January, Ichigatsu (Shogatsu)
January 1-3, New Year
This is the most important national holiday in Japan. New Year (shogatsu or oshogatsu) is the most important holiday in Japan. Most businesses shut down from January 1 to January 3, and families typically gather to spend the days together.

Years are traditionally viewed as completely separate, with each new year providing a fresh start. Consequently, all duties are supposed to be completed by the end of the year, while bonenkai parties ("year forgetting parties") are held with the purpose of leaving the old year's worries and troubles behind.

Second monday of January, Coming of Age (seiji no hi)
The coming of age of 20 year old men and women is celebrated. The Coming of Age festival is celebrated on the second Monday of January (it used to be celebrated always on January 15 until the year 1999). Its Japanese name is Seijin no hi. All young people who turn twenty years old in that year are celebrated on Seijin no hi. Twenty is the age considered as the beginning of adulthood. It is also the minimum legal age for voting, drinking, and smoking.

Celebrations are held nationwide in every town with most of the people turning 20 participating in formal dresses. Seijin no hi is a national holiday.

February, Nigatsu
February 3, Beginning of spring (setsubun)
Setsubun is not a national holiday. Setsubun ("seasonal division") is a festival held on February 3 or 4, one day before the start of spring according to the Japanese lunar calendar. Setsubun is not a national holiday.

For many centuries, the people of Japan have been performing rituals with the purpose of chasing away evil spirits at the start of spring.

Around the 13th century, for example, it became a custom to drive away evil spirits by the strong smell of burning dried sardine heads, the smoke of burning wood and the noise of drums. While this custom is not popular anymore, a few people still decorate their house entrances with fish heads and holy tree leaves in order to deter evil spirits from entering.

In modern days, the most commonly performed setsubun ritual is the throwing of roasted beans around one's house and at temples and shrines across the country. When throwing the beans, you are supposed to shout "Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!" ("Devils out, happiness in"). Afterwards you should pick up and eat the number of beans, which corresponds to your age.

February 11, National Foundation Day (kenkoku kinenbi)
According to the earliest Japanese history books, on this day in the year 660 BC the first Japanese emperor was crowned.

February 14, Valentine's Day
In Japan, women give chocolates to men on Valentine's Day. It is not a national holiday.

March, Sangatsu
March 3, Doll's Festival (hina matsuri)
Also called girl's festival. The Hina Matsuri or Doll Festival or Girl's Festival is celebrated on March 3. On this day, families with girls wish their daughters a successful and happy life. Dolls are displayed in the house together with peach blossoms. The doll festival has its origin in a Chinese custom in which bad fortune is transferred to dolls and then removed by abandoning the doll on a river. On Hina Matsuri, sweet sake is drunken and chirashi sushi is eaten.

March 14, White Day
The opposite of Valentine's Day: Men give cakes or chocolates to women. It is not a national holiday.

March 21, Spring Eqinox Day (shunbun no hi)
Graves are visited during the week (ohigan) of the Equinox Day. The day itself is a national holiday.

April, Shigatsu
April 29, Green Day (midori no hi)
Emperor Showa's birthday.

May, Gogatsu
May 3, Constitution Day (kenpo kinenbi)
National holiday remembering the new constitution that was put into effect after the war.

May 4, "Between Day" (kokumin no kyujitsu)
Recently created national holiday to make the Golden Week a continuous holiday.

May 5, Children's Day (kodomo no hi)
Also called boy's festival. Read more on the Golden Week page.

July, Shichigatsu
August, Hachigatsu
July/August 7, Star Festival (tanabata)
Tanabata is not a national holiday. Tanabata, also known as the "star festival", takes place on the 7th day of the 7th month of the year, when, according to a Chinese legend, the two stars Altair and Vega, which are usually separated from each other by the milky way, are able to meet.

Because the 7th month of the year roughly coincides with August rather than July according to the formerly used lunar calendar, Tanabata is still celebrated on August 7th in some regions of Japan, while it is celebrated on July 7th in other regions.

One popular Tanabata custom is to write one's wishes on a piece of paper, and hang that piece of paper on a specially erected bamboo tree, in the hope that the wishes become true.

Third monday of July, Ocean Day (umi no hi)
A recently introduced national holiday to celebrate the ocean. The day marks the return of Emperor Meiji from a boat trip to Hokkaido in 1876.

July/August 13-15, Obon
Obon is a festival to commemorate the deceased ancestors. Obon is an annual Buddhist event for commemorating one's ancestors. It is believed that each year during obon, the ancestors' spirits return to this world in order to visit their relatives.

Traditionally, lanterns are hang in front of houses to guide the ancestors' spirits, obon dances (bon odori) are performed, graves are visited and food offerings are made at house altars and temples.

At the end of Obon, floating lanterns are put into rivers, lakes and seas in order to guide the spirits back into their world. The customs followed vary strongly from region to region.

Obon is celebrated from the 13th to the 15th day of the 7th month of the year, which is July according to the solar calendar. However, since the 7th month of the year roughly coincides with August rather than July according to the formerly used lunar calendar, Obon is still celebrated in mid August in many regions of Japan, while it is celebrated in mid July in other regions.

The Obon week in mid August is one of Japan's three major holiday seasons, accompanied by intensive domestic and international travel activities and increased accommodation rates.

September, Kugatsu
Third monday of September, Respect for the Aged Day (keiro no hi)
Respect for the elderly and longlivity is celebrated on this national holiday.

September 23, Autum Equinox Day (shubun no hi)
Graves are visited during the week (ohigan) of the Equinox Day. The day itself is a national holiday.

October, Jugatsu
Second monday of October, Health and Sports Day (taiiku no hi)
On that day 1964, the Olympic games of Tokyo were opened.

November, Juichigatsu
November 3, Culture Day (bunka no hi)
A day for promotion of culture and the love for freedom and peace. On the culture day, schools and the government award certain persons for their special, cultural activities.

November 15, Seven-Five-Three (shichigosan)
A festival for children, it is not a national holiday. "Shichi Go San" means "Seven Five Three". Girls of age three and seven and boys of age three and five are celebrated on Shichigosan, and it is prayed for their good health and growth. Shichigosan takes place on November 15 and is not a national holiday. On November 15 or the closest weekend, the young people visit a Shinto Shrine dressed up in kimono.

Odd numbers are considered lucky numbers. Long candies in bags that are decorated with turtles and cranes are given to the children. The candy, the crane, and the turtle, all symbolize longlivity.

November 23, Labour Thanksgiving Day (kinro kansha no hi)
A national holiday for honoring labour.

December, Junigatsu (Gokugetsu)
December 23, Emperor's Birthday (tenno no tanjobi)
The birthday of the current emperor is always a national holiday. If the emperor changes, the national holiday changes to the birthday date of the new emperor.

December 24-25, Christmas
Christmas is not a national holiday, but it is celebrated by an increasing number of Japanese. Christmas was initially introduced to Japan with the arrival of the first Europeans in the 16th century. But only in recent decades has the event become widely popular in Japan, and this despite the fact that Christians make up only about two percent of the population.

While christmas is not a national holiday in Japan, more and more people are taking up traditions such as decorating their home, giving presents to friends and celebrating the event with a special meal.