Japanese holidays against Dubai’s calendar.
If you plan a Dubai trip for a Japanese tour company, a club or a family group, your dates come from the Japanese holiday list and have to fit the UAE calendar. This page takes the official Japanese holidays from November 2026 to Golden Week 2027 and sets them beside the expected Ramadan and Eid dates and the monthly heat in Dubai. It is a dated planner, and the UAE dates for 2027 are forecasts.
What the Japanese list says
The Cabinet Office of Japan publishes the national holiday list for 2026 and 2027. We took the dates from that list and worked out the weekdays ourselves. Obon is not an official holiday and is not on the list, so we do not give dates for it. There is also no cluster of holidays in September 2027 that works like the old Silver Week, because 20 and 23 September are separated.
The UAE side is less fixed. The UAE government says the Islamic holidays follow moon sighting, and the dates we give for Ramadan and Eid in 2027 are forecasts reported by The National and Gulf News. Read every one as expected, subject to moon sighting.
Planning this trip? Tell us the date and group size for a fixed price.
Get a quoteThe numbers: holidays against the UAE calendar
The first table lists the official Japanese holidays that make a long weekend or a longer break. The right-hand column sets each one against the UAE calendar. UAE dates for 2027 are expected dates only.
| Japanese holiday | Date and break | Against the UAE calendar |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Thanksgiving Day | Monday 23 November 2026, so Saturday 21 to Monday 23 | Normal UAE working week. National Day follows on 2 and 3 December |
| New Year’s Day | Friday 1 January 2027 | A UAE public holiday too |
| Coming of Age Day | Monday 11 January 2027, so Saturday 9 to Monday 11 | Dubai winter season |
| National Foundation Day | Thursday 11 February 2027 | Ramadan is expected to have begun on about 8 February |
| Emperor’s Birthday | Tuesday 23 February 2027 | Ramadan, expected |
| Vernal Equinox Day | Sunday 21 March 2027, with Monday 22 as the substitute, so Saturday 20 to Monday 22 | About a week after the expected Eid Al Fitr |
| Golden Week | Thursday 29 April, then Monday 3 to Wednesday 5 May. Friday 30 April is a normal weekday | Eid Al Adha is expected about 15 to 18 May |
Later in 2027 the list shows Marine Day on Monday 19 July, Mountain Day on Wednesday 11 August, Sports Day on Monday 11 October and Culture Day on Wednesday 3 November. Those months are hot or just cooling, so check the monthly averages above before you pick one.
The UAE calendar around those dates
The National and Gulf News both report that Ramadan 2027 is expected to begin on about 8 February and to last 29 or 30 days, with Eid Al Fitr expected on 9 or 10 March. The UAE government rule gives Eid Al Fitr three days, plus a fourth if Ramadan has 30 days, so the break is expected to run from 9 to 11 or 9 to 12 March. Gulf News adds an expected four-day Arafah Day and Eid Al Adha break of about 15 to 18 May.
The UAE government says taxis can be hard to find in the evening in Ramadan, because many drivers are breaking the fast, and suggests booking ahead. It also says attractions stay open. The Roads and Transport Authority announces holiday service hours only a few days before: its Eid Al Fitr 2026 notice came on 16 March for a holiday that began on 19 March. We found no hours for 2027, and we will not guess them.
Heat gives a second filter. The older long-term averages from the UAE National Center of Meteorology, shown by the WMO, give a mean daily high of 30.5 C in November, 24.0 C in January, 24.6 C in February, 27.9 C in March, 36.8 C in May and 40.6 C in July. They are averages, not forecasts. Our summer pacing guide shows how a hot day is split.
What we could not source
We did not source flight times, hotel demand or any price, and we give none. We found no rule for coach stops or station forecourts. Check the organiser’s notices before you book anything tied to an event, and if the dates change we adjust a quote.
Planning a window: an example
This is an example only. Say a club of twenty wants the Vernal Equinox weekend, 20 to 22 March 2027. The expected Eid Al Fitr break will have ended about a week earlier, and the mean daily high for March is 27.9 C. They would arrive on Friday 19 March, which gives two full days and a departure on Monday 22 March.
Golden Week is a different shape. From Thursday 29 April to Wednesday 5 May is seven days if the group takes Friday 30 April off. The Arabian Travel Market trade show is listed for 3 to 6 May at the Dubai World Trade Centre, and the month is already warm, with a mean high of 36.8 C in May. A group in that week should ask about vehicles early.
Time matters for booking. Japan is 5 hours ahead of the UAE all year, because neither country changes its clocks. A 09:00 call in Tokyo is 04:00 in Dubai, so allow for that when you call. Our time difference guide has the full table.
Pages for your group
For arrivals, our big group arrival guide explains the airport side, and our Japanese-language page for tour conductors covers the same ground. The Dubai stopover tour suits a break in a longer journey. For the winter season, see New Year’s Eve in Dubai with a group and the Dubai Shopping Festival plan. Our peak season guide explains why winter dates go early.
Choosing the vehicle
Count heads and bags first. Our guide figures:
- Mercedes V-Class: up to 7 passengers and 6 bags.
- 13-seater HiAce: up to 13 passengers and about 10 suitcases.
- Mercedes Sprinter: up to 16 passengers and up to 12 suitcases.
- 30-seater mini coach and 50-seater coach for larger groups.
We supply the vehicle and a driver. A licensed guide can be arranged for a fee: ask when you request a quote.
How a booked vehicle fits
- Send the plan. Dates, hotel area, party size, flights and the days you need a vehicle.
- Ask for a fixed written quote. Nothing is charged until you confirm.
- Read the meeting and drop-off arrangement. The quote states it, and we update it when plans or notices change.
- Agree the return time. We plan the margin and tell you what is not yet published.
- Tell us if plans change. We adjust where we can, and cannot promise to beat queues or traffic.
Keep reading
- Australian school holidays 2026 to 2027 and Dubai: Victorian school holidays from December 2026 to October 2027 laid against Dubai’s calendar: Ramadan, Easter, the shopping festival, older average temperatures and the time difference.
- European school breaks vs Ramadan and Eid 2027: German, Dutch and UK holiday dates from December 2026 to April 2027 set against the expected dates of Ramadan, Eid Al Fitr and Easter in Dubai.
- Eid Al Fitr 2027 in Dubai: group transfers: Eid Al Fitr 2027 in Dubai: the holiday rule, the dates expected so far, what the RTA changed for Eid in 2026, and how to book a group trip around a date that moves with the moon.
- UAE National Day 2026 plan for visitors: The National Day dates, what is still unannounced, what ran in 2025 and how a visiting group can plan a Dubai break around 2 and 3 December.
- Family holiday in Dubai: A family week in Dubai: which days a van with a driver earns its place, which days taxis or the Metro are fine, and a simple way to work out the cost.
- Ramadan 2027 in Dubai: group transport: Ramadan 2027 in Dubai is expected to start around 8 February. What the UAE government says changes for visitors, last year’s RTA hours as a precedent, and how to plan transfers.
Frequently asked.
Quick answers for this trip.
When is the next Japanese long weekend I can use for Dubai?
The Cabinet Office list gives Labour Thanksgiving Day on Monday 23 November 2026, so Saturday 21 to Monday 23 November is a three-day weekend. After that come New Year’s Day on Friday 1 January 2027 and Coming of Age Day on Monday 11 January.
When is Golden Week 2027?
The list shows Showa Day on Thursday 29 April, then Constitution Day, Greenery Day and Children’s Day on Monday 3, Tuesday 4 and Wednesday 5 May 2027. Friday 30 April is a normal weekday.
When does Ramadan start in 2027?
It is expected to begin on about 8 February 2027 and to last 29 or 30 days, subject to moon sighting. The dates are forecasts reported by The National and Gulf News.
When is Eid Al Fitr in 2027?
It is expected on 9 or 10 March 2027, subject to moon sighting. The UAE holiday is expected to run 9 to 11 March, or 9 to 12 March if Ramadan has 30 days.
Does Eid Al Adha clash with Golden Week?
No. Golden Week ends on 5 May 2027. Eid Al Adha is expected about 15 to 18 May, which is a forecast.
What is the time difference between Japan and the UAE?
Japan is 5 hours ahead of the UAE all year, because neither changes its clocks.
Is Obon an official holiday?
No. Obon is not on the Cabinet Office list, so we give no dates for it.
How do I get a price?
Ask for a fixed written quote through the booking form with the dates, hotel area, party size and flights. Nothing is charged until you confirm.
Pick the holiday, then fix the vehicle.
Two questions now, a fixed price in your inbox shortly after.