# Japan public holidays: what closes in Tokyo

Japan has 16 national holidays, fixed by law, plus two long breaks that are not official at all: Obon in August and the New Year week. For a visitor they matter in two ways: what is closed, and when trains and hotels fill up with people on holiday. This page explains how the holidays work, lists the dates for 2027, and tells you what to expect in Tokyo on the day.

## How Japan's holidays work

The national holidays are set by the Public Holiday Act. Some fall on fixed dates, such as Constitution Memorial Day on 3 May. Four move to a Monday: Coming of Age Day (second Monday of January), Marine Day (third Monday of July), Respect for the Aged Day (third Monday of September) and Sports Day (second Monday of October), which gives the year its regular three-day weekends. The spring and autumn equinox days are fixed each February for the following year, from the National Astronomical Observatory's calculation, and the Cabinet Office publishes the next year's full list at the same time.

Two rules add extra days off. When a holiday falls on a Sunday, the next weekday that is not a holiday becomes a substitute holiday (furikae kyujitsu). And a single weekday between two holidays becomes a day off too, which is why Golden Week sometimes runs straight through, and why a five-day Silver Week appears in some Septembers.

Some dates people expect are not holidays. Christmas, New Year's Eve and 2 and 3 January are working days by law, though most companies close from about 29 December to 3 January. Obon in mid-August is not a holiday either, but many businesses close for a few days around it. Since 2020 the Emperor's Birthday has been 23 February, so 23 December, a holiday until 2018, is now an ordinary day.

## Japan's national holidays in 2027

These are the national holidays and substitute holidays for 2027, as published by the [Cabinet Office](https://www8.cao.go.jp/chosei/shukujitsu/gaiyou.html) (page in Japanese). The rest of 2026 has two more: Culture Day on Tuesday 3 November and Labour Thanksgiving Day on Monday 23 November.

In 2027 the Monday holidays make five three-day weekends, in January, March, July, September and October. Golden Week falls neatly: Showa Day on a Thursday, then five days off in a row from Saturday 1 May to Wednesday 5 May. There is no Silver Week in 2027, and Mountain Day, Culture Day and Labour Thanksgiving Day fall midweek.

- 1 January (Friday): New Year's Day. 11 January (Monday): Coming of Age Day.
- 11 February (Thursday): National Foundation Day. 23 February (Tuesday): Emperor's Birthday.
- 21 March (Sunday): Vernal Equinox Day, with Monday 22 March as a substitute holiday.
- 29 April (Thursday): Showa Day. 3 to 5 May (Monday to Wednesday): Constitution Memorial Day, Greenery Day, Children's Day.
- 19 July (Monday): Marine Day. 11 August (Wednesday): Mountain Day.
- 20 September (Monday): Respect for the Aged Day. 23 September (Thursday): Autumnal Equinox Day. 11 October (Monday): Sports Day.
- 3 November (Wednesday): Culture Day. 23 November (Tuesday): Labour Thanksgiving Day.

- → [A year of events in Tokyo, month by month](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/tokyo-year.md)

## Golden Week, Obon and New Year: the three big breaks

Golden Week, from 29 April to 5 May, is the one time when most of Japan is off at once. Tokyo stays open, but long-distance trains, flights and hotels are at their busiest and most expensive of the spring, especially at the start and the end. In 2027 the main days off are 1 to 5 May.

Obon falls around 13 to 16 August, in 2027 from Friday to Monday, with Mountain Day on the Wednesday before. It is not an official holiday, but many companies close, people travel to their hometowns, and the Shinkansen and expressways have their summer peak. Tokyo itself gets a little quieter. Some Tokyo neighbourhoods keep Obon in July instead.

The New Year break runs from about 29 December to 3 January. Offices and government close, banks from 31 December to 3 January, many small restaurants and family-run shops close for a few days, and museums usually shut over the last days of December. Convenience stores, chain restaurants and shops in big stations stay open; department stores usually close on 1 January and reopen on the 2nd or 3rd with their New Year sales; and the big shrines are packed from midnight on New Year's Eve. The break runs from Tuesday 29 December 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027, and a year later from Wednesday 29 December to Monday 3 January.

- JR Central makes every Nozomi on the Tokaido Shinkansen all-reserved during these three breaks. Book seats as soon as they go on sale.
- Coming from abroad for New Year or Golden Week? Book flights and hotels months ahead; the cheap options go first.

- → [Golden Week in Tokyo](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/golden-week.md)
- → [Obon and bon odori in Tokyo](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/obon.md)
- → [New Year in Tokyo](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/new-year.md)

## What is open and closed on a national holiday

On an ordinary national holiday most of Tokyo runs like a Sunday. Department stores, shops, restaurants, attractions, parks and most museums are open, and often busier than usual. Trains and subways run on their weekend and holiday timetable, with fewer trains early in the morning. Banks, post office counters, ward offices and most clinics are closed, while ATMs in convenience stores keep working.

Museums that close on Mondays usually open on a holiday Monday and close on the next weekday instead. The [Tokyo National Museum](https://www.tnm.jp/?lang=en), for example, opens on holiday Mondays and closes the following day. If you plan a museum on the Tuesday after a long weekend, check its calendar first.

A few places close on every holiday. [Toyosu Market](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=%E8%B1%8A%E6%B4%B2%E5%B8%82%E5%A0%B4%20%E6%9D%B1%E4%BA%AC%E9%83%BD%E6%B1%9F%E6%9D%B1%E5%8C%BA%E8%B1%8A%E6%B4%B26-6-1) is shut on Sundays, national holidays and most Wednesdays, and its restaurants close with it, so check the [market calendar](https://www.shijou.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/calendar/) before an early start. If you need a doctor on a holiday, Tokyo's [Himawari medical information service](https://www.hokeniryo.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/iryo/iryo_hoken/medical_info_eng/himawari) tells you in English which clinics are open.

- On Culture Day, 3 November, the Tokyo National Museum's collection galleries have been free to enter in recent years.
- Tokyo Citizens' Day, 1 October, is no national holiday, but metropolitan gardens and Ueno Zoo have been free on it in recent years.

- → [Museums and big exhibitions in Tokyo](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/museums.md)
- → [Toyosu Market: tuna auction, sushi and visiting tips](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/toyosu-market.md)
- → [Tokyo National Museum: galleries, garden and when to go](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/tokyo-national-museum.md)

## Crowds and prices: planning around the holidays

Holidays move crowds more than they close things. Hotel prices in Tokyo rise for the Saturday nights of long weekends, for Golden Week and for New Year. Shinkansen reserved seats cost a few hundred yen more in peak seasons, and the popular trains sell out at the start and end of each break, so book the long-distance parts of your trip first.

Inside the city, a holiday Monday feels like a second Sunday: theme parks, Shibuya, Harajuku and the big shopping streets are crowded, while business districts such as Marunouchi and Otemachi go quiet. During Obon and the New Year week it works the other way round: many residents leave, and trains and streets are calmer than usual, apart from the shrines in the first days of January.

The quietest weeks for travel often come right after a big break, for example the week after Golden Week and mid-January. Many festivals, markets and concerts in Tokyo are timed for holidays and long weekends, so look at what is on for the exact days you are here.

- Travel a day before or after the peak days. Fares and crowds drop quickly once a break is over.
- Reserve restaurants for holiday evenings, and for Christmas Eve, which is a big date night in Japan.

- → [How to spend a weekend in Tokyo](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/weekend.md)
- → [Tokyo on a budget: free things to do](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/budget.md)
- → [This weekend in Tokyo](https://eventstokyo.com/en/this-weekend.md)
- → [This month in Tokyo](https://eventstokyo.com/en/this-month.md)

## Questions people ask

**What are the public holidays in Japan in 2027?**
There are 16 national holidays plus a substitute holiday on 22 March. They include New Year's Day, Coming of Age Day on 11 January, Golden Week from 29 April to 5 May, Mountain Day on 11 August and Culture Day on 3 November.

**Is Golden Week a bad time to visit Tokyo?**
Not for the city itself, which stays open and has many events. It is the most expensive and crowded time to travel around Japan, so book trains and hotels early.

**Is Obon a public holiday in Japan?**
No. Obon in mid-August is not an official holiday, but many companies close for a few days, and trains and expressways are at their summer peak.

**What is closed in Tokyo over New Year?**
Offices, banks and government counters close for the first days of January, along with many small restaurants, family-run shops and some museums. Convenience stores, chain restaurants and station shops stay open.

**Are shops and museums open on Japanese public holidays?**
Yes, most shops, department stores, attractions and museums open as usual. Museums closed on Mondays usually open on a holiday Monday and close the next day instead.

**When are the long weekends in Japan in 2027?**
Three-day weekends fall in mid-January, around 20 to 22 March, mid-July, mid-September and early October. Golden Week gives five days off in a row from 1 to 5 May.

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Tokyo Events: https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/japan-holidays