Public holidays, school breaks and regional choices

A joint report by Online Resort × Enjourney
Editorial update: 9 November 2026 JST | Forward travel window: December 2026–May 2027

Statistical periods, release stages and the scope of rules and calendars are stated below. Japanese event and sales times are JST; origin-market holidays use the local calendar.

Year-end school holidays, Lunar New Year and the March break create different dates to consider. This Singapore edition separates public holidays from an individual school's calendar and explores regional stays through food, nature and hot springs. September arrivals and third-quarter spending provide context for events from December 2026 to May 2027 and decisions that precede the travel month.

Booking dates to put on the calendar now

• If the January Tokyo itinerary includes sumo, note the 5 December advance-sale opening. The January tournament runs from 10–24 January 2027. Verify the desired day, seat type and sales route; the published tournament dates do not guarantee a seat. Japan Sumo Association

• For April’s Miyako Odori, connect the itinerary to the 6 January, 10:00 JST scheduled ticket release. Performances run from 1–30 April 2027. Identify the desired date and performance, then verify ticket types and booking conditions. Gion Kobu Kabukai

December 2026–May 2027 | Travel and booking dates

Base calendar checked on 4 November 2026, with additions on 5 November and targeted updates on 9 November. Record-level check dates are retained. Japanese event and ticket-sale times are JST; origin-market holidays use local calendar dates.

Looking from December 2026 through May 2027, we pair confirmed Japan-side event dates with Singapore calendars. A public holiday can help frame possible travel dates; it does not measure Japan-bound demand or mean that everyone has the same leave.

The Singapore Ministry of Manpower's 2027 calendar lists 6 and 7 February for Chinese New Year and 8 February as another public holiday. Hari Raya Puasa on 10 March, Good Friday on 26 March, and the public holidays on 1, 17 and 20 May are separate dates; the intervening days are not automatically leave. Changkat Primary School's calendar shows breaks from 13 to 21 March and from 29 May to 27 June. The school also lists 9 February and 3 May as school closures in lieu of public holidays. Keep school closures separate from the public-holiday calendar and check the actual school and employer involved.

Sapporo deserves a closer look. The art festival's main period runs from 16 January to 21 February, but some venues start earlier or close on particular days. Some of its 11 venues are free and others are ticketed. The 15 January advance deadline applies to the Sapporo Citizens Gallery online ticket, not every venue. The Snow Festival itself runs from 4 to 11 February; its associated Snow Sports Park follows on 12–14 February. Keep those periods separate when choosing a particular work or venue. Venue-specific festival tickets · Snow Festival announcement

March offers a precise calendar overlap. The cited primary school's break runs from 13 to 21 March, while GREEN×EXPO opens on the 19th. That leaves three overlapping dates, 19–21 March, for this school only; neither attendance nor travel follows from the overlap. The expo requires a visit date and time reservation after ticket purchase, and shuttle buses or parking may involve separate reservations. Official ticket guidance

The same school's mid-year break starts on 29 May and continues through 27 June. In the next issue, we will check school-specific calendars and updates to ticketing and venue closures. These dates cannot predict flowers, snowfall or remaining ticket inventory.

A named school calendar for December

For December family itineraries, Mayflower Primary School’s 2026 calendar lists an end-of-year break from 21 November to 31 December. Treat this as the named school’s published calendar and confirm the traveller’s actual school and parents’ leave. Published calendar

Booking GREEN×EXPO for a group itinerary

Early-bird one-day tickets went on sale on 19 March 2026, with sales ending on 18 March 2027. Admission date/time reservations and shuttle or parking bookings are separate. Coaches need advance bookings for the north or west parking areas; do not arrange roadside drop-off or pick-up around the venue. Direct buses from Haneda Airport and other hubs remain in planning. Treat them as unconfirmed transport until timetables, fares and booking methods are published. Organiser’s sales announcement Official tickets Access information

General groups require at least 15 visitors entering together, excluding the escort. The general-group discount ticket requires at least 15 users of that ticket type. The full-reservation deadline is 10 days before the day preceding the visit for general groups, or 30 days for school groups. Confirmation by linking ticket IDs must be completed four days before the visit. Website cancellation is unavailable after full-reservation approval; confirmed general-group bookings cannot be changed, cancelled or refunded. School groups have a limited exception for unavoidable reductions in pupil numbers. Check the headcount and each deadline with the authorised seller. Group-booking FAQ

Kyoto experiences with specific dates and booking conditions

Fukujuen Kyoto’s tea-making experience and tea-inspired French lunch are listed for 3, 10 and 17 December 2026, and 7, 14, 21 and 28 January 2027, from 11:15 to around 14:00. Each session has six places, with a booking cut-off four days in advance. Booking is online only, with advance card payment; telephone reservations are not accepted. These are separate session dates, not a continuous season. Confirm dietary accommodation, the guiding language, interpreter accompaniment and remaining places with the provider. Kyoto’s official tourism site: Fukujuen

Daikakuji’s special Shoshinden visit and sutra-copying experience at Teikokan are listed for 20 and 27 February 2027, 10:00–12:00. Each session is limited to 24 participants and requires booking at least five days in advance. Choose this religious-cultural experience according to the participants’ interests and wishes, and confirm the guiding language, interpreter accompaniment and availability. These two listings do not verify the full cultural-property opening programme for the 61st Kyoto Winter Journey. Kyoto’s official tourism site: Daikakuji

Market evidence | Arrivals, expenditure and reference periods

The Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) estimates 43,000 visitor arrivals in its Singapore nationality series in September 2026, up 6.2% year on year and the highest September count on record. The January–September total was 472,000, up 9.6%. Across all source markets, September arrivals fell 5.0% year on year, so Singapore moved in a different direction from the aggregate. JNTO names a school holiday, the December 2025 resumption of the Singapore–Naha route, and continuing interest in Japan among the factors behind the September figure. It also notes the effect of higher airfares. These are arrivals across purposes of visit, not a count of holidaymakers or of November bookings. Source: JNTO, September 2026 preliminary arrivals, released 21 October 2026.

The Japan Tourism Agency’s first preliminary estimate for July–September 2026 puts travel expenditure in Japan by visitors in the Singapore nationality category at ¥23.6 billion, 33.4% higher than a year earlier. Spending per non-cruise visitor was ¥254,774, up 21.7%. Within that per-person figure, accommodation accounted for ¥97,798, food and drink ¥59,265, and shopping ¥63,112. Average stay for the same non-cruise group was 8.4 nights, 3.1 nights shorter than a year earlier. The table alone does not establish why spending and length of stay moved in opposite directions. These are quarterly averages, not a November budget or a statement about every visitor. Source: Japan Tourism Agency, Inbound Consumption Trends Survey, July–September 2026 first preliminary estimate, released 21 October 2026.

The same survey separates non-cruise visitors by purpose. Source: Japan Tourism Agency, July–September 2026 first preliminary purpose-specific table.

Equal average stays do not imply equal spending. Neither quarterly average is a November result or an individual holiday price.

Spending allocation and traveller profile

Statistics rechecked on 4 November 2026. The source is the Japan Tourism Agency (JTA) July–September 2026 first preliminary survey. This entry covers general visitors classified under the Singapore nationality/region category, travelling for tourism and leisure; the survey-defined cruise category is excluded. It does not count departures from that country or region or November bookings. Spending is nominal JPY per person per trip and includes estimated domestic-Japan spending within package-tour payments. International passenger fares paid to Japanese airlines and shipping companies are excluded. JTA 2026 workbook

Compare spending and stays within the same trip-purpose group

Tourism/leisure spending was JPY 264,837, +20.6% year on year (the published JTA rate), with an average stay of 8.4 nights. The unweighted respondent counts were 90 in 2025 and 82 in 2026 (fewer than 100; small sample). Mean nights include same-day, zero-night visits. 2025 final workbook 2026 first-preliminary workbook JTA summary

For all trip purposes, including business and visiting relatives, the 2026 estimate was JPY 254,774, +21.7% year on year, and 8.4 nights on average. This is a different respondent group; its mean is not an individual leisure traveller’s budget. JTA summary

Sample caution: Fewer than 100 tourism/leisure respondents were recorded for this market. Means and categories do not establish market-wide willingness to pay.

Six spending categories: the two comparable quarters

The total year-on-year percentage is published by JTA. Category changes are editorial calculations from the two workbooks, not a published category-growth series; 2026 shares are published workbook values. Changes were calculated before rounding, so subtracting the two displayed yen amounts can differ from the displayed change by about one yen. Rounded rows may also differ from the rounded total by a few yen. These nominal comparisons do not isolate inflation, exchange rates, stay length or traveller composition. 2025 workbook 2026 workbook

Selected purchases, with their respondent counts

The purchase rate is a weighted share. The purchaser count is unweighted; dividing it by the market sample does not reproduce the rate. The conditional mean is spending among purchasers, not the price of one product or willingness to pay. These purchase measures concern spending during the Japan visit and differ from the package-inclusive six-category figures above. Mean purchaser spending is withheld below 30 purchasers; * marks 30–99 purchasers. This is an editorial caution, not an official significance test. JTA Reference Table 5

Traveller composition

These are separate questions; do not multiply the rates into an unreported joint group. The website-application item in questionnaire E3 concerns tour products or international return air/sea tickets, not all hotel and activity bookings. “Individually arranged” does not mean every component was booked directly by the traveller. JTA Reference Table 4 Questionnaire E3

Planning implication (editorial proposal): Ask the traveller how accommodation, dining and shopping fit into the whole-trip budget, and place any regional stay around existing city and departure plans. The leisure sample contains 82 respondents and the guide-purchaser subset is much smaller. Set guide prices from the actual service, party, duration, costs and quote response, not the survey's conditional mean.

Timing: July–September 2025 is final; the same quarter in 2026 is first preliminary and subject to revision. Any 2024 regional analysis above is historical context, not evidence of Q3 2026 or November behaviour. Statistics rechecked on 4 November 2026.

Foreign guest-nights in August 2026: top five prefectures

Second preliminary release, published 30 October. Classification is by nationality/origin, covering establishments with 20 or more rooms. The national total for this market is 117,520 guest-nights.

Shares use the same market, month and facility scope and are rounded to one decimal. ＊ marks an estimated standard error rate of at least 30%. Guest-nights are not unique people, rooms, November bookings or available inventory. Rounding can prevent prefecture sums from matching the national total. The stratification basis changed in January 2026. JTA source, Reference Table 1 (August) · Release

Interests and individual requirements

JNTO’s 2026 market strategy treats Singapore as a market with substantial repeat-visit experience and identifies food, nature and hot springs as themes to present. Its school-holiday focus applies particularly to a family-and-relatives segment defined in the strategy; it does not describe every Singaporean traveller. For a November enquiry, first ask about previous visits, destinations already seen, the travellers’ own school calendar and actual travel dates. Ask each person about food and bathing preferences. If a traveller requests halal arrangements, disclose the restaurant’s certification status, ingredients, seasonings and preparation arrangements, and ask whether prayer space or timing matters. A school calendar helps check an individual itinerary; it does not predict demand or remaining places. For a regional restaurant, verify its menu, hours and reservation requirements with the venue. Bathing conditions vary by facility, so share those details with the party members who actually wish to use an onsen. JNTO 2026 strategy · JTA food and reception guide

Shopping from November | The payment and refund sequence

Eligible tax-free sales moved to the refund method for purchases made from 1 November 2026. An eligible purchaser pays the tax-inclusive price at an authorised tax-free shop, obtains customs confirmation on departure within 90 days counted from the day after purchase, and then receives the consumption-tax equivalent from the retailer or its refund provider. The purchase date determines the changeover, not the date of entry. The usual threshold is at least JPY 5,000 excluding tax in eligible purchases by the same person at the same shop on the same day, subject to the applicable rules. Nationality alone does not establish purchaser eligibility. National Tax Agency, rules as at 1 November 2026

Goods consumed during the trip and goods carried out of Japan need careful handling. Customs checks operate at purchase-record level, normally corresponding to one sale or receipt. If any eligible item in that record is missing at the check, the other items in the same record cannot receive confirmation either. The shop can explain how the purchases are recorded. National Tax Agency, refund-method explanation

Complete the process before checking in the goods as baggage. For a domestic-to-international connection, customs confirmation takes place at the final airport of departure from Japan. Check baggage collection and re-checking arrangements with the airline and allow for a possible inspection. The official guidance does not allow checked baggage to be retrieved simply to complete the tax-free process. Japan Tourism Agency, traveller guidance

At Narita, Haneda, Kansai, Chubu, Fukuoka, New Chitose and Naha, the Visit Japan Web online procedure is available within designated international-departure lobby areas connected to the dedicated wireless network. This online route is limited to people with Temporary Visitor, Diplomat or Official status of residence; Japanese nationals cannot use it. Tax-free purchasing eligibility and eligibility for this online route are different conditions. A request for inspection still requires attendance at customs, and completion of the customs procedure does not mean the refund has arrived. Japan Tourism Agency, eligibility and location National Tax Agency, online-procedure FAQ

Refund methods, timing and contact details depend on the shop or refund provider. Budget for the tax-inclusive payment separately from the expected refund. July–September spending predates the new system and cannot demonstrate its effect on shopping. National Tax Agency, sales and refund procedure

If a purchase record is wrong or missing. Contact the shop about incorrect details. A missing record may still be awaiting transmission by the shop; allow some time or ask the shop to check. National Tax Agency FAQ Q3-3/Q3-4 As a practical recommendation, travel companies can retain the shop and refund provider's contact details in the traveller's documents.

What the next edition will update

The December edition will move the travel window to January–June 2027. It will recheck the overlapping January–May dates, sales conditions and holiday eligibility, add June, and identify the reference period and release stage of any new statistics. Newly verified dates, changed conditions and closed applications will be distinguished in the update record.

Release availability checked on 9 November. October arrival estimates are scheduled for 18 November at 16:15 JST, and the second preliminary July–September inbound-spending release for 24 December. Check the actual released tables, including whether a separate market category is present, before updating. Planned release dates are not already-published results. JNTO schedule JTA schedule

September first-preliminary accommodation totals are already available, but this report’s nationality-by-prefecture comparison uses August second-preliminary figures for establishments with at least 20 guest rooms. September second-preliminary results are scheduled for 30 November. JTA / 観光庁・宿泊統計 公表予定 / Release schedule