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JAPAN
Opening
Hours & Festivals
Business hours are generally Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm, though
private companies often close much later in the evening and may
also open on Saturday mornings. Department stores and bigger shops
tend to open around 10am and shut at 7pm or 8pm, with no break for
lunch. Local shops, however, will generally stay open later, while
many convenience stores are open 24 hours. Most shops will take
one day off a week, not necessarily on a Sunday.
Banks open on weekdays from 9am to 3pm, and close on Saturdays,
Sundays and national holidays. Post offices tend to work 9am to
5pm on weekdays, closing at weekends and also on national holidays,
though a few open on Saturdays from 9am to 3pm. Central post offices,
on the other hand, stay open till 7pm in the evening, open on Saturdays
from 9am to 5pm and on Sundays and holidays from 9am to 12.30pm.
Larger offices are also likely to operate an after-hours service
for parcels and express mail, sometimes up to 24 hours at major
post offices.
The majority of museums close on a Monday, but stay open on Sundays
and national holidays; last entry is normally thirty minutes before
closing. There's almost invariably an admission charge to museums
and other tourist sights. In the Guide we give the cost of an adult
entry ticket; school-age children and students usually get reduced
rates, which may be up to half the adult price.
While most museums and department stores stay open on national holidays
, they usually take the following day off instead. However, during
the New Year festival (January 1-4), Golden Week (April 29-May 5)
and Obon (the week around August 15), almost everything shuts down.
Around these periods every form of transport and accommodation will
be booked out weeks in advance, and all major tourist spots will
be besieged. |
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