New Year is the most important holiday in Japan. For a few days at the turn of the year the country slows right down: offices close, families gather, and millions of people visit a shrine or temple to pray for the year ahead. For travellers it is a memorable time to be in Japan, but it is also the one week when you cannot assume that things will be open.
This guide explains what is open and what is closed during the 2026–27 New Year holidays, how transport is affected, and how to plan your days so that you are not left standing outside a locked museum.
1. When Are the New Year Holidays in 2026–27?
The only official public holiday is New Year's Day, January 1. In practice, though, the holiday period, called nenmatsu nenshi (年末年始), "year end and year start", runs for about six days. By law, national government offices are closed from December 29 to January 3, and most companies follow the same pattern.
| Date | Day | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| December 28, 2026 | Monday | Last working day for most offices |
| December 29–30 | Tuesday–Wednesday | Holiday period begins. Peak days for travel out of the big cities. |
| December 31 | Thursday | Omisoka (大晦日), New Year's Eve |
| January 1, 2027 | Friday | Ganjitsu (元日), New Year's Day. The quietest day of the year for shops. |
| January 2–3 | Saturday–Sunday | Shops reopen with New Year sales. Peak days for travel back to the cities. |
| January 4 | Monday | Most offices and services return to normal |
The following public holiday is Coming of Age Day on Monday, January 11, 2027, which creates a three-day weekend.
2. What Is Closed
Closures vary from place to place, so always check the official website of anything you really want to see. As a general guide, expect the following.
Many close for several days around New Year. For example, Shinjuku Gyoen is closed from December 29 to January 3, and Tokyo's Rikugien garden from December 29 to January 1.
Bank counters are closed from December 31 to January 3. Government offices, city halls and most post office counters are closed for the holiday period.
Family-run restaurants, cafes, markets and independent shops often close for anything from three days to a week.
- Department stores and shopping centres are commonly closed on January 1, and some stay closed on January 2 as well.
- Wholesale and food markets take a long break. If a market is on your list, check its calendar.
- Clinics are closed, although hospital emergency departments operate. See our guide to medical care in Japan.
Closing days change from year to year. A museum that opened on January 2 last year may not do so this year. Check each place's official site in December, when holiday schedules are published.
3. What Stays Open
The idea that "everything in Japan closes at New Year" is out of date. You will always be able to eat, shop for basics and find something to do.
Open and at their liveliest. The major ones stay open through the night of December 31, with food stalls lining the approach.
Almost all stay open as usual, with hot food, ready meals and ATMs. See our convenience store guide.
Most national restaurant chains, fast food outlets and hotel restaurants stay open, sometimes with shorter hours.
- Trains, subways and buses run every day (see section 5).
- Theme parks, observation decks and many aquariums stay open, and are busy.
- Ski resorts and hot spring towns are in full swing, at peak-season prices.
- Drugstores and large electronics chains in city centres are mostly open, often with reduced hours on January 1.
4. Cash, ATMs and Payments
Bank branches are closed, but you can still get cash. ATMs in convenience stores generally keep working through the holidays and accept most foreign cards. Some bank-operated ATMs have reduced hours, or pause briefly for system maintenance.
5. Trains and Transport
Public transport runs throughout the holiday, but not quite as normal.
- Holiday timetables: City trains and subways usually switch to a weekend and holiday timetable for several days around New Year. Trains are a little less frequent, and first and last train times may differ.
- New Year's Eve: Some railways run extra late-night or all-night services on December 31 for shrine visitors, but this differs by company and by year, and some operators have stopped doing it. Check the announcement for your line in December.
- Long-distance travel: Shinkansen, flights and expressways are at their busiest on December 29–30 leaving the big cities, and on January 2–3 coming back.
From December 25, 2026 to January 5, 2027, every Nozomi train on the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen runs with all seats reserved. There are no non-reserved cars during this period. Book your seat as soon as reservations open, one month before the travel date. See our Shinkansen guide.
If you are moving between cities with large bags, be aware that luggage delivery services are also busy at this time of year and may take longer than usual. See our luggage forwarding guide.
6. What to Do Over New Year
Rather than fighting the closures, do what people in Japan do.
December 31: ring out the old year
Eat toshikoshi soba (年越しそば), "year-crossing noodles", in the evening. Then head to a temple for joya no kane (除夜の鐘), when the great bell is struck 108 times around midnight. Our Omisoka guide explains the traditions.
January 1–3: the first shrine visit
Hatsumode (初詣) is the first visit of the year to a shrine or temple. People pray, draw a fortune slip and buy new lucky charms. Famous shrines such as Meiji Jingu in Tokyo and Fushimi Inari in Kyoto draw enormous crowds, so expect long but orderly queues. A small neighbourhood shrine gives you the same experience with far less waiting. See our hatsumode guide and Fushimi Inari guide.
From January 2: lucky bags and sales
When shops reopen, they sell fukubukuro (福袋), "lucky bags": sealed bags of mystery goods sold for much less than their contents are worth. The first sales of the year start at the same time, and popular stores have queues before opening.
7. A Planning Checklist
- Book accommodation early. This is peak season, and prices are high, especially at hot spring inns and ski resorts.
- Reserve Shinkansen seats for any travel between December 25 and January 5.
- List your must-see places and check each one's holiday schedule on its official site.
- Put museums and gardens before December 28 or after January 4, and keep shrines, temples, city walks and viewpoints for the holiday itself.
- Reserve dinner for December 31 and January 1, or plan on a hotel restaurant, a chain restaurant or a convenience store meal.
- Withdraw cash before December 31.
- Dress warmly for midnight. Standing in a shrine queue at 1:00 a.m. in January is very cold.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Government offices, banks, many museums and small family businesses close, but transport, convenience stores, chain restaurants, hotels, shrines, temples and most tourist attractions in big cities keep running.
It is a special time, with traditions you cannot see in any other week. It is also more expensive and needs more planning. If your priority is museums, shopping and restaurants, come before December 28 or after January 4.
New Year in Japan is traditionally quiet and family-centred, closer in mood to Christmas in Western countries. There are some countdown events, mainly at theme parks and hotels, but the classic experience is a temple bell at midnight, not fireworks.
January 1. If you need to do any shopping, do it by December 31, or wait until January 2 or 3, when the New Year sales begin.
Conclusion
Japan at New Year is quieter, colder and more traditional than at any other time, and that is its charm. Check opening days in advance, reserve your trains, carry some cash, and spend the holiday itself the way people here do: with a bowl of soba, a temple bell at midnight and a visit to a shrine in the first days of the year. Planning the weeks before? See Japan in December and Christmas in Japan.
Sources
- Cabinet Office, Government of Japan — National holidays: https://www8.cao.go.jp/chosei/shukujitsu/gaiyou.html
- e-Gov Japan — Act on Holidays of Administrative Organs (December 29 to January 3): https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/363AC0000000091
- Ministry of the Environment — Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden: https://www.env.go.jp/garden/shinjukugyoen/
- Tokyo Metropolitan Park Association — Metropolitan gardens: https://www.tokyo-park.or.jp/
- JR Central — Tokaido Shinkansen information: https://global.jr-central.co.jp/en/
- Japanese Bankers Association: https://www.zenginkyo.or.jp/en/