Japan public holidays 2026

All 18 national holidays in 2026, and what each does to crowds at Japan's major sights. 7 land on a Monday.

The calendar

Date	Holiday
Thu 1 Jan 2026	New Year's Day
Mon 12 Jan 2026	Coming of Age Day
Wed 11 Feb 2026	National Foundation Day
Mon 23 Feb 2026	Emperor's Birthday
Fri 20 Mar 2026	Vernal Equinox Day estimated
Wed 29 Apr 2026	Showa Day
Sun 3 May 2026	Constitution Memorial Day
Mon 4 May 2026	Greenery Day
Tue 5 May 2026	Children's Day
Wed 6 May 2026	Substitute holiday (for Constitution Memorial Day)
Mon 20 Jul 2026	Marine Day
Tue 11 Aug 2026	Mountain Day
Mon 21 Sep 2026	Respect for the Aged Day
Tue 22 Sep 2026	Citizens' Holiday
Wed 23 Sep 2026	Autumnal Equinox Day estimated
Mon 12 Oct 2026	Sports Day
Tue 3 Nov 2026	Culture Day
Mon 23 Nov 2026	Labor Thanksgiving Day

The travel windows that actually matter

These aren't single holidays — they're multi-day periods when the whole country travels at once. They move crowds far more than an isolated public holiday does.

Golden Week — Wed 29 Apr 2026 to Wed 6 May 2026. The single worst week of the year to visit a major sight. Domestic travel peaks and prices follow.
Obon — Thu 13 Aug 2026 to Sun 16 Aug 2026. Family-travel season. Transport books out and cities empty while resorts and hometowns fill.
New Year holidays — Mon 28 Dec 2026 to Mon 4 Jan 2027. Shrines are extremely busy for hatsumode in the first three days; much of the country shuts.

What this means for your trip

Every date above is folded into KANAGI's crowd forecast for all 70 landmarks it tracks. If you're picking dates, the landmark forecasts show exactly how much each holiday moves a specific place — and the city forecasts do the same at city level.

Common questions

How many public holidays does Japan have in 2026?

18, including substitute holidays. 7 fall on a Monday, creating three-day weekends, and 0 fall on a Saturday, which under Japanese law does not generate a substitute day off.

When is Golden Week 2026?

Wed 29 Apr 2026 to Wed 6 May 2026. It is the busiest domestic travel period of the year — expect major sights to be at their annual peak.

Do Japanese public holidays make tourist sights busier?

Substantially. A national holiday adds domestic visitors on top of the usual international ones, and a holiday adjacent to a weekend compounds it. KANAGI's forecasts fold every date on this page into the crowd score for all 70 landmarks it tracks.

Crowd alerts

One email a month: which dates are filling up, which are still quiet, and what's changed. No spam, unsubscribe in one click.

Other years: 2027 · 2028 · 2029 · 2030

A note on accuracy

Fixed-date and Happy-Monday holidays are exact — they follow statutory rules. The two equinox days are marked estimated: their dates are astronomically determined but only officially gazetted by the Cabinet Office about a year ahead, so anything beyond that is a computed projection rather than a confirmed date. Substitute holidays are derived from the rule that a Sunday holiday moves to the next day that isn't already one.