Your company calendar marks a Japanese public holiday, but are you actually off work? Check the employer’s 会社カレンダー or your personal シフト first. A national holiday does not automatically become a day off for every employee. The calendar, employment terms and any later schedule change tell you which days you are expected to work.
Words on a Japanese work calendar
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning and what to check |
|---|---|---|
| 会社カレンダー・年間カレンダー | kaisha karendā / nenkan karendā | Company / yearly work calendar; check its applicable year and team. |
| 営業日・稼働日 | eigyo-bi / kadō-bi | Business / operating day; your own shift may still differ. |
| 休業日・会社休日 | kyūgyō-bi / kaisha kyūjitsu | Business closure / company day off. |
| 所定休日 | shotei kyūjitsu | Day off set by the employer beyond or alongside the statutory holiday; ask HR how it is designated. |
| 法定休日 | hōtei kyūjitsu | Statutory weekly holiday under labor law; it matters when work on a holiday is assessed. |
| 祝日・振替休日 | shukujitsu / furikae kyūjitsu | National holiday / substitute public holiday in the national calendar; check whether your workplace observes it. |
| 出勤日・休日出勤 | shukkin-bi / kyūjitsu shukkin | Scheduled workday / work on a designated day off. |
| 振替出勤・振替休日 | furikae shukkin / furikae kyūjitsu | A shifted workday / shifted day off in a company schedule; context matters because 振替休日 can also mean a substitute national holiday. |
| 代休 | daikyū | A day off given after work on a day off; differs from an advance holiday swap. |
| 年次有給休暇・有休 | nenji yūkyū kyūka / yūkyū | Annual paid leave; usually a separate leave balance and request process. |
| 年末年始休業・夏季休業 | nenmatsu-nenshi kyūgyō / kaki kyūgyō | Year-end/New Year or summer closure; dates and treatment vary by employer. |
Check a date without guessing
- Choose the right calendar. Check the year, department, location and version date. A draft schedule or public holiday calendar may not be your final work roster.
- Find your employment pattern. Your written working conditions may say fixed weekdays, shift work or holidays determined by a company calendar. Our working conditions notice guide helps with the relevant labels.
- Look at the particular date. Read whether it says 出勤日, 休日, 休業日 or a team-specific shift code. If you are on a roster, compare the individual shift schedule too.
- Check changes. A later message may announce a swap or temporary opening. Save the updated notice, and ask which version controls your own schedule.
- Ask about leave separately. If it is a scheduled workday and you want it off, use the employer’s leave process. See our paid leave request guide.
The Tokyo Labour Bureau’s holiday Q&A explains that the law on national holidays does not itself require a company to give each employee those days off. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare explains the separate statutory baseline: at least one day off each week or four days over four weeks. Your actual agreed days may be more generous and must be checked in your employment documents and company rules.
Useful questions to HR or a manager
Is the public holiday a workday for me?
来月の［日付］は祝日ですが、私の勤務日は会社カレンダーどおりでよろしいでしょうか。
Next month’s [date] is a public holiday. Should I follow the company calendar for my workday?
Which calendar applies?
勤務日を確認したいのですが、私の部署に適用される最新の会社カレンダーを教えていただけますか。
I’d like to check my workdays. Could you tell me which current company calendar applies to my department?
A day has changed:
［日付］が出勤日に変更されたと伺いました。代わりの休日と申請方法を確認させてください。
I heard [date] was changed to a workday. Could I confirm the replacement day off and the procedure?
Two meanings of 振替休日
On a national calendar, 振替休日 can refer to a substitute public holiday when a national holiday falls on Sunday; see the Cabinet Office explanation. In a workplace message, it can instead refer to a day off moved in advance in exchange for working on an originally scheduled holiday. The MHLW explanation of holiday swaps and compensatory days distinguishes a prearranged swap from 代休 granted after holiday work. Because pay treatment depends on the facts and the kind of day, ask payroll or HR which date is designated as the statutory holiday and how the change is recorded.
A red date on a phone calendar is a useful reminder of a public holiday, but your workplace calendar and personal schedule answer whether you are due to work. Confirm unclear dates before booking travel or assuming a paid day off.
