the Buddhist All Saints Day, that varies with location as to the timing of the local observance.

 

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Updated January 3, 1999