When Japan's and Korea's long weekends overlap: Golden Week, Obon, Seollal and Chuseok
Japan and Korea take their long breaks at slightly different times of year. Knowing when both countries stop at once, and when only one does, saves you wasted trips, missed deadlines and overpriced flights. Here is the year, season by season.
January to February: Seollal is Korea only
Korea's biggest break, Seollal (Lunar New Year), falls between late January and mid-February. It lasts three days, or five or more when a substitute holiday or a weekend attaches. Japan has three-day weekends for Coming of Age Day and National Foundation Day but is otherwise working, so Korean partners are away while Japan carries on.
Late April to May: Golden Week and Children's Day
Japan clusters Showa Day (29 April) with the holidays of 3 to 5 May, and depending on the weekdays the break can join up with the weekends on either side. Korea has Children's Day on 5 May, and in years when Buddha's Birthday (8th day of the 4th lunar month) lands in May it becomes a long weekend too. This is one of the few periods when both countries are off together, so fares and hotel rates climb and shipping slows at the same time.
August: Obon and Liberation Day
Japan's Obon (around 13 to 16 August) is not a public holiday, but most companies close and many join it to Mountain Day on 11 August. Korea's Liberation Day is 15 August, and a substitute holiday can stretch it into a long weekend. Mid-August is slow in both countries.
September to October: Chuseok and Silver Week
Korea's Chuseok (15th day of the 8th lunar month) falls between early September and early October, and with weekends or substitute days the three-day break grows longer. In Japan, Respect for the Aged Day (third Monday of September) and Autumnal Equinox Day sit close together and in some years form a five-day Silver Week. Some years the two coincide, in others they are one or two weeks apart, so check the business card on this site.
Year end: long in Japan, one day in Korea
Japanese government offices close from 29 December to 3 January and most companies follow. In Korea only 1 January is a public holiday, and apart from Christmas the end of the year is normal working time. Miss this difference and year-end invoices and deliveries slip.
Reading the calendar
On this site's calendar, days when both countries are closed have their own colour. Read the long-weekend lists together with the business-days card to see how working days differ month by month.