Long weekends in Japan, 2026
Japan has 8 breaks of three consecutive non-working days or more in 2026, each one created by a public holiday rather than by the weekend alone. The longest runs 5 days.
Every break, longest first
| From | To | Days | Holiday behind it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat, 2 May | Wed, 6 May | 5 | Greenery Day, Children's Day, Constitution Memorial Day |
| Sat, 10 Jan | Mon, 12 Jan | 3 | Coming of Age Day |
| Sat, 21 Feb | Mon, 23 Feb | 3 | The Emperor's Birthday |
| Fri, 20 Mar | Sun, 22 Mar | 3 | Vernal Equinox Day |
| Sat, 18 Jul | Mon, 20 Jul | 3 | Marine Day |
| Sat, 19 Sep | Mon, 21 Sep | 3 | Respect for the Aged Day |
| Sat, 10 Oct | Mon, 12 Oct | 3 | Sports Day |
| Sat, 21 Nov | Mon, 23 Nov | 3 | Labour Thanksgiving Day |
Bridge days
Each of these is a single working day with a holiday on one side and a non-working day on the other. One day of leave turns it into a break of four days or more, which is why these dates empty out even though nobody is formally off.
| Date | Day | Adjacent holiday |
|---|---|---|
| Fri, 2 Jan 2026 | Friday | New Year's Day |
| Mon, 10 Aug 2026 | Monday | Mountain Day |
| Tue, 22 Sep 2026 | Tuesday | Respect for the Aged Day |
| Mon, 2 Nov 2026 | Monday | Culture Day |
Taking all 4 bridge days costs 4 days of leave and produces 4 breaks of at least four consecutive days. That is the cheapest time off available in the 2026 calendar, and it is also why these are the first dates to be booked out.
How these are worked out
Every day of 2026 is classified as working or non-working using Japan's own weekend pattern and its nationwide public holidays. Consecutive non-working days are then grouped into runs, and any run of three days or more that contains at least one public holiday is listed above. Runs made of a weekend alone are excluded, since a two day weekend is not a long weekend.
Regional holidays are not included. In countries where regions set their own dates, the real picture locally can be better than the one shown here, sometimes considerably.