Golden Week
It’s the first week in May and this year that corresponds with Japans GOLDEN WEEK! Golden Week is a week filled with holidays and normally when most (not all) businesses take time off. So what does Golden Week look like here?
Lets start with the NEGATIVES:
Traffic, everyone and their family are out. Roads are packed and what normally takes 20 - 30 minutes now takes at least an hour.
Crowds, everywhere you go, there are people. And people there with a purpose, so finding space to park, to sit, to eat, etc, is difficult.
Now for the POSITIVES:
People get to enjoy life and their personal time
It’s nice to see families and others enjoy businesses that are open and help revitalize the economy.
As someone who technically follows the USA calendar of Holidays having an entire week dedicated to being “OFF” is not something I think i’ll ever experience; less of course my experiences with Covid-19 lockdowns.
Overall Golden Week is an amazing time for everyone to wind-down from the hustle and bustle of day to day life in Japan. People here work far harder then they really should so its nice to know they take time for themselves.
As a tourist, I HIGHLY recommend NOT coming here during Japans Golden Week (and the week before and after). The inbound and outbound flights will be heavy during the week prior and after due to Japanese families vacationing. Another aspect is ALL the attractions, sightseeing, etc; will be jammed packed. If you’re a seasoned visitor to Japan then maybe you want to experience what it’s like here so give it a go. But for those first timers…. I recommend pushing back the date a little.
The family across our driveway (our neighbor) has been having family bbq’s and it’s so nice to see them enjoying one another.
In any case; Japan during Golden Week vs. Japan Regularly are two very different creatures. You’l have to choose which beast you’ll want to explore!
Until the next one!
