Japan's Golden Week is a cluster of national holidays that takes place every year in spring. "Golden Week" was first used in 1951 to describe this period of consecutive holidays. The series of holidays starts with Showa Day on April 29, which honors the birthday of the former Emperor Showa, followed by Constitution Memorial Day on May 3, Greenery Day on May 4, and Children's Day on May 5.
Golden Week is a time when most people take time off from work to travel, visit their families or engage in leisure activities. It is arguably one of three special weeks (Golden Week, Obon, and New Years) when Japanese are allowed to actually take days off from work without a guilt trip. Therefore, it is also one of the busiest travel seasons in Japan, and popular tourist destinations are very crowded during this time.
If you plan to drive anywhere during Golden Week, plan to leave early and spend a lot of time in traffic. Especially returning to large metropolitan areas, the highways will be bumper to bumper traffic. Trains are also packed most days. It begs the question, what is "golden" about Golden Week?
Luckily, I have the freedom to choose my vacation time and can avoid the most crowded holidays. I prefer to stay home during Golden Week and enjoy my garden and relax with friends. What are your plans for Golden Week?
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