New Year in Japan 2026–27: what closes, what stays open and how to get around

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You land in Tokyo on Monday 28 December 2026, spend New Year's Eve in Tokyo and take the Shinkansen to Kyoto on Saturday 2 January 2027.

Train seats. Reserved seats for 2 January go on sale at 10:00 JST on 2 December 2026, which is 01:00 in London. If you register with SmartEX (JR Central's booking service), you can request a seat up to one year ahead, but JR Central says only some seats can be held that early; the rest go on sale with everyone else at the one-month mark. Because 2 January falls inside the Nozomi reserved-only period (25 December 2026–5 January 2027), if you want a seat, look for a later train with a reservation available. There are no unreserved cars on Nozomi in this period. JR also describes ordinary-car deck standing for qualifying tickets, but crowding may prevent boarding; do not rely on this as a seat or boarding guarantee.

Cash. Say you expect to spend ¥12,000 a day in cash on shrine stalls, small restaurants and lockers, for four days from 31 December to 3 January: ¥48,000. Plan to withdraw it on 29 or 30 December, allowing time to try another ATM if needed. Seven Bank lists Visa and Mastercard service at 00:00–24:00 in principle, including 1 January, but even a card with a listed logo may not work; check the issuer and the ATM location's access hours. For withdrawal limits and fees, see using a foreign card at a Japanese ATM.

Government offices: 29 December–3 January. The law on government holidays (行政機関の休日に関する法律) makes 29 December to 3 January a holiday for national government bodies, including immigration offices. City and ward offices set their own rules but generally close on the same days; Sapporo City, for example, sets 29 December–3 January as city holidays by ordinance, when its offices normally do no business. Police boxes and emergency services keep working; for numbers, see emergency contacts in Japan.

Banks: 31 December–3 January. The Banking Act Enforcement Order (銀行法施行令, article 5) lists 31 December to 3 January as bank holidays. In 2026–27 that runs into the weekend, so counters reopen on Monday 4 January 2027. Bank-branch ATMs keep shorter holiday hours that vary by bank and branch: MUFG, for example, closed its counters from 31 December 2025 to 4 January 2026 and set holiday ATM hours branch by branch. For a foreign card, Seven Bank and Japan Post Bank are the networks that publish which foreign cards they accept.

Post offices. Japan Post doesn't publish one national New Year timetable; each office's hours for 31 December–3 January appear in December (for 2025–26, Japan Post published its lists prefecture by prefecture in mid-December 2025; nothing for 2026–27 as of 19 October 2026). Don't plan to post anything over these days.

Museums and attractions. Many close for some of 26 December–3 January, and the dates differ by venue. Our holiday closures guide lists the 2026–27 notices published so far, such as the Ghibli Museum and Tokyo National Museum. Shinjuku Gyoen, the garden in Tokyo, closes 29 December–3 January, and Monday 4 January 2027 is its regular Monday closure, so it reopens on Tuesday 5 January.

Restaurants and small shops. There is no national rule. Many family-run restaurants and shops close for several days around 1 January, while chains in stations and shopping centres more often stay open with shorter hours (our observation; venues publish their own notices in December). On 1 January, hotel restaurants, convenience stores and station food floors are the dependable options.

Convenience stores. Most keep their normal hours, which in cities usually means 24 hours, through New Year (our observation; the chains don't publish a national New Year schedule). They sell hot food, rice balls, drinks, phone top-ups and travel basics. For eating well from them, see convenience store meals.

Department stores and first sales. Large department stores usually close on 1 January and reopen on 2 January with their first sale of the year (hatsuuri) and lucky bags (fukubukuro). In January 2026 the Mitsukoshi and Isetan stores, for example, started on 2 January, as reported by the fashion trade press. The 2027 dates are announced by each store, usually in December (not stated officially as of 19 October 2026). Expect queues before opening on the first sale morning.

Shrines and temples. Hatsumōde, the first shrine or temple visit of the year, peaks from midnight on 31 December through 3 January. GO TOKYO, Tokyo's official tourism site, says Meiji Jingu is normally open from sunrise to sunset but allows worship all night on 31 December, and that several million people visit between New Year's Eve and 3 January. Queues to reach the main hall can be long. For New Year 2025–26, Meiji Jingu's own page gave gate times of 06:40 on 31 December through to 18:30 on 1 January without closing, and 06:40–18:00 on 2 and 3 January, and said the busiest times are usually 22:00–03:00 over New Year's Eve and from 10:00 on 1–3 January. Cars cannot enter the grounds on 1–3 January. The 2026–27 times had not been published as of 19 October 2026. For how to pray and buy charms, see temple and shrine etiquette.

Sources for this section: GO TOKYO (Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau), Meiji Jingu hatsumōde (Japanese) · Meiji Jingu: New Year opening hours 2025–26

All-night trains (31 December). For 2025–26, JR East ran all-night trains on New Year's Eve on five Tokyo-area lines, according to its own information page: the Yamanote Line roughly every 10–25 minutes (about 01:00–05:00), the Keihin-Tohoku/Negishi Line between Sakuragicho and Omiya, the Chuo-Sobu local line between Mitaka and Chiba, the Chuo Rapid Line between Mitaka and Takao, and the Yokosuka Line between Yokohama and Zushi, plus two extra round trips between Chiba and Narita. JR East had not announced its 2026–27 plan as of 19 October 2026. It published the 2025–26 plan on 17 October 2025 as part of its winter extra-train release, so this year's plan is likely to appear in late October or November 2026 (our expectation); check JR East's press page before you rely on it. Other operators set their own plans, and many simply run normal last trains or one or two extra late ones, so check your line's December notice. If you get stranded, see what to do if you miss the last train.

Peak days. JR treats 25 December 2026 to 5 January 2027 as a peak period: every Nozomi is reserved-only, and JR Central asks travellers to consider changing dates. Trains out of Tokyo and Osaka tend to be fullest in the last days of December, and trains back in on 2–4 January (our observation); JR companies publish their actual booking peaks in December (not stated officially for 2026–27 as of 19 October 2026). Coming of Age Day weekend (9–11 January 2027) is another Nozomi reserved-only period. For buying tickets, see how to buy Shinkansen tickets.

• Flights and hotels: as soon as your dates are fixed; New Year rates and availability depend on the hotel, and there's no official booking window.
• JR reserved seats: the regular one-month release is at 10:00 JST (SmartEX requests from one year before, for a limited share of seats). Other operators set their own booking times.
• Restaurants on 31 December and 1 January: book a hotel restaurant or a venue that has published New Year hours; many restaurants announce them in December.

Are ATMs open on 1 January in Japan? Seven Bank ATMs (in 7-Eleven stores) say they operate in principle every day of the year and accept Visa and Mastercard 00:00–24:00. JCB, UnionPay and Discover work 00:10–23:50, American Express 00:05–23:50 and Diners Club 00:05–23:55. Bank-branch ATMs keep reduced holiday hours set by each bank. Plan to withdraw what you need by 30 December and keep Seven Bank as a backup; a listed logo does not guarantee that your card will work, and the ATM location must be accessible.

Can I exchange money over New Year? Not at bank counters from 31 December to 3 January. Some airport exchange counters stay open: MUFG kept its Chubu Centrair Airport exchange office open while its branches closed over New Year 2025–26. An ATM withdrawal is the simplest option.

Is everything shut on 1 January? No. Convenience stores, many hotel restaurants, shrines, temples and most trains run. Expect fewer independent restaurants and closed department stores and offices.

Do trains run all night on New Year's Eve in Tokyo? In 2025–26, JR East ran all-night trains on the Yamanote, Keihin-Tohoku/Negishi, Chuo-Sobu local, Chuo Rapid and Yokosuka lines. The 2026–27 plan hadn't been announced as of 19 October 2026. Don't assume a private railway or subway runs all night.

When should I visit a big shrine such as Meiji Jingu at New Year? From 4 January 2027, when the holiday ends and most people are back at work (our judgement). If you want the atmosphere of hatsumōde itself, the early morning of 2 or 3 January is calmer than midnight on 31 December or the daytime on 1 January (our judgement).

Put four things in your calendar now: the regular 10:00 JST one-month release for JR reserved seats, or the operator's own booking time for other trains; a cash withdrawal on 29 or 30 December; any parcels or bank errands before 29 December; and a reminder in early December to check JR East's New Year's Eve train plan and your hotel's restaurant hours for 31 December and 1 January.

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Sources last reviewed: 19 October 2026.

1. e-Gov, Act on Holidays of Administrative Organs (行政機関の休日に関する法律): https://elaws.e-gov.go.jp/document?lawid=363AC0000000091
2. e-Gov, Banking Act Enforcement Order (銀行法施行令), article 5: https://elaws.e-gov.go.jp/document?lawid=357CO0000000040
3. JR Central and JR West, Nozomi all reserved-seat periods for fiscal 2026 and booking times: https://railway.jr-central.co.jp/nozomi/
4. JR East, New Year's Eve all-night trains 2025–26 (Japanese): https://media.jreast.co.jp/articles/5331
5. Seven Bank, foreign-issued cards and service hours (Japanese): https://www.sevenbank.co.jp/intlcard/card.html
6. MUFG Bank, branch closing days including 31 December–3 January (FAQ, Japanese): https://faq01.bk.mufg.jp/faq/show/813. MUFG's year-end notice of 4 December 2025 (PDF), which we read on 12 October 2026, is no longer online; the 2026–27 notice is normally published in early December.
7. GO TOKYO (Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau), Meiji Jingu hatsumōde (Japanese): https://www.gotokyo.org/jp/kanko/shibuya/event/meijijingu_hatsumode.html
8. Ministry of the Environment, Shinjuku Gyoen admission and opening days (Japanese): https://policies.env.go.jp/national-garden/shinjukugyoen/guide/information/
9. Fashionsnap, January 2026 department store first-sale dates (trade press, secondary): https://www.fashionsnap.com/article/2026-new-year-sale/
10. Sapporo City, Ordinance on City Holidays (札幌市の休日を定める条例), article 1 (Japanese): https://www.city.sapporo.jp/ncms/reiki/d1w_reiki_nonframe/H402901010023/H402901010023_j.html
11. Meiji Jingu, New Year (hatsumōde) opening hours 2025–26 (Japanese): https://www.meijijingu.or.jp/hatsumoude/

The rules in this guide come from the official pages below. Japan, Booked. does not book or submit requests on your behalf.

• e-Gov, Act on Holidays of Administrative Organs (行政機関の休日に関する法律)
• e-Gov, Banking Act Enforcement Order (銀行法施行令), article 5
• JR Central and JR West, Nozomi all reserved-seat periods for fiscal 2026 and booking times
• JR East, New Year's Eve all-night trains 2025–26 (Japanese)
• Seven Bank, foreign-issued cards and service hours (Japanese)
• MUFG Bank, branch closing days including 31 December–3 January (FAQ, Japanese)
• GO TOKYO (Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau), Meiji Jingu hatsumōde (Japanese)
• Ministry of the Environment, Shinjuku Gyoen admission and opening days (Japanese)
• Sapporo City, Ordinance on City Holidays (札幌市の休日を定める条例), article 1 (Japanese)
• Meiji Jingu: New Year opening hours 2025–26