Public Holidays in Japan
The golden rule of travel in Japan?
Why is that, you ask? Well, the Japanese adhere to two unwritten rules regarding paid vacations.
- Never take more than 1 week off
- Always attach paid vacations to public holidays
Most Japanese in large companies will get 16-20 days paid vacation a year, but the above rules mean that most will take their summer vacation at the same time, tacked onto a 3 or 4 day weekend built around the numerous public holidays. Some companies still have an official week off during August, which everyone has to take as paid vacation and the company shuts down.
How to avoid the crowds?
Crowd forcasts at Himeji Castle (left) and Hakone (right) for August 2019 are below . A public holiday on the 12th causes all Japanese to take their summer vacation that week, boosting crowds everywhere.
The tables above are taken from two greats resource available to help guess when Japanese tourists peak; one is the Himeji Castle website and the other is on the website for Hakone.
You will also find that the Shinkansen will be impossible to book on the Friday Evening and Saturday Morning before the holiday week (in the example above that would be the 9th and 10th) and also on the Sunday at the end of the week (in the example above, the 18th). As a JR Pass holder you cannot book seats, only use the Non-reserved cars, but expect those to fill up quickly to the point of having to stand.
When to come to Japan
For more details see the main article on “When Japan”, which will tell you when to come to Japan and takes into account public holidays.
