One of Japan’s major holidays, “Golden Week,” begins today! It is a holiday weekend of up to nine days, from April 29 to May 7 (actually, May 1 and 2 are business days for companies during that period).
There are three consecutive holidays in Japan: the New Year’s vacation, this Golden Week vacation, and the Obon vacation (summer vacation). They are all about 3 days and expand to 7 to 9 days depending on the combination of weekends and paid holidays.
Originally, Golden Week was simply the four days between the end of April and the beginning of May when public holidays are concentrated, but in the 1950s, movie distributors named it “Golden Week” as a promotional term with the aim of stimulating audience participation. It is now one of the catalysts for the entire domestic economy.
While many Japanese go on overseas trips, foreign travelers are often seen in Japan. Compared to pre-COVID, the number of visitors to Japan recovered by about 60%.
Currently, the temperature is a chilly 12 degrees in the morning and about 24 degrees during the day. Many people are still wearing long sleeves. Summer hasn’t arrived yet.
What shall I do for the holidays?
