Lunar New Year 2027 in Japan: Festivals, Weather & Where to Stay

Lunar New Year's Day 2027 falls on Saturday, February 6. Taiwan's official Spring Festival holiday runs seven days, from Thursday, February 4 to Wednesday, February 10. Japan has no Lunar New Year holiday, but that week overlaps the Sapporo Snow Festival, the Nagasaki Lantern Festival and Kobe Nankinmachi's Spring Festival. This guide puts the officially announced dates side by side and marks what has not been announced yet.

Your 2027 Lunar New Year holiday dates

Japan works straight through Lunar New Year

The Cabinet Office list of Japan's national holidays has no Lunar New Year holiday; Japan's New Year's Day is January 1. In February 2027 the only national holidays are February 11 (Thu, National Foundation Day) and February 23 (Tue, Emperor's Birthday). So inside Taiwan's February 4–10 break, February 4–5 and February 8–10 are ordinary working days in Japan.

• ●There is no nationwide closure: shops, restaurants, museums and trains follow their normal schedules and usual closing days, so check each place's own calendar.
• ●On weekdays, city trains carry morning and evening commuters. Move between hotels with luggage outside the rush hours.
• ●February 6–7 is a normal weekend and February 11 is a public holiday, so Japanese day-trippers join the crowds at popular spots on those days.
• ●Lunar New Year celebrations are concentrated in Chinatowns: Nagasaki, Kobe and Yokohama.
• ●Holidays in Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore and Indonesia overlap this week, so travellers from several countries are booking the same dates.

What's on in Japan during the 2027 holiday week

Hokkaido: the Snow Festival covers the whole break

The Sapporo Snow Festival runs February 4–11, 2027 at all three sites: Odori Park, Tsudome and Susukino. That covers every day of Taiwan's holiday, and the final day, February 11, is a Japanese public holiday. Odori and Susukino are both festival sites, so hotels in those districts keep you close to the main events. The 2027 dates for Otaru's Snow Light Path have not been announced yet by the organiser; check its official site before you plan around it.

Nagasaki Lantern Festival: 17 days of lanterns

The 2027 Nagasaki Lantern Festival runs from February 5 (Fri) to February 21 (Sun). It grew out of the Spring Festival held by the people of Nagasaki Shinchi Chinatown, and Nagasaki City's official tourism site says about 15,000 Chinese lanterns decorate the city centre, including Shinchi Chinatown and the Hamanomachi and Kanko-dori arcades. The Mazu Procession is on February 7 and 14 (Sundays). The Emperor's Parade is on February 13 and 20 (Saturdays), after Taiwan's holiday ends. Lighting hours for 2027 have not been published yet.

Kobe and Yokohama: Chinatown celebrations

In Kobe, Nankinmachi's 2027 Spring Festival is held on February 7 (Sun) and February 11–14 (Thu–Sun), five days in total. The programme differs by day and will be announced as it is decided. February 7 is also the last night of Kobe Luminarie, which runs January 29 – February 7 at Meriken Park, Higashi Yuenchi and the former foreign settlement, lit from dusk to 21:30. Nankinmachi is about a 5-minute walk from JR/Hanshin Motomachi Station. If you are on Taiwan's holiday, only February 7 falls inside it.

In Yokohama, Chinatown's Spring Festival illumination lights the district from November 1, 2026 to February 20, 2027, 16:00–23:00. The 2027 dates for the Spring Festival events have not been announced yet; check the Yokohama Chinatown official site before planning around a specific event.

February weather: JMA climate normals

These are Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) February normals for 1991–2020, not a forecast. In Sapporo, the February normal for total snowfall is 116 cm and for the deepest snow cover 95 cm, so pack waterproof boots with good grip. In the other cities, average lows stay above freezing, but most lantern and illumination viewing happens in the evening, so bring warm layers.

FAQ

Is Lunar New Year 2027 on February 6 or February 7? In Taiwan, Lunar New Year's Day is February 6. South Korea's Seollal is February 7. Kobe Nankinmachi explains that Japan's old-calendar New Year's Day is also February 7: because of the one-hour time difference between China and Japan, the date of the new moon can differ by one day.

Is anything in Japan closed for Lunar New Year? No. Japan has no Lunar New Year holiday, so businesses keep their normal hours and regular closing days. Check each venue's own calendar.

Which 2027 details are not announced yet? As of November 5, 2026: the Otaru Snow Light Path dates, the Yokohama Chinatown Spring Festival event dates, the Nagasaki Lantern Festival lighting hours, the day-by-day programme for Kobe Nankinmachi, and mainland China's holiday schedule. Check the official pages linked above before booking around them.