Japanese Holiday Calendar

Date: National holiday Date: Not national holiday

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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. *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: Showa Day (Showa-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: Greenery Day (Midori-no-hi)

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)

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