Japan 2011 Public Holiday Dates

Japan have 15 official holidays in a year. However, due to their strong adherence to the tradition, there are many more traditional festive occasions celebrated throughout the country where businesses are closed.

Some Japanese festivals have their roots in Chinese festivals but have undergone dramatic changes as they mixed with local customs. Some Japanese festivals have deep roots in Nepal. The concept of these festivals transported to China from Nepal then from China to Japan. Nepal has some similar festival as in Japan till today like Machendra Jatra, Indra Jatra.

In Japan, if a national holiday falls on Sunday, the following day will be taken as the holiday instead. If a day lies between two national holidays, that day will also be a holiday. Take note also of Golden Week Holiday in May. It is best to avoid traveling to Japan during this period as Japanese domestic travel during that period will be very heavy.

Please note this Japanese public holidays 2011 dates here are not based on official announcement, but based on estimates only. We do not and cannot guarantee the accuracy. You should refer to official Japanese holiday once it is announced.

List of 2011 Public Holidays & Festivals in Japan

New Year’s Day (shogatsu)
This is the most important holiday in Japan. While only January 1 is designated as a Japan national holiday, many businesses remain closed through January 3. 2 January and 3 January are officially holidays for Japanese bank and government employees only. This national holiday was established in 1948, as a day to celebrate the new year.
Saturday, 1 January 2011 (national holiday)

Coming of Age (seijin no hi)
Cities and towns throughout the nation hold ceremonies to celebrate, congratulate, and encourage men and women who have reached the age of majority (20 years old) during the year.
Tuesday, 11 January 2011 (national holiday)

Beginning of spring (setsubun)
Setsubun is not a national holiday, but celebrated nationwide. As all traditional festivals, setsubun is celebrated at shrines and temples in many variations throughout the country. 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.
Thursday, 3 February 2011

National Foundation Day (kenkoku kinenbi)
According to the earliest Japanese history records, on this day in the year 660 BC the first Japanese emperor was crowned. This national holiday was established to nourish a love for the country and reflect on the establishment of the nation.
Friday, 11 February 2011 (national holiday)

Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day is a very widely celebrated day in Japan, but not a Japan public holiday. In Japan, women give chocolates to men on Valentine’s Day. These gifts of chocolate are divided into three types: giri choco (obligatory chocolate), honmei choco (chocolate for the man the woman is serious about) and tomo choco (chocolate for the woman’s female friends). Giri choco is given by women to their superiors at work as well as to other male co-workers. It is not unusual for a woman to buy 20 to 30 boxes of this type of chocolate for distribution around the office as well as to men that she has regular contact with. Tomo choco is a fairly recent development having appeared on the scene in the past few years.
Monday, 14 February 2011

Doll’s Festival (hinamatsuri)
Also called girl’s festival. Platforms covered with a red carpet are used to display a set of ornamental dolls representing the Emperor, Empress, attendants, and musicians in traditional court dress of the Heian period.
Thursday, 3 March 2011

White Day
The opposite of Valentine’s Day, men reply to women they like with such as gifts cookies, jewellery, white chocolate, white lingerie and marshmallows. Sometimes the term sanbai gaeshi (literally, “thrice the return”) is used to describe the generally recited rule that the return gift should be two to three times the cost of the Valentine’s gift. White day is not a national holiday.
Monday, 14 March 2011

Spring Eqinox Day (shunbun no hi)
Graves are visited and ancestors are worshipped during the week (ohigan) of the Vernal Equinox Day.
Tuesday, 22 March 20 (national holiday)

Showa Day (Showa no hi)
The birthday of former Emperor Showa. Before 2007, April 29 was known as Greenery Day (now celebrated on May 4). Due to the way the weekdays fall in 2011, Showa Day is an isolated holiday and not really part of Golden Week.
Friday, 29 April 2011 (national holiday)

Constitution Day (kenpo kinenbi)
A national holiday remembering the new constitution, which was put into effect after the war. Part of the Golden Week till 5 May.
Tuesday, 3 May 2011 (national holiday)

Greenery Day (midori no hi)
Until 2006, Greenery Day was celebrated on April 29, the former Emperor Showa’s birthday, due to the emperor’s love for plants and nature. It is now celebrated on May 4. This national holiday is celebrated as a day to commune with nature and be grateful for its blessings.
Wednesday, 4 May 2011 (national holiday)

Children’s Day (kodomo no hi)
Also called boy’s festival, this is a day on which to esteem the personalities of children and plan for their happiness
Thursday, 5 May 2011 (national holiday)

Star Festival (tanabata)
Tanabata celebrates the meeting of Orihime (Vega) and Hikoboshi (Altair). The Milky Way, a river made from stars that crosses the sky, separates these lovers, and they are allowed to meet only once a year on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month of the lunisolar calendar. The celebration is held at night, once the stars come out. Tanabata is a festival rather than a national holiday.
Thursday, 7 July 2011

Festival of Souls (Obon)
Obon is a festival to commemorate deceased ancestors. although this is not an official national holiday, many offices are closed.
Obon is celebrated in July in Eastern Japan (including Tokyo), while in Western Japan it’s in August.
Wednesday, 13 July 2011
Thursday, 14 July 2011
Friday, 15 July 2011

Ocean Day (umi no hi)
A recently introduced national holiday to celebrate and show gratitude for the blessings of the oceans and for hoping for the prosperity of the maritime nation that is Japan. The day marks the return of Emperor Meiji from a boat trip to Hokkaido in 1876.
Tuesday, 19 July 2011(national holiday)

Festival of Souls (Obon)
Obon is a festival to commemorate deceased ancestors. although this is not an official national holiday, many offices are closed.
Obon is celebrated in July in Eastern Japan (including Tokyo), while in Western Japan it’s in August.
Saturday, 13 August 2011
Sunday, 14 August 2011
Monday, 15 August 2011

Respect for the Aged Day (keiro no hi)
Respect for the elderly and long life are celebrated on this national holiday.
Tuesday, 20 September 2011 (national holiday)

Autum Equinox Day (shubun no hi)
Graves are visited to honor one’s ancestors and remember the dead during the week (ohigan) of the Equinox Day.
Friday, 23 September 2011 (national holiday)

Health and Sports Day (taiiku no hi)
On that day in 1964, the Olympic games of Tokyo were opened.
Tuesday, 11 October 2011 (national holiday)

Culture Day (bunka no hi)
A day for promotion of culture and the love of freedom and peace. On culture day, schools and the government award selected persons for their special, cultural achievements.
Thursday, 3 November 2011 (national holiday)

Seven-Five-Three (shichigosan)
A festival for children, Shichigosan is not a national holiday but a traditional festival.
Tuesday, 15 November 2011

Labour Thanksgiving Day (kinro kansha no hi)
A national holiday for honoring labour.
Wednesday, 23 November 2011 (national holiday)

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.
Friday, 23 December 2011 (national holiday)

Christmas Day
Christmas is not a national holiday, but it is celebrated by an increasing number of Japanese.
Saturday, 24 December 2011
Sunday, 25 December 2011

New Year’s Eve (omisoka)
December 31 is officially a holiday for bank and government employees only. But for many offices, 25th will be the last working day and workers will start work again only on 4th January of the subsequent year.
Saturday, 31 December 2011

Enjoy Japan Public Holidays 2011 ! Happy Japanese Holidays !

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