The Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year is usually celebrated between late January and February, during the first new moon. This year, it will be on Wednesday, January 2025. But if you’re in Japan, you may be wondering, “Does Japan celebrate Chinese New Year?” Here’s what you should know. Does Japan Celebrate Chinese New Year? As the lunar New Year is not celebrated as in other Asian countries, it’s not a holiday and people do go to work. However, in towns like Okinawa and on some southern islands in Japan, people put flags out and eat the traditional soba for New Year. How Japanese Celebrate The New Year Typical New Year traditions. Just like Lunar New Year itself, the Chinese zodiac has influences in Japan’s New Year celebrations. In Japanese, this is referred to as jūnishi (十二支, twelve branches) or eto (干支, sexagenary cycle) and is also used in fortune telling. Wondering if Japan joins in on the Chinese New Year festivities? The short answer is no—Japan doesn’t officially celebrate Chinese New Year. Instead, the country follows the Gregorian calendar for its own New Year traditions, called shōgatsu, which kicks off on January 1st. That said, Lunar New Year isn’t entirely absent in Japan! Upcoming Chinese New Year + Zodiac animals. 2023 Year of the Rabbit 2024 Year of the Dragon 2025 Year of Snake 2026 Year of Horse . Chinese New Year in Japan. Back in time, Japan also used the same traditional lunar calendar as China, hence the country historically celebrated New Year’s at the same period of time. For instance, convenience store chain Lawson will start accepting payments through Alipay, the mobile wallet app from Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, in advance of this year's Lunar New Year celebrations. Although Lunar New Year is not a holiday in Japan, it is celebrated in various ways. Has Japan Ever Celebrated The Lunar New Year? There was a time when Japan did celebrate the Lunar New Year. In the sixth century CE, the Chinese lunisolar calendar became the main way of timekeeping within Japan. This lasted until the year 1873. Before this came about, Japan actually celebrated New Year’s Day along with Vietnam, Korea and China. Japan Used to Celebrate the Lunar New Year (A visit to a local temple on New Year’s Day. Image: taka1022/Shutterstock.) The Chinese lunisolar calendar was introduced to Japan in the sixth century CE, and it was the principal method of timekeeping in Japan until 1873. Prior to that, Japan shared its New Year’s Day with China, Korea, and If you want to celebrate the year of the snake in Japan, there are few better places to visit than Yokohama Chinatown, which has observed Chinese Spring Festival traditions since 1986. For the celebration of the new year, the festivities begin in Kobe in the morning usually with a Chinese acrobatic dance show. Nagasaki Chukagai. This is the oldest Chinatown in Japan. Focused in an area of 200 m², the area was the residence of many sailors and Chinese merchants between the 15th and 19th century who traded with Japan. While Chinese New Year is no longer a Japanese holiday, it’s still celebrated by many in Japan, particularly in cities with large Chinese populations. Chinese New Year is also an extended holiday period for people around the region: Japan is typically filled with tourists, making it a very crowded (and correspondingly expensive) time of year The Chinese government expects 9 billion trips by people using cars, trains, planes and other means during the 40-day period in and around the holiday. A major travel firm says Japan is the most I was planning on going to DisneySea next year Feb 10 but when I was checking I noticed that it's the same day as Chinese New Year. Should I be worried about big crowds? I've heard I should avoid popular tourist destinations during their holidays though I'm not sure Japanese people celebrate Chinese New Year. While many Chinese tourists are expected to arrive in Japan during the Lunar New Year holiday beginning this Saturday, the number will most likely not reach pre-pandemic levels despite it being The Chinese Zodiac is still a part of Japan’s New Year celebrations to this day. Despite changing to the Gregorian calendar, Japan celebrates the changing of the zodiac on January 1, welcoming any of the 12 animals: the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. Celebrate Chinese New Year in Japan for an Entertaining & Enriching Experience . Whether you’re visiting Japan and want to celebrate the Lunar New Year during your visit, or you’re simply interested in learning more about how this important holiday is celebrated in Japan, the Chinese New Year festivities are a sight not to be missed. The Japanese New Year (正月, Shōgatsu) is an annual festival that takes place in Japan.Since 1873, the official Japanese New Year has been celebrated according to the Gregorian calendar, on January 1 of each year, New Year's Day (元日, Ganjitsu). Any advice from those who’ve been in Japan during CNY or are familiar with the travelling habits of neighbouring countries during the Chinese New Year period would be much appreciated! I’m planning a trip to Japan in January 2025. Chinese New Year in 2025 is Wednesday 29th January. Year-end and New Year holidays 2024 (Reiwa 6) - 2025 (Reiwa 7) We explained about the following: For the latest information on New Year's holiday schedules for government offices, medical institutions, and post offices, please visit Be sure to check the website or official site. Compared to 2024, the number of public holidays for all citizens has increased by two days, specifically for Lunar New Year’s Eve and May 2nd. The announcement also clarifies the adjusted holiday arrangements, stating that the continuous work period before and after statutory holidays generally should not exceed six days, except for certain
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