第 340課 : Holidays of Japan 国民 の祝日
Many people throughout the world look forward to holidays for time off work (
There are a few words in Japanese that translate to “holiday.”
休日 can be defined as a “day one has time off.” Depending on where you are in the English speaking world, you may describe this as “on holiday” or “on vacation,” but the point here is that休日 , simply speaking, is a day that businesses, organizations, schools, and/or individuals are off from their duties to do as they wish.祝日 , on the other hand, are nationally recognized public holidays that the government establishes to honor, commemorate, or celebrate something. Consequently, these days are frequently休日 for many people.祭日 may either refer to days when temples carry out festivals or days when the imperial court performs a ceremony. Prior to World War II, such Shinto related festivals were treated as “holidays” with this designation.祝祭日 is a term meant to refer to both祝日 and祭日 .
The holidays recognized in Modern Japan were established in 1948 via the law entitled
The first provision of the Law Regarding National Holidays is as follows:
Article I: The citizens of Japan, who ceaselessly seek freedom and peace, in order to build an evermore prosperous livelihood and a greater society while instilling beautiful customs, gather here as citizens to celebrate, give thanks, and commemorate these days which are to be named “Holidays of the People.”
The second article then lists the holidays recognized under Japanese law, establishes their dates, and gives the reason for why it is a national public holiday. This law has been amended whenever holidays have either been altered, added, or removed. Next, we will be looking at these holidays individually.
Current Japanese Holidays 現在 の祝日
The second article then lists the holidays recognized under Japanese law, establishes their dates, and gives the reason for why it is a national public holiday. This law has been amended whenever holidays have either been altered, added, or removed. Next, we will be looking at these holidays individually.
| | | |
| New Year’s Day | January 1st | |
| | Coming of Age Day | Second Monday of January |
| | National Foundation Day | February 11th |
| | The Emperor’s Birthday | February 23rd |
| | Vernal Equinox Day | ~March 20th |
| | Showa Day | April 29th |
| | Constitution Memorial Day | May 3rd |
| みどりの | Greenery Day | May 4th |
| こどもの | Children’s Day | May 5th |
| | Marine Day | Third Monday of July |
| | Mountain Day | August 11th |
| | Respect for the Aged Day | Third Monday of September |
| | Autumnal Equinox | ~September 23rd |
| スポーツの | Sports Day | Second Monday of October |
| | Culture Day | November 3rd |
| | Labor Thanksgiving Day | November 23rd |
※Below each holiday’s significance is discussed. Each explanation starts with the corresponding part of Article II of the Law Regarding National Holidays which formally establishes it.
New Year’s Day
Article II: To celebrate the start of the year.
Colloquially also known as
There are so many foods traditionally eaten during New Year celebration. These foods are referred to as お
The making of mochi is a common tradition at this time
At midnight, Buddhist temples ring their bells a total of 108 times, and the bell itself is known as (
For the first day of the New Year, people go out and do things for the first time. One of the most important duties is one’s first visit to the shrine (
New Year’s is also when people send out postcards called
When meeting people right before New Year’s, people greet by saying よいお
Coming of Age Day
Article II: To congratulate and encourage the youth for becoming self-aware of their adulthood and to live out their lives.
The age of maturity in Japanese culture is 20. Although the voting age has since been changed to 18 in recent years, 20 is still considered when one truly becomes an adult. On this day each year, the second Monday of January, coming-of-age ceremonies (
Such coming-of-age ceremonies have been celebrated in Japan since antiquity, and in the past, transitioning into adulthood also coincided with change in dress, which was called
In modern society, due to Japan’s low birth rate and subsequently shrinking percentage of young people, the number of attendees each year has been on a steady decline. Nonetheless, it still remains a federally recognized holiday.
National Foundation Day
Article II: To remember the founding of the nation and foster a heart which loves the nation.
This holiday was established in 1966 AD and first held in 1967 AD as a day to reflect on the establishment of the nation to nurture love for the country (
The Emperor’s Birthday
Article II: To celebrate the Emperor’s birthday.
The Emperor’s Birthday celebrates the birthday of the reigning Emperor. When Emperor Naruhito ascended the throne in 2019 AD, this date moved accordingly to his birthday, which is on February 23rd. This tradition can be traced back to a similar festival from ancient China known as
Vernal Equinox Day
Article II: To extol nature and to be compassionate to living things.
This public holiday commemorates the vernal equinox. Although the date is usually March 20th or March 21st, the exact date cannot be determined until the February of the previous year due to the necessity of astronomical calculations.
Like most modern holidays, it became an official holiday in 1948 AD in modern Japan. Prior to that year, the vernal equinox was honored in Shintoism with what is known as the
Nowadays, it is part of a seven-day period known as
Shōwa Day
Article II: To look back over the Shōwa Era which underwent turbulent days and the achievement of restoration as well as to think about the country’s future.
April 29th first started out as celebrating the birth of Emperor Hirohito (Emperor Shōwa), who passed away in 1989 AD. To commemorate his life and his era, it became a national holiday to reflect on the events of the Shōwa Era. However, from 1989 AD to 2007 AD, this holiday was actually known as Greenery Day (みどりの
Constitution Memorial Day
Article II: To commemorate the execution of the Constitution of Japan and hope for the nation’s growth.
May 3rd marks when the postwar constitution of modern Japan took effect. This day is meant to reflect the important of democracy in Japanese government. Each year, the National Diet building (
Greenery Day みどりの
Article II: To be intimate with nature while also giving thanks to its blessings and cultivate a relaxed mind.
This holiday was once the same as Shōwa Day, being held on April 29th. However, in 2007 AD, ‘Greenery Day’ was moved to May 4th, which up to that point had just been a
Children’s Day こどもの
Article II: To honor the character of children while also planning for their happiness as well as thanking their mothers.
This holiday was established in 1948 AD as a day to honor children and plan for their auspicious futures. It has its origin in the
Marine Day
Article II: To give thanks to the sea’s bounty while hoping for the prosperity of Japan as a maritime nation.
First held in 1996 AD but established in 1995 AD, this holiday is celebrated on the third Monday to give citizens an opportunity to show their gratitude to the oceans and hoping for the continued prosperity of Japan. Because of its ideal timing in midsummer, many families take this holiday as an opportunity to go to the beach.
It was once known as Marine Memorial Day (
Mountain Day
Article II: To gain the opportunity to be intimate with the mountains and give thanks to their bounties.
This holiday was first held in 2016 AD but established in 2014 AD as a day for citizens to appreciate Japan’s mountains. This holiday incidentally coincides with vacation time intended for the Bon Festival (お
Respect for the Aged Day
Article II: To live and respect our elders who have devoted themselves to society over many years and celebrate their longevity.
Established in 1966 AD, on this day, people return home to visit and pay respect to their elders. The Japanese government has given out silver sake cups to those who reach the age of 100 (
Autumnal Equinox Day
Article II: To revere one’s ancestors and remember those who have passed.
This public holiday commemorates the autumnal equinox. Although the date is usually September 22nd or September 23rd, the exact date cannot be determined until the February of the previous year due to the necessity of astronomical calculations.
Like most modern holidays, it became an official holiday in 1948 AD in modern Japan. Prior to that year, the vernal equinox was honored in Shintoism with what is known as the
Nowadays, it is part of a seven-day period known as
Sports Day スポーツの
Article II: While enjoying sports and cultivating a spirit of respecting others, to hope for the realization of a healthy and society full of vitality.
Established in 1966 AD under the name
Culture Day
Article II: To love freedom and peace and promote culture.
This day is set aside to promote culture, the arts, and academics. It was established in 1948 AD. November 3rd up to that point coincided with a former national holiday known as
Labor Thanksgiving Day
Article II: To value labor, celebrate productivity, and for citizens to thank each other.
This national holiday was established in 1948 AD to honor everyone’s labor and to give thanks to one another. Prior to this establishment, November 23rd had been associated with the imperial harvest festival known as
One of the most famous events this day is the Nagano Ebisuko Fireworks Festival （
Golden Week ゴールデンウィーク
Often see abbreviated as GW and also known as
※The direct translation of
There are two provisions of Article III to the Law Regarding National Holidays which enable Golden Week to at least be a week long. Here is Article III in its entirety.
２ 「
３ その
2: When a “national holiday” falls on a Sunday, the next closest day to it that isn’t a “national holiday” shall be a citizen’s holiday.
3: A day in which the prior day and day after is a ‘national holiday’ is to be a citizen’s holiday–limited to days that are not already a ‘national holiday.’
The implications of these provisions are quintessential to ensuring that Golden Week is actually a week in duration. First, ‘citizen holiday‘ is the English translation for the Japanese term
Next, the clause which states that the next closest day to a national holiday following on a Sunday establishes holidays known as
Then, the last clause to Article III establishes even more ‘citizen holidays’ by recognizing any day sandwiched in between national holidays as a holiday. This clause was enacted in 1988 AD, but its implementation is actually rather rare. Although it had ensured that May 4th was a holiday for Golden Week, this clause became void once May 4th was established as a proper national holiday when the date for Greenery Day was changed to that time. Every so often, though, a citizen’s day will emerge when Respect for the Aged Day and the Autumnal Equinox Day align just right.
The economic impact of Golden Week is immense. Many Japanese citizens use this week to go traveling, and although many choose to travel internationally, local travel increases several fold during this time. Nonetheless, there are many cons that have arisen. Aside from the obvious traffic issues that emerge when people try returning home, many people suffer from lost productivity upon returning to work. This has led to the coining of the phrase
Happy Monday System ハッピーマンデー制度
As could be gleamed from the descriptions of each holiday, several holidays which did not particularly fall on a Monday were moved to Monday through a set of modifications to Japanese law from 1998-2001. The goal of this was to create more three-day weekends to benefit people who have a five-day work week. The holidays affected by this policy are as follows:
- Coming of Age Day (since 2000 AD)
- Marine Day (since 2003 AD)
- Respect for the Aged Day (since 2003 AD)
- Sports Day (since 2000 AD)
International Holidays 国際 の祝祭日
The general knowledge of international holidays among the Japanese populace is limited to very well-known holidays or festival-like events. Many that come to mind include Easter (イースター), Christmas (クリスマス), Halloween (ハロウィーン), Hanukah (ハヌカー), etc. However, it must be noted that because Japanese law doesn’t recognize any religiously significant day as a holiday, international holidays with religious ties are also not treated as national holidays. So, whether you get Christmas off or not from your company while working in Japan will be left to management’s discretion.
Putting legality aside, translations (transliterations at best in most instances) do exist for international holidays. So, if you are working for a Japanese company stationed in a foreign country (foreign referring to not residing in the domestic territory of Japan), you will likely have company provided calendars with both the holidays of Japan and of the host country listed.
In Conclusion… 最後 に…
This lesson has introduced you to all of the formally recognized national holidays of Japan. In doing so, you were also introduced to prior terminology for holidays which had existed since antiquity.
As religiosity has been stripped from the concept of “holiday” in Modern Japan, knowing when the famous matsuri festivals occur along with any other event (
For instance, although New Year’s Eve (