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Japan has 16 national holidays a year. Some of them you’ll hardly notice, while others can completely throw off your plans by filling the Shinkansen, causing things to close on random days, or turning the queue for that theme park ride you’re looking forward to from 45 minutes to two hours. Trying to tailor your trip to avoid doing certain things on public holidays is an excellent idea, but to do that, you need to know when they are.
This is an AI-generated image to illustrate the concept of busy holidays in Japan. It is not intended to show a real location or an actual situation.
When Are Japan’s Public Holidays?
December 29 to January 1st – New Year’s Holiday
Marks the beginning of the year; families gather for traditional celebrations.
Visiting shrines and temples is customary for Japanese people on New Year’s Day; avoid doing so on this day if you want to avoid crowds. You might also find some smaller businesses closed around this time. However, major tourist attractions, shops, trains, and so on will still run as normal, although Shinkansen reservations will be required on the Nozomi between Tokyo and Hakata. Book these on Smartex or via Klook.
January 13 – Coming of Age Day
This holiday, celebrated on the second Monday in January, honours those who have turned 20 during the last school year (April 2nd of the year before and April 1st of this year). Twenty has traditionally been the age of legal adulthood in Japan. It changed to 18 in 2022, but most places still stick with the age of 20 for this event.
There are ceremonies in many towns, and you’ll see women wearing a special long-sleeved kimono called a furisode. Men may wear traditional dress or a Western suit.
This holiday is unlikely to significantly impact your trip unless you’re visiting the Disney parks, where many young people gather to celebrate after the ceremony.
February 11th – National Foundation Day
Commemorates the founding of Japan. There will be minimal impact on travel, unless it falls on a Monday or Friday, creating a long weekend.
February 23rd – Emperor’s Birthday
Celebration of the Emperor’s Birthday. This is one of the only days of the year that the Imperial Palace opens to the public. It can attract large crowds.
If the Emperor’s Birthday falls on a Sunday, the holiday will happen on Monday, 24th February instead. This may have a greater impact on travel as it will create a long weekend.
March 20th – Vernal Equinox Day
Celebrates the beginning of Spring, nature and living things. Traditionally, people in Japan would participate in activities that correlate with the things the holiday celebrates – so, on this day, head into nature. That tradition continues to some extent, with people visiting parks on this day, especially if the cherry blossoms have already begun to bloom.
This is one of the holidays that can change its date from year to year.
April 29th – May 6th – Golden Week
The big one. This isn’t just one holiday, but four holidays in a one-week period. Many people also take the other days off, meaning it’s one of the busiest times of the year for travel in Japan.
The holidays are Showa Day on April 29th, Constitution Memorial Day on May 3rd, Greenery Day on May 4th, and Children’s Day on May 5th.
If any of these holidays fall on a Sunday, an extra holiday will be taken. This will be on Monday, or, if Monday is also a holiday, the extra holiday falls on a Tuesday.
Golden Week will disrupt your trip. You must book Shinkansen seats in advance. Hotel prices can be higher in areas visited by Japanese guests; however, Tokyo can actually be a little quieter as people tend to leave to go elsewhere. Theme parks are best avoided at this time, especially on the actual public holidays.
Book things as early as you can – I’m typing this in June 2025, my next trip to Japan likely spans Golden Week. I haven’t booked my flights yet, but I have booked a hotel in Tokyo at an okay price just in case!
For an idea of what to expect when traveling in Golden Week in more detail (including an explanation of why there’s a picture of fish streamers above), see what happened when we last booked a trip to Tokyo over Golden Week.
July 21 – Marine Day
Celebrated on the third Thursday in July, this honours the ocean’s importance to Japan. Traditionally, people would go to the beach or water on this day – you’ll still find some special events in waterfront areas, such as Odaiba.
August 11 – Mountain Day
Encourages appreciation for mountains. I’m not sure what else to say about that! Fun fact though, it’s Japan’s newest public holiday and only started being celebrated in 2016.
August 13-15 – Obon
Obon is not technically a public holiday, but it’s a time when people traditionally return to their hometowns, and as a result, many people travel now. This is another time of year when you will need to reserve Shinkansen seats. Some smaller family businesses might also close if the family go to visit relatives elsewhere.
In 2025, Mountain Day is a long weekend, with just one day’s gap until Obon starts – this might make it more likely that people will travel for longer.
September 15th: Respect for the Aged Day
This is celebrated on the third Monday in September, so its exact date will vary.
September 23rd: Autumnal Equinox Day
Celebrates nature, ancestors and the beginning of the autumn season. This date will vary as it depends on the position of the moon, but it is usually one day either side of September 23rd.
Watch Out For Silver Week
The dates of both Respect for the Aged Day and Autumnal Equinox Day can vary, and if there is a year when there is only one day between them, an extra public holiday is added in between. The next date that this will happen is 2026. People will get from Saturday to Wednesday off – meaning Japanese people could take a five-day break without using up any leave.
If you’re travelling around then, there may be a bit more disruption than would normally be caused by these holidays.
October 13: Health and Sports Day
Promotes sports and an active lifestyle. It takes place on the second Monday in October, so the date will vary.
November 3rd: Culture Day
Promotes culture, the arts, and academic endeavour. Museums might be more crowded on this day as some of them waive their entrance fee to honor the day.
November 23rd: Labor Thanksgiving Day
Honours labour and production. Some businesses take this day off. If it falls on a Sunday, Monday will also be a holiday – this is the case in 2025.
How Might The Holidays Affect Your Plans
Crowds will increase on public holidays, which could have some knock-on effects on certain aspects of your trip.
Shinkansen Reservations Might Be Needed
As we mentioned, during the three busiest holidays of the year – New Year, Golden Week and Obon – the Nozomi Shinkansen that travels between Tokyo and Hakata, calling at popular stops like Kyoto, Shin-Osaka, and Hiroshima, requires seat reservations in every car (usually, a couple of cars let you travel in an unreserved seat).
However, Shinkansen trains to other destinations can also become very busy, and even the slower trains that don’t require seat bookings may be fuller than usual. If you want to sit with your family, want to ensure you’re on a particular train or need the oversized luggage seats, I’d suggest booking seats on all your trains if you’re traveling during one of the big holidays.
Book in advance via the Smart Ex app or Klook from 30 days in advance – there’s little point booking before this, as you can’t select your seat.
Long Weekends Will Add Local Crowds
If a holiday creates a three-day weekend, expect Japanese people also to be traveling to holiday destinations like Kyoto, around Mount Fuji or Hakone and visiting the same sights that you want to see.
I accidentally ended up in Kyoto during the Culture Day long weekend last year, as rain had stopped my trains from going somewhere quieter. It was noticeably busier than when I’d been there two weeks earlier, particularly on buses – they were coming in too full to get on.
Outside of the transport though, I still managed to escape crowds – this picture in the Bonsai Garden was taken that weekend – by seeking out the quieter sights in Kyoto so, try to do the same if the people get a bit much.
Related Read: How to Beat the Crowds in Kyoto
Watch Out For Mondays – and Tuesdays
As mentioned earlier, if the scheduled date of a holiday falls on a Sunday, a substitute holiday will be observed on the following Monday. However, watch out if you are planning to visit a museum the day after a Monday holiday.
Many museums typically close on Mondays, but if that Monday is a holiday, they will open on that day and then take the following Tuesday off. I got caught by this at the cute Uruyasu Folk Museum after Golden Week and had to go back a week later! Check the museum’s website if you’re visiting around a holiday.
Other Opening Hours May Vary
This is one thing I learned around Golden Week: the normal order of Japan, well, basically, it goes on holiday too – places will be open on public holidays and take other days off. If you’re traveling during a major holiday, be a bit flexible – if there’s somewhere you really want to go, check that they will be open on the day you plan to visit.