Japan National Holidays

New Google Streetview 360 Degree View of the Inside of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial

Byjapantravel August 5, 2011

One of the greatesst places to visit in Japan is Hiroshima. There are beautiful sites, natural places to hike, historical monuments and museums, and great regional foods. One of Hiroshima’s greatest attractions is the Hiroshima Peace Memorial, called the “Genbaku Dome” in Japanese. Beginning August 6th, 2011 in Japan which is the evening of August…

Driving in Japan | Japan National Holidays | Japanese Culture | Traditional Things to See in Japan | Traveling Within Japan

The Obon Holiday 2011 – Traveling in Japan in the Summer

Byjapantravel August 1, 2011

The O-bon or Bon Festival in Japan is definitely something summer travelers to Japan want to have marked on their calendars. There are both good things about being in Japan, but also some things to be aware of if traveling around this time of year. Some things to be aware of: Many people in Japan…

Japan National Holidays | Japan Photography | Japanese Culture | Traditional Things to See in Japan

Japan Photography Alert – Adult’s Day AKA Coming of Age Day

Byjapantravel January 8, 2011

Monday, January 10th will be Coming of Age Day, also known as Adult’s Day in Japan. It is the day that young people celebrate officially becoming adults. Traditionally they gather at their hometown City Hall wearing very fine kimonos, suits, or other fashionable clothing. In larger cities, they gather at local ward offices. Since new…

Japan National Holidays

Coming of Age Day Great Photo-Op in Japan

Byjapantravel January 4, 2010

If you are in Japan, and one of your ulterior motives is to take pictures of the scenery and hopefully capture some uniquely Japanese moments, Coming of Age Day is a great day to be in Japan. Coming of Age Day, called Seijin no Hi in Japanese, is the day that newly turned twenty-year olds…

Japan National Holidays

Tanabata Festival and Tanabata Light-Down

Byjapantravel July 6, 2009

July 7th in Japan is not a national holiday. Schools are open, banks and post offices are open, and life goes on as normal. However culturally July 7th is something of a holiday. I guess you can think of it as on the level of Halloween in the U.S., and like Halloween, it is mostly…

Japan National Holidays

Golden Week 2009

Byjapantravel April 25, 2009

Just a brief post about the Golden Week holidays this year… In general it should look like this: Wednesday May 29th is a holiday. Thursday May 30th is a weekday. Friday May 1st is a weekday. Saturday May 2nd is a Saturday (meaning some people in Japan work and others don’t although because of Golden…

Japan National Holidays

Japanese National Holiday Vernal Equinox

Byjapantravel March 19, 2009

Shumbun no Hi is the Japanese national holiday that takes place on either March 20th or March 21st or so every year in Japan. It is most commonly known in English as Vernal Equinox although I’ve also heard it referred to as Spring Day. Post offices and other such official services will be closed. Schools…