National Holidays in Japan

Despite the apparent large number of Japanese tourists, many Japanese workers traditionally don't take all their annual leave entitlement. So when the office closes for a National Holiday, those days are especially precious. Try to arrange a tele-conference call on a Japanese national holiday and see how quickly you lose favour with your Japanese customers.

If a national holiday falls on a Sunday, the next day might be taken off. This differs from the West where such a day is always taken off. If a national holiday falls on a Saturday, the previous day is usually not taken off. But in any event, it's worth checking before you make any appointment around those times.

The fiscal year usually begins April 1st (in line with government departments) and is the traditional time for new employees to join a company. Managers are busy around that time for training, welcome reception meetings, etc.