Although there is a sprinkling of national holidays, what strikes a person about celebrations, festivals and holidays in Japan is their local nature. There is scarcely a single day that there is not at least one large local festival or celebration in progress.

The national holidays are New Year's Day (1 January), Coming of Age Day (15 January), National Foundation Day (11 February), Vernal Equinox (20 or 21 March), Greenery Day (29 April), Constitution Memorial Day (3 May), Children's Day (5 May), Respect-for-the-Aged Day (15 September), Autumnal Equinox (23 or 24 September), Health Sports Day (10 October), Culture Day (3 November), Labor Thanksgiving Day (23 November), Emperor's Birthday (23 December).

Resources

Festivals, Holidays and Celebrations
Annual Events and Festivals Brought to you by Japan Guide, this is a superb listing of major Japanese holidays and events. Lots of extended information on each event. (English)	MIT Japanese Events List A January through December list of various events and celebration in Japan with links to informative descriptions of the events as well as cultural and historical notes. (English and Japanese)

Additional