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Public holidays in Japan in January 2026 and 2027

January has 2 days off in 2026 and 2 in 2027: New Year's Day, Coming of Age Day. 3,781,629 visitors arrived in Japan in January 2025.

Updated

2days off in January 2026
2days off in January 2027
3,781,629visitors in January 2025

Public holidays in January

2026 and 2027 together, by date.

Public holidays in Japan in January 2026 and 2027 (Cabinet Office)
HolidayDateDays off in a row
New Year's Day元日Thursday 1 January 20261 day
Coming of Age Day成人の日Monday 12 January 20263 days (10–12 January)
New Year's Day元日Friday 1 January 20273 days (1–3 January)
Coming of Age Day成人の日Monday 11 January 20273 days (9–11 January)

Source: Cabinet Office — National holidays (国民の祝日について)

Long weekends in January

Weekends and holidays that join up into three days off or more.

Breaks of three days or more in January 2026 and 2027
DatesDays offFrom – toHolidays in it
10–12 January 20263 daysSat – MonComing of Age Day
1–3 January 20273 daysFri – SunNew Year's Day
9–11 January 20273 daysSat – MonComing of Age Day

Source: Cabinet Office — National holidays (国民の祝日について)

Days when the Shinkansen is hardest to book

JR Central and JR West make every Nozomi reserved-seat only on these days.

Every Nozomi is reserved-seat only on these days. Passengers with an unreserved ticket cannot take a seat on a Nozomi. Hikari, Kodama, Mizuho and Sakura trains keep their unreserved cars.

Days when every Nozomi on the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen is reserved-seat only (JR Central and JR West, fiscal 2026)
PeriodDatesDays
Year-end and New Year25 December 2026 – 5 January 202712 days
Coming of Age Day weekend9–11 January 20273 days

Source: JR Central and JR West — Days when every Nozomi is reserved-seat only, fiscal 2026 (21 May 2026)

Busiest Shinkansen days: Year-end and New Year 2025–26

JR Central's results for 26 December 2025 to 4 January 2026.

Total passengers
4,415,000
Days counted
10 days
Busiest from Tokyo
302,000 · Sat 27 Dec
Busiest to Tokyo
350,000 · Sun 4 Jan

Year-end closures

Banks close from 31 December to 3 January. Museums and gardens set their own dates.

When banks, museums and gardens close (each operator's own page)
PlaceUsually closedOn a public holidayYear-end and New Year
BanksSaturdays, Sundays and public holidaysClosed31 December – 3 January
Tokyo National MuseumMondaysOpen on a Monday holiday, closed the next day26–31 December 2026
National Museum of Western ArtMondaysOpen on a Monday holiday, closed the next day28 December – 1 January
Kyoto National MuseumMondaysOpen on a Monday holiday, closed the next dayClosed over the year-end and New Year holidays
Shinjuku Gyoen National GardenMondaysClosed the next weekday instead29 December – 3 January
Imperial Palace toursSundays and MondaysNo tours (unless the holiday is a Saturday)28 December – 4 January

How busy January is with visitors

3,781,629 visitors arrived in January 2025, the 3rd busiest month of the year. The figure for January 2026 is 3,597,881 (provisional or estimated).

Visitor arrivals to Japan by month, 2025

Final figures. The highlighted bar is this month.

January 20253,781,629
February 20253,258,491
March 20253,497,755
April 20253,909,128
May 20253,693,587
June 20253,377,985
July 20253,437,118
August 20253,428,406
September 20253,267,228
October 20253,896,524
November 20253,517,659
December 20253,617,791

Source: Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) — Visitor arrivals to Japan (released 16 September 2026)

Frequently asked questions

Are there public holidays in Japan in January?

Yes. New Year's Day is Thursday 1 January 2026. Coming of Age Day is Monday 12 January 2026. New Year's Day is Friday 1 January 2027. Coming of Age Day is Monday 11 January 2027.

How many tourists visit Japan in January?

3,781,629 visitors arrived in January 2025, the 3rd highest of the 12 months (JNTO final figures).

Which days in January are hardest to book on the Shinkansen?

Every Nozomi is reserved-seat only on these days: 25 December 2026 – 5 January 2027 (Year-end and New Year); 9–11 January 2027 (Coming of Age Day weekend).

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Compiled by Japan Japan !! · Updated October 2, 2026