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Japanese National Holidays

January 1	New Year's Day
January 15	Coming of Age Day
February 11	National Founding Day
March 21	Vernal Equinox Day (first day of spring)
April 29	Showa Day (the Showa Era Emperor's birthday)
May 3	Constitution Day
May 4	Green Day
May 5	Children's Day
July 20	Sea Day
September 15	Respect for the Aged Day
September 23	Autumnal Equinox Day
October 10	Health Day
November 3	Culture Day
November 23	Labor Thanksgiving Day
December 23	The Emperor's Birthday

Please note:

1. The 15 holidays listed here are the ones signified by a red number on Japanese calendars. Schools and most companies are closed on these days. (Holidays that count, as I like to put it.) There are, however, a few other special traditional days besides these which are recognized throughout the year, such as setsubun and o-bon.

2. Holidays that fall on a Sunday are recognized on the following Monday. However, holidays which fall on a Saturday are not changed to Friday. (They sadly go uncounted.)

3. The dates shown above are the traditional dates of these holidays. Some are now observed on the nearest Monday for the sake of business convenience.

4. The span of days from April 29 to May 5 is called "Golden Week" in Japan because of the cluster of holidays. Since half of the population think they have to go somewhere, many of the roads and trains are jammed during this period. If you're smart you stay close to home.