All that glitters is gold. Golden Week in Japan: What is it?

As soon as I landed in Saga last summer, I was quickly advised to book my trips for Golden Week as far in advance as possible. I was warned about how chaotic it can become, and many people shared their experiences from previous years. Along with Obon, Golden Week is one of Japan’s biggest holiday seasons, but what exactly is it?

Golden Week, falls from late April to early May, includes multiple national holidays: Showa Day, Constitution Memorial Day, Greenery Day, and Children’s Day. In 1949 nine national holidays were introduced and thus Golden week was born when four of these fell within the same week. These holidays often coincide with weekends, creating vacation opportunities that can last anywhere from a few days to up to ten days. As a result, it is one of the best times for people to take a vacation without using their limited paid leave (nenkyu).

For the travel industry, this period represents peak season; hotels become very limited and expensive, and flights often get fully booked. As someone who has now experienced Golden week I can confirm when I ran a hotel check out of curiosity a week before Golden week searching the entirety of Japan. Around 100 results came up that weren’t eye wateringly bad however still pricey as budget hotels such as APA were triple their usual cost.

 For those staying in Japan during this time, things can be quite hectic. Many services, including banks, may be closed, and various places might have altered operating hours.

When planning a trip to Japan, travellers should consider several important factors. It is generally advisable to plan around Golden Week to secure better hotel options and more cost-effective choices. Traveling outside of Golden Week offers a less crowded experience. This year, it was reported that wait times at Haneda and Narita airports were approximately two hours. Additionally, Shinkansen tickets were fully booked, and many flights to popular destinations were also at capacity.

So where does the name Golden, week come from? A quick hunt suggests it is a term coined from the film industry in 1951 after the film Jiyu Gakko recorded higher than usual ticket sales. This period was a peek time for the movie industry also as more people would travel to theatres and watch tv during their holidays. The term stuck and is used today to name this holiday period.

During Golden week many larger cities host festivals including Tokyo, Osaka and Fukuoka. In 2020 the phrase Staying home saves lives replaced golden week. During the Covid years the Japanese government announced all golden week festivals would be cancelled. It was the first time ever that the period was cancelled. It shortly returned two years later.

I hope my small deep dive into Golden week has been informative! I plan to write some blogs covering what I did for my first Golden week in Japan shortly.