Japan public holidays 2027

All 17 national holidays in 2027, and what each does to crowds at Japan's major sights. 6 land on a Monday.

The calendar

Date	Holiday
Fri 1 Jan 2027	New Year's Day
Mon 11 Jan 2027	Coming of Age Day
Thu 11 Feb 2027	National Foundation Day
Tue 23 Feb 2027	Emperor's Birthday
Sun 21 Mar 2027	Vernal Equinox Day estimated
Mon 22 Mar 2027	Substitute holiday (for Vernal Equinox Day)
Thu 29 Apr 2027	Showa Day
Mon 3 May 2027	Constitution Memorial Day
Tue 4 May 2027	Greenery Day
Wed 5 May 2027	Children's Day
Mon 19 Jul 2027	Marine Day
Wed 11 Aug 2027	Mountain Day
Mon 20 Sep 2027	Respect for the Aged Day
Thu 23 Sep 2027	Autumnal Equinox Day estimated
Mon 11 Oct 2027	Sports Day
Wed 3 Nov 2027	Culture Day
Tue 23 Nov 2027	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 — Thu 29 Apr 2027 to Wed 5 May 2027. The single worst week of the year to visit a major sight. Domestic travel peaks and prices follow.
Obon — Fri 13 Aug 2027 to Mon 16 Aug 2027. Family-travel season. Transport books out and cities empty while resorts and hometowns fill.
New Year holidays — Tue 28 Dec 2027 to Tue 4 Jan 2028. 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 2027?

17, including substitute holidays. 6 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 2027?

Thu 29 Apr 2027 to Wed 5 May 2027. 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

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Other years: 2026 · 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.