Japanese calendar

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Since 1872 Japan uses the Gregorian Calendar, with local names for the months and mostly fixed holidays. Before 1872 a lunisolar calendar was in use, which was adopted from the Chinese calendar.

Table of contents

1 Months 2 Holidays 3 Further reading 4 External links

Months

The name of month: (pronunciation, literally meaning)

• January - 睦月 (mu tsuki)
• February - 如月 or 衣更着 (kisaragi)
• March - 弥生 (yayoi)
• April - 卯月 (uzuki)
• May - 皐月 or 早月 or 五月(satsuki)
• June - 水無月 (mina tsuki or mina zuki, no water month)
• July - 文月 (fumi zuki, book month)
• August - 葉月 (ha zuki, leaf month)
• September - 長月 (naga tsuki, long month)
• October - 神無月 (kan'na zuki or kamina zuki, no god month), 神有月 (kamiari zuki, god month) only in Izumo province
• November - 霜月 (shimo tsuki, frost month)
• December - 師走 (shiwasu, teachers run)

Only 師走 is still used nowadays.

Holidays

Notes: Single days between two national holidays are taken as a bank holiday. This applies to May 4, which is a holiday each year. When a national holiday falls on Sunday the following Monday is being taken as a holiday.

Date	English Name	Local Name	Remarks
January 1	New Year's Day	元日
Moveable Monday	Coming-of-age Day	成人の日	2nd Monday of January
February 11	National Foundation Day	建国記念日
March 20 or 21	Vernal Equinox Day	春分の日
April 29	Greenery Day	みどりの日	Golden Week
May 3	Constitution Memorial Day	憲法記念日
May 4	Bank Holiday
May 5	Children's Day	子供の日
Moveable Monday	Maritime Day	海の日	3rd Monday of July
Moveable Monday	Respect for the Aged Day	敬老の日	3rd Monday of September
September 23 or 24	Autumnal Equinox Day	秋分の日
Moveable Monday	Health-Sports Day	体育の日	2nd Monday of October
November 3	Culture Day	文化の日
November 23	Labor Thanksgiving Day	勤労感謝の日
December 23	The Emperor's Birthday	天皇誕生日

The list and the table are to be merged. The list of national holidays:

• January 1 - Ganjitsu New Year's Day (since 1948)
• The second monday in January - Seijin no hi Coming of Age Day. Until 1999, the day was on January 15 (since 1948)
• February 11 - Kenkoku kinen no hi National Foundation Day)
• March 21 - Vernal Equinox Day (since 1966) The day may vary according to the law.
• April 29 - Midori no hi Greenery Day (since 1989)
• May 3 - Constitution Memorial Day (since 1948)
• May 4 - Kokumin no kyujitsu Bank Holiday (since 1985)
• May 5 - Kodomo no hi Children's Day (since 1948)
• The third monday in July - Umi no hi Marine Day. Until 2002, the day was on July 20 (since 1995)
• The third monday in September - Keirō no hi Respect for the Aged Day. Until 2002, the day was on September 15 (since 1966)
• September 22 - Kokumin no kyujitsu Bank Holiday (since 2003). This day appears occasionally according to the law. The day is predicted to appear in 2009 unless the law remains same.
• September 23 - Autumnal Equinox Day (since 1948)
• The second monday in October - Taiiku no hi Health and Sports Day. Until 1999, the day was on October 10 (since 1966)
• November 3 - National Culture Day (since 1948)
• November 23 - Labor Thanksgiving Day (since 1948
• December 23 - The Emperor's Birthday (since 1989)

This table includes 雑節 (Zassetsu), 二十四節気 (24 Sekki) and some others.

• January 5 - 寒の入り Kannoiri
• January 5 - 小寒 Shōkan
• January 17 - 冬の土用 Fuyu no doyō
• January 20 - 大寒 Daikan
• February 3 - 節分 Setsubun
• February 4 - 立春 Risshun (literally meaning standing spring)
• February 19 - 雨水 Usui
• March 6 - 啓蟄 Keichitsu
• March 16 - 春社日 haru sha nichi
• March 18 - 春彼岸 haru higan
• March 21 - 春分 Shunbun
• April 5 - 清明 Seimei
• April 17 - 春の土用 haru no doyō
• April 20 - 穀雨 Kokuu
• May 2 - 八十八夜 hachijū hachi ya 88 nights
• May 6 - 立夏 Rikka (literally meaning standing summer)
• May 21 - 小満 Shōman'
• June 6 - 芒種 Bōshu
• June 11 - 入梅 Nyū bai (literally meaning entering tsuyu)
• June 21 - 夏至 Gesshi
• July 2 - 半夏生 Hange shō
• July 7 - 小暑 Shōsho
• July 15 - 中元 Chūgen
• July 15 - お盆 Obon
• July 20 - 夏の土用 natsu no doyō
• July 23 - 大暑 Taisho
• August 8 - 立秋 Risshū (literally meaning standing autumn)
• August 23 - 処暑 Shosho
• September 1 - 二百十日 (Ni-hyaku to ka, 210 days)
• September 8 - 白露 Hakuro
• September 11 - 二百二十日 (Ni-hyaku hatsu ka, 220 days)
• September 20 - 秋彼岸 aki higan
• September 22 - 秋社日 aki sha nichi
• September 23 - 秋分 Shūbun
• October 8 - 寒露 Kannro
• October 20 - 秋の土用 aki no doyō
• October 23 - 霜降 Sōkō
• November 7 - 立冬 Rittō (literally meaning standing winter)
• November 22 - 小雪 Shōsetsu
• December 7 - 大雪 Taisetsu
• December 22 - 冬至 Tōji

(Except 中元 (chugen) and お盆 (obon), days vary according to the year.) Some of these names are still used quite frequently in everyday life in Japan. It is common that daily weather reports use 冬至 (Touji).

五節句 (Gosekku)

• January 7 - 人日 (Jinjutsu), 七草の節句("Nanakusa-no-sekku")
• March 3 - 上巳 (Jōshi/Jōmi), 桃の節句
• May 5 - 端午 (Tango/Tango no Sekku), 端午の節句 - Children's Day (originally the boys' festival while Hinamatsuri was the girls' festival)
• July 7 - 七夕 (Sichiseki/Tanabata)
• September 9 - 重陽 (Chōyō), 菊の節句

Further reading

Here is a good website that explains the history of the Japanese calendar: http://www.ndl.go.jp/koyomi/e

External links

• Koyomi no page in Japanese
• Koyomi no hanashi in Japanese

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See also: Calendar, Japanese era name, Chinese Calendar