Golden Week
Today marks the start of Golden Week in Japan, basically a week where several public holidays align. Sounds pretty awesome, right!? When The Snow Concierge lived in Japan, we thought it was the best! If you’re visiting over this time, it’s worth knowing that it’s also one of the busiest weeks in the Japanese calendar with many people visiting family or choosing to travel domestically and abroad.
The Japanese don’t get a whole lot of holidays (averaging 10 days per year vs. 20 days in Australia) so the opportunity to take four (or, if the stars align, five) extra days off in a row each year means that airports, trains and holiday hot spots can get pretty rammed. But it also means that there are loads of fun events to participate in, just be aware that accommodation and travel prices will likely be higher than normal.
Even Japanese residents can get caught short as local bank and post office ATMs shut over the period (yes, you read that right, not just branches but ATMs as well, which can be a serious issue given many parts of Japan are still very cash based!) Thankfully, foreign visitors can always rely on 7-Eleven ATMs to withdraw cash.
So, what are the public holidays being observed?
29th April is Showa Day celebrating the birthday of Emperor Showa (Japan’s prior Emperor)
3rd May is Constitution Day recognising the day the new Japanese Constitution came into effect
4th May is Greenery Day, a day dedicated to nature and the environment
5th May is Children’s Day, honouring and respecting children
If you find yourself in Japan over this period, you’ll find many awesome events and festivals happening no matter where you are. Sure, you may have to queue a little to join in but in Japan, sometimes that’s half the fun!
