Japan public holidays and festivals: dates and closures

Japan's holidays are fixed by law, with several moved to a Monday to make long weekends. Dates below are the 2026 pattern; confirm exact days with the Cabinet Office calendar before booking.

If a holiday lands on a Sunday, the following weekday usually becomes a substitute holiday, which extends the break by a day.

Golden Week runs from 29 April to 5 May and is the single busiest travel period in Japan. Shinkansen trains, domestic flights, highway buses and popular hotels sell out weeks ahead, and highway traffic jams stretch for tens of kilometres. If you must travel then, book seats and beds as soon as your dates are fixed, or stay in one city and treat it as a slow week.

Obon, around 13–16 August, is when families return to their home towns. Long-distance transport is busy in both directions, but city sights are quieter and hotel rates in Tokyo can dip. Many small shops and restaurants close for a few days.

New Year, roughly 29 December to 3 January, is the quietest time for business travel and the busiest for shrines. Banks, offices and many independent restaurants shut; department stores and convenience stores stay open. Temple and shrine visits at midnight on 31 December draw huge crowds.

Japan's matsuri are local, so the best ones depend on where you already plan to be. Spring brings cherry-blossom viewing (hanami) in parks across the country, with Tokyo, Kyoto and Kanazawa the easiest bases. Summer is the season for fireworks (hanabi) and street dance festivals, especially in Tōhoku and Kyūshū. Autumn brings processions and harvest festivals, often with portable shrines carried through the streets.

In Tokyo, the Kanda and Sanja festivals draw large crowds in May. Kyoto's Gion Matsuri runs through July, with the Yamaboko Junkō parades on 17 and 24 July. In the north, Aomori's Nebuta and Akita's Kantō festivals in early August are among the most visual in the country. Sapporo's Snow Festival in early February is the winter counterpart.

Check local tourist association pages for exact dates each year, as many festivals follow the lunar calendar or a fixed weekend.

Banks, government offices, post offices and many clinics close. Some museums and galleries close on Mondays or the day after a holiday, so check before you go. Small family-run restaurants, bakeries and shops often shut for the day or take a short break around New Year and Obon.

Convenience stores, chain restaurants, department stores, most temples and shrines, and major tourist sights generally stay open. Trains and buses run a Sunday or holiday timetable, which can mean fewer services on rural lines.

If a holiday falls on a weekend, the substitute holiday on Monday keeps offices shut but does not usually change shop hours.

The cheapest and calmest weeks are mid-January to February, late May to June, and late September to early December, outside the three big travel windows. Cherry blossom and autumn colour are the most expensive and crowded seasons after Golden Week.

If your trip overlaps a holiday, pick one base and take day trips rather than moving hotels every night. Forward luggage between cities so you travel light on packed trains. Reserve seats on the Shinkansen and limited express trains, and buy tickets for popular museums and theme parks in advance.

For a first trip, the classic Tokyo–Hakone–Kyoto–Osaka route works in any season, but shift it a week either side of Golden Week if you can.

Public holidays do not change visa rules or entry requirements, but they can slow down embassy and immigration paperwork. Apply well before a holiday period if you need a visa.

Etiquette at shrines and festivals is simple: follow the queue, do not block the procession, and ask before photographing people. Festival food stalls take cash more often than cards.

If you drive during a holiday, expect toll roads and mountain passes to be busy, and book parking near popular sights. Travel insurance is worth having for festival-season trips, when delays and cancellations are more likely.