The beginning of Golden Week calls for…..a post on Golden Week!

What is it exactly? Well…..in Japan, around this time we have consecutive public holidays as follows.

April 29th – Showa Day (昭和の日・しょうわのひ・Showa no hi)
May 3rd – Constitution Memorial Day (憲法記念日・けんぽうきねんび・Kenpo kinenbi)
May 4th – Greenery Day (みどりの日・みどりのひ・Midori no hi)
May 5th – Children’s Day (こどもの日・こどものひ・Kodomo no hi)

Many Japanese people effectively use their paid time off before and after these public holidays so that they will have a longer break. This is what we call Golden Week.

Golden Week along with the New Year holiday in January and the Obon holiday in August is probably the only time an average working Japanese person can enjoy a nice vacation. However, it can be difficult to plan a getaway because during this time, hotel prices and flight tickets to popular destinations soar to more than twice the usual amount and even if you can afford to go somewhere, it will probably be fully booked. Luckily, most stores, especially in big cities, continue to run to cater to those who decide to remain at home.

A few years ago, the Japanese government along with big Japanese companies started to consider shifting the period of Golden Week according to region. However, since there has not been any news coverage on this this year, it seems they have not come to a conclusion yet.

What will you be doing during Golden Week this year?

There are plenty of events within the Kanto region for those of you staying at home. Why not check one out?

• Cinco de Mayo Festival in Yoyogi Park
• Food Nations Meat Festival in Komazawa Olympic Park
• Zushi Beach Film Festival in Zushi
• Hawaii Festival in Odaiba
• Aloha Natural Hawaiian Beer Garden in Ikebukuro