What is Golden Week? 

Golden Week is one of the longest periods with consecutive holidays in Japan. The public holiday spans from 29 April to 6 May and has the most concentrated one-day public holidays of the year. Schools and offices will be closed during this period, making that week a peak for domestic and international travel among the Japanese population.  

The “Act on National Holidays” from 1948 stipulates the days of public holidays, aiming to cultivate a prosperous society while nurturing beautiful customs. 

Date	Japanese Name & English Pronunciation	English Name	Reason for Holiday
April 29	昭和の日   “Showa no Hi”	Showa Day	Honours the birthday of Emperor Showa (Hitobito). The holiday encouraged public reflection on the ups and downs of the Showa Period and contemplating the future of the country.  When Emperor Showa passed away in 1989, 29/4 became Greenery Day because society had already had a fixed impression of this day as a holiday in Golden Week. From 2007, the government re-established Showa Day on 29/4 and moved Greenery Day to 4/5.
May 3	憲法記念日   “Kenpo Kinenbi”	Constitution Memorial Day	Commemorating the implementation of the Constitution of Japan in 1947, a constitution that emphasises peace and the safeguarding of freedom & rights.
May 4	みどりの日  “Midori no Hi”	Greenery Day	Getting acquainted with, and expressing gratitude towards, nature. During 1989-2006, Greenery Day was in 29/4 to replace Showa Day after the death of Emperor Showa.
May 5	こどもの日  “Kodomo no Hi”	Children’s Day	For “honouring the personality of children, working towards their happiness, and expressing gratitude to mothers”.  Histroically, 5/5 is “Dango no Sekku” celebrated the good health of boys, now its universal to all children.

Why is Golden Week called “Golden Week”? 

There are two different theories to why it is called “Golden Week” 

1. The Radio Theory – The radio was the most popular entertainment at the time (TV was still not widely commercialised!). During peak hours of listenership, people in the industry called it “golden time.” Thus, the consecutive holidays during that week became “Golden Week.” 

2. The Movie Theory (the more famous theory) – The term started off as a marketing campaign by one of the major film studios in 1951. The film studio released a movie in the first week of May. Usually, movie box offices were in high demand only during New Year’s or Obon; the film studio was confident it could set a trend of watching movies during the holidays. Taking the naming concept from the radio industry of “golden time”, the film studio named the first week of May “Golden Week.” 

So is it a good time to visit Japan? 

During Golden Week, there will be various festivals, both small and large, across the country, including food festivals and sake brewery opening days. In terms of weather, it is one of the best periods during the year, not too hot or cold, like a good day in British summer.

You can still enjoy cherry blossom up in Hokkaido while most of the country is entirely green because of new leaves sprouting out from plants, as the Japanese call it the shinryoku (新緑, meaning “new green”) season. It is perfect for outdoor activities like hiking and camping, and the best time to enjoy new harvest green tea.  

All that being said, we (speaking from personal experience) highly recommend that international tourists NOT travel to Japan during that week. This is the time of year when hotel prices soar; restaurants allow bookings only. There are no seats on trains, including the shinkansen, and just basically crowds EVERYWHERE.  

Unless you have a particular event to attend or reason to visit in Japan during Golden Week, STAY AWAY! 

Reference:

Niigata Ltd: https://niigatainsatsu.co.jp/topics/20230426/

Japanese Law Translation: https://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/ja/laws/view/4846

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