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New Year (shogatsu): This is the most important holiday in Japan. While only January 1 is designated as a national holiday, many businesses remain closed through January 3. New Year's Day marks the beginning of Japan's most important holiday season, the New Year season (正月, Shōgatsu), which generally refers to the first one, three or seven days of the year. Although not prescribed by law, many workplaces are closed from December 29 to January 3. Here’s a summary of the holiday schedule for the 2024–2025 (Reiwa 6–Reiwa 7) year-end and New Year period. We’ll also cover the closure dates for public offices, medical facilities, and post offices, as well as operational details for major public transportation systems in Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya. 6 The New Year's holiday in 2025 (Reiwa 7) will be 9 consecutive days off! If a holiday falls on a Sunday, The next weekday will be a holiday (substitute holiday) This is determined by law. This page contains a national calendar of all 2024 public holidays. These dates may be modified as official changes are announced, so please check back regularly for updates. Visit cao.go.jp for the original release. We explain the New Year's holiday from 2024 (Reiwa 6) to 2025 (Reiwa 7). We also introduce the New Year's holidays for government offices, banks, and post offices. We also introduce popular areas for New Year's holiday travel, as well as activities and experiences! Japan has 16 national holidays in a year. Learn about Japan's public holidays in 2025-2026 and their significance to avoid crowded places during your trip, and also to make use of days with free entry to museums and other free events. Japanese holiday calendar 2024. Check the list below for the exact public national and consecutive holidays in Japan in 2024: New Year’s Day – January 1; Coming of Age Day – January 8 (2nd Monday in January) Foundation Day – February 11 (observed on February 12) Emperor’s birthday – February 23; Vernal Equinox Day – March 20 Japan has 16 national holidays each year enjoyed by locals, such as New Year’s Day, Coming of Age Day, Emperor’s Birthday, Showa Day, Children’s Day and so on. You can spot colorful Koinobori (carp streamer) during the Golden Week. Japan observes 16 national holidays each year. In Japan, if a holiday falls on a Sunday, it is observed on the following weekday. According to the public holiday law, a day that falls between two national holidays is designated as a public holiday. Japan calendar. Japan Public Holidays 2025 This page contains a national calendar of all 2025 public holidays. These dates may be modified as official changes are announced, so please check back regularly for updates. The final three weekdays of the year are generally taken as holidays by companies and schools in Japan. January 2 and 3, too, as part of the sanganichi —the first three days of the New Year New Year's Eve: 31 December. Public holidays Public holiday; 1: Wednesday, 1 January 2025: Business days calculator in Japan Public holidays 2025 in The New Year holiday period, in Japanese oshogatsu (お正月), is the most important and heartfelt holiday of the year in Japan. Until 1873, the country followed the Chinese calendar, but since then it has adopted the Gregorian calendar and therefore celebrates the New Year on January 1. Overview of holidays and many observances in Japan during the year 2024. Sign in. News. News Home; New Year's Day: National Holiday: Jan 1: Monday: January 1 Bank While many nations in East Asia celebrate the Lunar New Year, Japan celebrates New Year’s Day on January 1 according to the Gregorian calendar. January 1 is the only official national holiday, but most companies will be off until the 4th. New Year’s Eve is called omisoka (大晦日), while New Year’s Day is shogatsu or oshogatsu (お New Year's Day - January 1. New Year's Day is the most important holiday in Japan, and it marks the beginning of a new year according to the Gregorian calendar. On this day, many people visit shrines or temples to pray for good luck and health in the new year. Established as a national holiday in 1948, New Year’s Day signifies the start of Japan’s New Year season. During the first week of the New Year, various traditional celebrations are observed, such as hatsumode (first visit to a temple or shrine for the New Year) and the Emperor’s New Year Greeting (held on January 2 nd ). In Japan, New Year's Day (known as Shōgatsu) is considered the most important holiday of the year. The holiday season officially starts from December 29th and lasts until January 3rd. But despite the date change, Japanese continued to keep older traditions in celebrating New Year’s Day on 1 January. These include the annual “white glove” cleaning of the family home, giving small sums of money in an envelope to kids, and visiting the first shrine of the year on anywhere from the first to the third of January.
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