What is Golden Week?

The term “Golden Week” refers to a block of four national holidays which fall within seven days. The well-timed placement of these national holidays creates a “golden week” of vacation days that span from the end of April until early May.

The national holidays that make up this week include:

• Showa Day (April 29): The birthday of former Emperor Showa, who passed away in 1989.
• Constitution Day (May 3): A holiday commemorating the post-war constitution, which came into effect on this day in 1947.
• Greenery Day (May 4): A day dedicated to nature created due to Emperor Showa’s love of plants and greenery.
• Children’s Day (May 5): Also known as “Boy’s Day”, a celebration of young men. All around Japan, individual families and towns hang up carp streamers and display samurai dolls to pray for the health and prosperity of boys.

The Golden Week holiday is usually broken into a 3-day and 4-day block. However, many people often take the remainder of the days off, creating a 9-day long holiday. Due to this, travel in Japan becomes extremely busy during this time, and prices for accommodation and flights increase dramatically. Many Japanese people also return to their hometowns, creating a large outpouring of people from urban areas and, inversely, a large influx as people return to their places of work at the end of the holiday.

Golden Week’s temperate weather and the multitude of events happening throughout the country make it an enjoyable, but also busy time to travel. It is usually recommended to journey to lesser-known areas of Japan during Golden Week to avoid the large crowds and wait times that are common in larger cities. If you’ve ever been curious to explore Japan beyond Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto, why not head out into the countryside this Golden Week?

About the author: 

Ailsa van Eeghen

Ailsa has been living in Japan since 2015 all the while enjoying the rich beauty of Kagoshima prefecture. She finds the most joy in exploring little villages, driving around the countryside and exploring the lesser known parts of Japan. Keenly interested in Japan’s regional diversity, you can often find her at michi-no-eki admiring all the local produce. You can find more of her travels and deep dives into Japanese culture on her Instagram @daysofailsa where she writes about her life in Japan.