Japanese National Holidays 2021

National holidays in Japan are the saving grace that ever so slightly balances the rigorous work culture! Japanese national holidays are there to provide some much needed time off as well as serve as perfect times for fun festivities to join in on! 

Japanese National Holidays are a wonderful way to get the full cultural experience of Japan for both foreigners and for locals alike. Many of the festivals and events you find here are full of tradition that ranges anywhere between 4-1000 years old. They usually tell a story or give you some insight and experiences in Japan. Of course, it should go without saying that they are best experienced in person. 

The following will be a list of all the Japanese holidays in 2021 complete with details, locations, and other fun activities that you can participate in on these days. It is good to keep in mind that on national holidays most, if not all, banks and government offices in Japan are closed. So make sure if you have any visa-related issues to resolve them on non-national holiday dates.

To kick off the list of Japanese national holidays in 2021 we will start with New Years Day! Like many countries, New Years Day is arguably one of the most important holidays in Japan and is usually celebrated from December 31st to January 1st. 

Where ever you are in Japan one thing that you will likely end up doing is a count down to New Year's Day. Every year people gather to count down in designated areas or in front of their televisions at home and do a final count down to the New Year and share drinks while celebrating. If you are looking to Join a count down event, some of the larger wards such as Yokohama and Shibuya hold giant count down events with huge screens. Most years you can expect to be shoulder to shoulder with everyone in the packed crowd. However, with the 2020 pandemic making things a bit uncertain, you can expect some count down events to put systems in place that limit the contact and number of people or cancel altogether. 

As far as cultural activities go, visit a Japanese temple for the authentic New Year's Day in Japan. Hatsunode is a tradition for Japanese families where they visit a temple on the first day of the year to pray for, wealth, health, and safety. Usually, at the temples, you would line up to pay some money and ring a large bell then bow while praying. The bigger and more famous temples can be extremely busy at times so keep this in mind when you choose where to go. 

This one is pretty self-explanatory, it's the current emperor's birthday so you get a day off! With the start of the Reiwa period and the emperor changing to Naruhito, the day is February the 23rd. There is a public ceremony in the imperial palace and the doors which are normally closed to the public open up. This is definitely something worth checking out as it is one of the only times that the inside of the palace can be viewed (the only other being January 2nd when there is a new year's celebration). During the ceremony, people wave Japanese flags and cheer while the Emperor greets the public from a balcony in the palace.

Shunbun no Hi or Vernal Equinox Day, takes place every year on the March Equinox which tends to be the 20th or 21st of March. On the march equinox, night and day are equally long in addition to marking the end of winter and start of spring for many. Many Japanese people will celebrate this day by visiting the graves of their ancestors/loved one's to clean them and leave offerings. Another tradition that is widely practiced is doing a full clean of the house to represent a fresh start as well as setting goals and starting new activities, similar to how people in most western countries make resolutions on New Year's Day. 

In 1945, atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and Japan surrendered, finally ending the horror that was World War 2. After the surrender, Japan worked with the United States to create a new constitution. This new constitution brought japan into a new era of peace, with a liberal democracy being introduced and the right to start war going out the window. This constitution fully came into effect on May 3rd, 1947 and has been a national holiday since. Constitution day is a time for people to reflect on the history of Japan, and for those history buffs out there the national diet building opens up to the public for tours as well!

Greenery day is another Japanese national holiday that simply helps extend the golden week break. Still, many people use greenery day to appreciate nature and be mindful of the environment. With the day off and nature in mind, it's a great day to go to Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden or one of Japan's other wonderful parks!

Mountain day is one of the much newer Japanese National Holidays on this list with the first mountain day taking place in 2016. As the name suggests, mountain day is all about appreciating the mountains of Japan as well as giving you an extra day off of work each year. Due to how new the holiday is, there are no official ways to celebrate this day, but it is definitely recommended that you get out and try hiking one of the many wonderful mountains here in Japan.

Japan is a country with a relatively high percentage of elderly citizens compared to other countries in the world so it is fitting for Japan to have a day dedicated to honoring them. During Respect for the aged day you'll see a lot of special programming and variety shows on TV revolving around the topic. Most Japanese people will visit their grandparents and other elderly loved one's to join them for a meal, give a gift, and simply spend time together.  

Even if you don't have grandparents or elderly friends and family members in Japan it is always good to give back to the community! Some groups and companies will volunteer and distribute bento boxes, daily goods, and other small snacks or gifts to the elderly in their communities. It's definitely a great opportunity to get a better look into Japanese culture and hear stories from the past as well. If this is something that you want to do, definitely check out organizations like Keiro for volunteer work. 

Another post-war celebration, culture day was a Japanese national holiday created to honor the birthday of Emperor Meiji as well as commemorate the announcement of the new Japanese constitution that would be created after Japan's surrender in World War 2. These days Culture day is used to promote the arts and history of Japan. Many festivals, exhibits, and other cultural events are scheduled for this day so you'll have quite a few options to choose from depending on where in Japan you live. One particularly interesting place to be is Hakone, located right outside of Tokyo in the Kanagawa prefecture, each year the Hakone Daimyō Gyōretsu or Hakone feudal lord's parade takes place. You'll get to see all types of traditional armor, costumes, and clothing from the Edo period of Japan. 

If you happen to be a higher education student or researcher in Japan you can expect to see new findings presented by universities as well. So for those academics out there, this may end up being a big day for you!

The final Japanese national holiday on this list is one that can be traced back to the ancient times of Japan. It was a day that the hard work of the laborers and farmers were appreciated and acknowledged as well as dedicating the yield of the harvest to the gods and emperors. These days this holiday is used to appreciate all workers, especially those in public service, and bring attention to topics like human rights and the environment. 

There are many events all around Japan on this day, mostly local matsuris or festivals to celebrate the day. Children will often write letters to public workers such as firefighters or police to thank them for their service. If you are working in a company they may even hold an event to thank you and your coworkers for all the hard work and dedication while they go over the accomplishments of the past year.