This blog focuses on the top five most important holidays in Japan.
Seijin no Hi
- “Coming-of-Age Day.” On this
day, people who turn twenty during the current school year, which runs between April until the following March, celebrate their coming of age. In Japan, when people turn twenty, society legally recognizes them as an adult, and they are able to drink alcohol and vote.
Golden Week
- The period in late April and early May that contains many Japanese national holidays grouped closely together.
O-bon
- a Buddhist event where people pray for the repose of their ancestors’ souls and remember the deceased. If you are familiar with Mexico’s Day of the Dead festival, O-bon is quite similar. O-bon takes place from the 13th to the 16th of August (celebrated from July 13-15 in some areas).
Ōmisoka
- New Year’s Eve, This day is very symbolic in Japan as it is the last day of the year and the day before New Year’s Day, the most important day of the year.
- There are many traditions that fall on this day such as Ōsōji, or “big cleaning,” and a dinner of toshikoshi soba, New Year’s Eve Soba, a type of Japanese noodle.
O-shōgatsu or Gantan
- New Year’s Day, Many people spend time with their families, and people who work or live far from their families often go back to their hometown for New Year’s.
