Seasons & holidays
Holidays and closures
Three periods change everything: New Year, Golden Week and Obon. Book early and check opening days.
What to know
- New Year (late December to early January): Many businesses close for several days. Government offices and public facilities such as city halls and libraries typically close from December 29 to January 3.
- Golden Week (late April to early May): A cluster of national holidays on April 29 and May 3, 4 and 5. Expect crowds and fully booked transport.
- Obon (mid-August): A family holiday when many people travel to their hometowns. Mountain Day, August 11, falls in this period. There's no single official closure, and businesses set their own dates.
- During peak periods, some services become reservation-only. Check the operator's website before you go.
- Normal hours: city shops typically open 10:00–20:00 every day. Rural shops close earlier, sometimes by 18:00. Offices run weekdays 9:00–17:00.
- Convenience stores, some chain restaurants and some discount stores stay open 24 hours, including national holidays. Over New Year, they're your fallback for meals.
- Trains generally run from about 5:00 to midnight. Weekday rush hours are roughly 7:30–9:00 and 17:30–19:00, and holiday travel on top of that is worse.
- January 1 is a national holiday in itself, and the quietest day of the year for business.
psst, if you're traveling over New Year, buy your rail tickets and book your dinners before you land. Assume a place is closed until its own website says it's open.