2027 年日本國定假日：完整清單、連假與旅客人潮行事曆

Japan public holidays 2027 add up to 17 days off: 16 national holidays plus one substitute holiday on Monday 22 March, according to the Cabinet Office list. The days that matter most for travellers are Golden Week (Saturday 1 to Wednesday 5 May), Obon in mid-August, the New Year break, and seven long weekends of three days or more, when trains and hotels fill fast.

Below: the official list, every long weekend, Golden Week day by day, New Year closures, school holidays, the overseas holidays that also crowd Japan, and a month-by-month booking calendar.

Japan public holidays 2027: what is the full official list?

另外， Cabinet Office (内閣府) national holiday page lists these dates for 2027 (Reiwa 9); we matched each to its weekday. On these days banks, government offices and most companies close, while shops, restaurants and attractions mostly stay open.

日期（2027）	日程	假日	日文版	Travel note
1 January	Friday	元旦	元日	3-day weekend
11 January	Monday	成人之日	成人の日	3-day weekend
11 February	Thursday	建國紀念日	建国記念の日	Snow Festival ends
23 February	週二	天皇誕辰	天皇誕生日	Bridge day: Mon 22 Feb
21 March	週日	春分之日	春分の日	週日
22 March	Monday	Substitute holiday	休日 (振替休日)	3-day weekend
29 April	Thursday	Showa Day	昭和の日	Golden Week starts
3 May	Monday	憲法紀念日	憲法記念日	黃金週
4 May	週二	綠之日	みどりの日	黃金週
5 月 5 日	Wednesday	兒童節	こどもの日	黃金週
19 July	Monday	海之日	海の日	3-day weekend
11 August	Wednesday	山之日	山の日	Just before Obon
20 September	Monday	敬老之日	敬老の日	3-day weekend
23 September	Thursday	秋分之日	秋分の日	No Silver Week in 2027
11 October	Monday	體育之日	スポーツの日	3-day weekend
3 November	Wednesday	文化之日	文化の日	Mid-week
23 November	週二	勤勞感謝日	勤労感謝の日	Bridge day: Mon 22 Nov

Two things are not on the list. Christmas Day (25 December) is a normal working day in Japan. And there is no “sandwich” holiday (国民の休日) in 2027: the rule that turns a weekday between two holidays into a day off only applies when there is exactly one day between them, and in September 2027 there are two (21 and 22 September).

How do substitute holidays work in Japan?

Under Article 3 of the National Holidays Act, when a national holiday falls on a Sunday, the next non-holiday day becomes a day off. In 2027 that happens once: Vernal Equinox Day is Sunday 21 March, so Monday 22 March is off. A Saturday holiday does not move.

Equinox days aren’t fixed in law: the National Astronomical Observatory publishes them each February for the following year, so the 2028 dates will appear in February 2027.

Japan public holidays 2027 long weekends: which dates to plan around?

Long weekends are when domestic travel spikes: Shinkansen trains, onsen towns and theme parks fill up. Here are all the 3-day-plus breaks in 2027, plus the bridge days locals take off to stretch them.

Dates (2027)	長度	假日	How busy?	Bridge-day option
Fri 1 – Sun 3 Jan	3 days	New Year	Very busy	—
Sat 9 – Mon 11 Jan	3 days	成人之日	Busy	—
Sat 20 – Mon 22 Mar	3 days	Vernal Equinox + substitute	Busy; school holidays	—
Sat 1 – Wed 5 May	5 days	黃金週	Peak of the year	Thu 29 Apr + Fri 30 Apr = 7 days
Sat 17 – Mon 19 Jul	3 days	海之日	Busy	—
Fri 13 – Mon 16 Aug	4 days (custom)	Obon (not official)	Peak	Thu 12 Aug = 6 days, 11–16 Aug
Sat 18 – Mon 20 Sep	3 days	敬老之日	Busy; after Chuseok	Tue 21 + Wed 22 = 6 days to Thu 23
Sat 9 – Mon 11 Oct	3 days	體育之日	Busy; Korea also off	—
Wed 29 Dec 2027 – Mon 3 Jan 2028	6 days	Year-end and New Year	Peak	—

Mid-week holidays create mini-peaks too: 11 February (Thursday), 23 February and 23 November (both Tuesdays) are each one leave day away from a 4-day weekend.

Museum tip: many museums close on Mondays but open on holiday Mondays and close the next weekday instead. That is the rule at the 東京國立博物館, so expect closed Tuesdays after holiday Mondays.

Golden Week 2027 day by day: when is it busiest?

Golden Week is the busiest travel week in Japan, and the biggest date on the Japan public holidays 2027 calendar. In 2027 the official holidays are Thursday 29 April and Monday 3 to Wednesday 5 May, with a normal working Friday in between. That makes the core block Saturday 1 to Wednesday 5 May.

日期	狀態	預期狀況
Wed 28 Apr	Working day	Evening departures for people taking the whole week
Thu 29 Apr	Showa Day (holiday)	First wave of travel and day trips
Fri 30 Apr	Working day	Banks and offices open; many people take leave
Sat 1 May	週末	Likely the main outbound day
Sun 2 May	週末	Resorts, theme parks and sights crowded
5 月 3 日（一）	憲法紀念日	Crowded; Monday-closing museums generally open
5 月 4 日（二）	綠之日	Crowded; return trips begin
5 月 5 日（三）	兒童節	Main return day: trains and highways packed
Thu 6 May	Working day	Crowds drop sharply

If your trip overlaps, book Shinkansen seats the minute they go on sale (see below), and avoid long-distance travel on 1 May and 5 May. Popular day-trip areas such as Kyoto, Hakone and Nikko get very crowded.

The quiet window starts on Thursday 6 May: from then until the rainy season, there are no national holidays and no school breaks.

Is Obon a public holiday in Japan in 2027?

No. Obon, when families honour their ancestors, is not on the Cabinet Office list, but many companies close for it. Most of Japan observes it around 13 to 16 August, which in 2027 runs from Friday to Monday.

Add Mountain Day on Wednesday 11 August and a single leave day on Thursday 12 August, and many workers get six days off in a row (11 to 16 August). Banks and offices open on the non-holiday weekdays; shops and attractions stay open, though some small family-run places close.

• Trains: Shinkansen out of Tokyo and Osaka are fullest at the start of the break and on the last day or two. In 2026 JR Central made all Nozomi cars reserved-only from 7 to 16 August.
• Festivals: Obon is festival season. Kyoto’s Gozan no Okuribi bonfires are lit on 16 August every year, from 20:00, to send the ancestors’ spirits back. Tokushima’s 阿波舞 is in the same week.

Summer events: 2027日本煙火行事曆 與 日本祭典行事曆.

What closes over New Year in Japan (年末年始)?

New Year (oshogatsu) is the only time of year when a lot genuinely shuts. Only 1 January is a national holiday, but other laws close offices and banks for longer.

活動	Usual closure	2026–27	2027–28
Government offices	29 Dec – 3 Jan	Tue 29 Dec – Sun 3 Jan; reopen Mon 4 Jan	Wed 29 Dec – Mon 3 Jan; reopen Tue 4 Jan
Bank counters	31 Dec – 3 Jan	Last day Wed 30 Dec; reopen Mon 4 Jan	Last day Thu 30 Dec; reopen Tue 4 Jan
Bank ATMs	Mostly open, holiday hours	Varies by bank	Varies by bank
Big museums	Late Dec, often to 1 Jan	Tokyo National Museum closed 26–31 Dec; open 1 Jan, 12:00–20:00	Not yet announced
百貨公司	New Year sales usually from 2 Jan	Not yet announced	Not yet announced

Government offices close 29 December to 3 January under the Act on Holidays of Administrative Organs, and banks close 31 December to 3 January under Article 5 of the Banking Act Enforcement Order (both quoted in this 2026–27 summary 與 Business Insider Japan’s bank-hours round-up). ATMs mostly run on Sunday or holiday hours, but services vary: in 2025–26, Japan Post Bank ran only holiday-service ATMs from 31 December to 4 January. Carry some cash before 31 December if you rely on a specific card.

The Tokyo National Museum is closed 26 to 31 December 2026 but opens on New Year’s Day 2027 from 12:00 to 20:00. The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, closed from 28 December 2025 to 1 January 2026 and reopened on 2 January. See our Tokyo museum guide.

Shops are a different story: New Year is sale season. In 2026, Isetan Shinjuku, Nihombashi Mitsukoshi and LUMINE Shinjuku began their New Year sales on 2 January, while Tokyo Solamachi opened on 1 January, according to Time Out Tokyo. Convenience stores, big stations, chain restaurants and major shrines stay open; small independent restaurants are the likeliest to close for days.

For hatsumode shrine visits, countdowns and what to do in the first days of January, read 2027東京新年.

When are Japanese school holidays in 2027?

Japan has no single national school calendar: each prefecture or city board of education sets its own. The periods below are approximate and vary by region and school, but they show when families add to the crowds, especially at theme parks, aquariums and resorts.

Break	Approximate period	Example: Kyoto prefectural schools (rule)	Crowd effect
Spring (end of school year + start of new year)	Late March to early April	21–31 March and 1–7 April	Overlaps cherry blossom season; theme parks very busy
夏季	Late July to late August	21 July – 31 August	Theme parks, beaches, aquariums busy for six weeks
冬季	Late December to early January	21 December – 7 January	Ski resorts and family hotels busy

The Kyoto dates come from the Kyoto prefectural school regulations (high schools; junior high dates differ slightly). Other areas shift these by a few days. Weekdays in late July and August are far busier at family attractions than in June. See our Japan with kids guide.

One local extra: 1 October is Tokyo Citizens’ Day (都民の日). Not a national holiday, but on 1 October 2025 Tokyo waived admission at Ueno Zoo, Rikugien and the Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum, according to its 新聞稿. In 2027 it falls on a Friday; the 2027 list isn’t out yet.

Which overseas holidays crowd Japan in 2027?

The Japan public holidays 2027 list is only half the picture. Holidays in China, Korea and the rest of Asia send big waves of visitors to Japan too. These are the 2027 dates we could verify.

假日	2027 dates	Effect in Japan
Lunar New Year	Sat 6 Feb (Singapore holiday 6–8 Feb; Korea’s Seollal 6–9 Feb incl. substitute)	Cities and Hokkaido busy; clashes with the Sapporo Snow Festival (4–11 Feb)
Easter	Good Friday 26 Mar; Easter Sunday 28 Mar	Western visitors at peak sakura
Korean Chuseok	Tue 14 – Thu 16 Sep (Chuseok itself Wed 15 Sep)	Fukuoka, Osaka, Tokyo busy; runs into Japan’s 18–20 Sep weekend
Korean substitute holidays	Mon 16 Aug, Mon 4 Oct, Mon 11 Oct	16 Aug overlaps Obon; 11 Oct overlaps Japan’s Sports Day
China National Day	From Fri 1 Oct (2027 schedule not yet published)	Busy early October

Sources: the Lunar New Year date and Good Friday are from Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower 2027 list; the Korean dates are from the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute’s 2027 calendar. Mainland China’s dates are set each year by the State Council. The 2026 schedule was published on 4 November 2025, with nine days off for Spring Festival and seven for National Day (1–7 October), so expect the 2027 version in early November 2026.

The February clash is worth flagging. The Sapporo Snow Festival 2027 runs from Thursday 4 to Thursday 11 February (per the 官方網站), which overlaps Lunar New Year and ends on Japan’s National Foundation Day. Book Sapporo for that week as early as possible, and Hokkaido ski resorts too (see our ski season dates).

How far ahead should you book trains and hotels for Japanese holidays?

Reserved seats on JR trains, including the Shinkansen, go on sale at 10:00 one month before the travel date, according to JR 東海. Its example: seats for a 1 April train go on sale on 1 March at 10:00. For Golden Week, that means 1 April 2027 for a 1 May departure.

• Advance applications: JR East’s Eki-net and JR West’s e5489 accept requests from 5:30 one week before the sales date, and process them when sales open. It’s not a guarantee (see the JR Group page).
• EX reservation (Tokaido, Sanyo, Kyushu Shinkansen): no advance-request system. You can book up to a year ahead, but the train and seat are only confirmed one month before travel.
• Nozomi becomes all-reserved at peaks: during busy periods JR Central turns the unreserved cars on every Tokyo–Hakata Nozomi into reserved cars. Remaining FY2026 periods: 21–23 Nov 2026, 25 Dec 2026–5 Jan 2027, 9–11 Jan 2027 and 20–22 Mar 2027 (JR 東海). Hikari and Kodama keep their unreserved cars. The 2027–28 periods had not been announced when we checked.
• Fares: some JR fares change in 2027; see our Shinkansen fare increase 2027 guide, and check whether the JR Pass is worth it for your route.

Hotels have no fixed sales date. For Golden Week, Obon, New Year, the cherry blossom weeks and Lunar New Year in Hokkaido, book as soon as your dates are firm and choose a free-cancellation rate. Many ryokan also charge their highest rate on the night before a holiday (kyuzenjitsu), so a Sunday night before a holiday Monday can cost as much as a Saturday. See our 日式旅館指南.

Japan public holidays 2027 crowd calendar: month by month

When to book early and when Japan is quiet. This combines the Japan public holidays 2027 list with school holidays, overseas peaks and the weather. For seasons and weather in more depth, see 日本旅遊最佳季節.

Month (2027)	What’s on	Book early or quiet?
1 月	New Year 1–3 Jan; long weekend 9–11 Jan	Book early for both; late January is very quiet
2 月	Snow Festival 4–11 Feb; Lunar New Year 6 Feb; holidays 11, 23 Feb	Book Hokkaido very early; cities busy 6–14 Feb
3 月	Long weekend 20–22 Mar; Easter 26–29 Mar; school holidays; first sakura	Book early from mid-March (cherry blossom forecast 2027)
4 月	Sakura moves north; Showa Day 29 Apr	Busy to mid-April; Golden Week seats on sale from 29 Mar
May	Golden Week 1–5 May	Peak to 5 May; quiet from 6 May
June	Rainy season (Kanto normal start: 7 June)	Quiet; no national holidays
July	Long weekend 17–19 Jul; 祇園祭; school holidays from about 21 Jul	Book Kyoto mid-July early; family sights busy late July
August	Mountain Day 11 Aug; Obon 13–16 Aug; festivals	Book early for 11–16 Aug
September	Chuseok 14–16 Sep; holidays 20, 23 Sep	Busy 14–23 Sep; early September quieter
10 月	China National Day from 1 Oct; long weekend 9–11 Oct	Busy first half; calmer late October
11 月	Holidays 3, 23 Nov; autumn leaves	Book Kyoto weekends early (autumn leaves calendar)
12 月	Illuminations; year-end break from 29 Dec	Early December quiet; book 26 Dec–3 Jan early

Rainy-season dates are long-term normals from the 日本氣象廳; in 2026 Kanto’s ran from 7 June to 20 July.

Japan public holidays 2027 FAQ

資料來源與查核方式

All Japan public holidays 2027 dates and rules here were checked on 24 October 2026 against the linked official sources: the Cabinet Office holiday list, JR Central and the JR Group, the Japan Meteorological Agency, museum and government websites, and the official 2027 holiday calendars of Singapore and South Korea.