Japanese Holidays
Here’s a list of Japanese Holidays from the months of January to December. I know, I know we’ve missed January and February but there are still 10 months ahead so this is not too late still :)
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1 January
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# 1: New Year’s Day (Gantan) - The most important national holiday in Japan.
# 2nd Monday: Coming of Age Day (Seijin-no-hi) - People who are 20 years old celebrate becoming adults.
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2 February
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# 3: Setsubun (The Bean Throwing Festival) - A Japanese tradition of chasing away evil spirits.
# 11: National Foundation Day (Kenkoku Kinenbi)
# 14: Valentine’s Day - It’s typical for Japanese women to give chocolates to men on this day. *Chocolate and Japanese Valentine’s Day
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3 March
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(*Japanese School Year ends in March.)
# 3: Japanese Girl’s Day (Hina Matsuri)
# 14: White Day - Japanese men give candies to women.
# 20 or 21: Spring Equinox Day (Shunbun-no-hi)
# Cherry Blossom season in Japan.
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4 April
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(*Japanese School Year begins in April.)
# 29: Greenery Day (Midori-no-hi) - This day is the former Emperor Showa’s birthday.*Beginning of Golden Week*
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5 May
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# 3: Constitution Memorial Day (Kenpo Kinenbi)
# 4: Citizen’s Holiday (Kokumin-no-kyujitsu)
# 5: Children’s Day (Kodomono-hi) - Japanese Boy’s festival.
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6 June
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# No National Holidays in June.
# Rainy season in Japan.
# Japanese wedding season.
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7 July
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# 7: Star Festival (Tanabata)
# 3 Monday: Ocean Day (Umi-no-hi)
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8 August
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# 13-16: Bon Festival - An important Japanese tradition to honor ancestors. Most Japanese people take summer vacation during this time.
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9 September
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# 3rd Monday: Respect for the Aged Day (Keirou-no-hi)
# 23: Autumn Equinox Day (Shubun-no-hi)
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10 October
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# 2nd Monday: Sports Day (Taiiku-no-hi)
# Fall Foliage Season
# Halloween in Japan
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11 November
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# 3rd: Culture Day (Bunka-no-hi)
# 15: Shichi-go-san - Around this day, people wish for the healthy growth of 7 (shichi) year-old girls, 5 (go) year-old boys, and 3 (san) year-old girls at shrines. About Japanese Autumn Holidays
# 23: Labor Thanksgiving Day (Kinro-kansha-no-hi)
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12 December
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# 23: The Emperor’s Birthday (Tennou-tanjoubi)- The current Heisei emperor’s birthday.
# 25: Christmas
*See Christmas in Japan and Christmas in Tokyo.
# 31: New Year’s Eve (Oomisoka)
The list is courtesy of Go-Japan from About.com.
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