盆休(ぼんやす)み

ぼんやすみ
noun
Obon holidays; summer holiday around the Bon festival
1. Obon holidays; summer break around the Bon festival
The mid-August holiday period centered on the Buddhist お盆(ぼん) festival honoring ancestral spirits, during which many businesses close and people return to their hometowns.
盆休(ぼんやす)みは実家(じっか)に帰(かえ)る。
I go back to my parents' home for Obon.
今年(ことし)の盆休(ぼんやす)みは一週間(いっしゅうかん)ある。
This year we have a week off for Obon.
盆休(ぼんやす)みの時期(じき)は帰省(きせい)ラッシュ(らっしゅ)で新幹線(しんかんせん)も高速道路(こうそくどうろ)も大(おお)混雑(こんざつ)する。
During the Obon holiday period, both the Shinkansen and the expressways get extremely crowded with returning travelers.

Compound of 盆(ぼん) (the Bon festival) + 休(やす)み (rest, holiday). Centers on August 13–16 in most of Japan.

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • 盆休(ぼんやす)みに入(はい)る: to begin the Obon holiday
  • 盆休(ぼんやす)み中(ちゅう): during the Obon holidays
  • 盆休(ぼんやす)みの帰省(きせい): returning home for Obon
  • 盆休(ぼんやす)み明(あ)け: just after the Obon holidays

CULTURAL CONTEXT:
Unlike 正月(しょうがつ) (New Year) and ゴールデンウィーク (Golden Week), 盆休(ぼんやす)み is not a legally mandated holiday — its length varies by company, usually 3 to 7 days. Despite this, it is one of Japan's three major travel periods, with massive congestion on highways and bullet trains.

SIMILAR WORDS:

  • お盆(ぼん): the Obon festival itself — the religious observance rather than the work holiday
  • 夏(なつ)休(やす)み: summer vacation — broader, especially used for school summer break
general
Added 2026.5.28 12:07
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