List of Japanese Holidays and Celebrations

There are many holidays and festivals celebrated in the "Land of the Rising Sun" both some that are considered traditional in places around the world and some that are unique to Japan.

New Year's Day or "Shogatsu" is considered the most important national holiday in Japan and many businesses do not reopen after celebrating it until January 4.

Every year, on the second Monday of January, Japanese people celebrate the coming of age of those men and women who have turned 20 since the previous year.

Though Setsuban is not a national holiday, it is a celebration that takes place at many shrines and temples throughout Japan.

Japanese celebrate Kenkoku Kinenbi on February 11. This national holiday celebrates the anniversary of the day when the first emperor was crowned in 660 BC.

Though this holiday is not native to Japan and is not considered a national holiday, many Japanese women celebrate it by giving chocolates to men.

Hina Matsuri is celebrated every year by decorating your house with dolls. It is also known as the "girl's festival."

White day is celebrated as the opposite of Valentine's Day in Japan, where men take chocolates to women.

During the week of the spring equinox (ohigan), Japanese visit graves of their ancestors to celebrate shunbun no hi.

Showa Day is the first days of the "Golden Week" celebrated in Japan. It is the birthday of the former Emperor Showa. Before 2007 - this day was also known as "Greenery Day", but now that day has been moved to the first week of May.

Kenpo Kinenbi is a national holiday that was put into effect after WWII. The holiday was created to remember the new constitution. It is also part of the "Golden Week".

Originally celebrated on Emperor Showa's birthday because of his love of nature and plants. In 2007, Greenery was moved to May 4 and is now a later day in the "Golden Week."

As the last holiday of the "Golden Week", kodomo no hi is celebrated as a children's day or boy's day as March 3 is often celebrated for girls.

Tanabata is a day that celebrates the reunion of two stars, Vega and Altair that only meet on this day. Though it is not recognized as a national holiday - it is celebrated as a festival. 

From July 13-15 the Japanese throw a obon festivals all across the nation to celebrate and remember their ancestors who have passed on.

To celebrate the return of Emperor Meiji from a trip to Hakkaido in a boat in 1876, the Japanese have created a holiday to celebrate the ocean.

On the third monday of Septemeber, Japanese celebrate the longevity of the elderly on keiro no hi.

As in the week of the spring equinox earlier in the year, the Japanese go to celebrate the lives of their ancestors by visiting their graves during the week of the autumn equinox.

Taiiku no hi is celebrated every year to remember when that Olympic games were first opened in Tokyo in 1964.

Bunka no hi is a celebration to promote culture and the love the Japanese have for peace and freedom. On this day, awards are given to selected people for their acheivements in peace and culture by the government and shcools.

Shichigosan is a festival for children, though it is not celebrated as a national holiday.

Kinro Kansha no Hi is a Japanese national holiday that honors labor and those who labor.

When a Japanese man becomes emperor, his birday is celebrated as a national holiday for the whole of his reign. When a new emperor comes to the throne, the holiday will change to a new date. The current emperor's birthday falls on December 23.

Though Christmas is not a national holiday in Japan, it is becoming more and more popular as an increasing number of Japanese people begin to celebrate it.

Though Omisoka is not celebrated as a national holiday, it is noted to be the last day of the current year and marks the end of a journey.