Is It OK to Journey Throughout Golden Week in Japan?

For many overseas vacationers, the final week of April and first week of Might are nothing greater than a great time to journey in Japan. The kiss of early spring and late spring; the sayonara of the sakura. and a hiya to azaleas, irises and the tsuyu (plum rains) that can quickly herald the summer time.

For these of us who’ve lived in Japan, nonetheless, these dates can instill panic: They comprise the busiest home journey interval in Japan, and the excessive costs, low practice and resort availability and insane crowds that entails.

Fortunately, it’s fully doable to journey throughout Golden Week in Japan, with minimal disruptions and most enjoyment. Effectively, a minimum of when you observe the recommendation I’m about to offer.

What’s Golden Week in Japan?

In case you’ve by no means taken half in Golden Week journey, you in all probability don’t perceive the dimensions of it. Just about everybody in Japan is on vacation between roughly the final weekend of April and the primary weekend of Might—nicely, apart from individuals who work in tourism and hospitality. Because of this, most of Japan’s high vacationer locations are crammed to the brim with home vacationers.

It’s an understatement to say that issues can get crowded. This manifests itself in numerous methods, from excessive costs for lodges and home flights, to the necessity for VPN information encryption to account for the sheer variety of individuals utilizing Wi-Fi networks all through the nation. Fortunately, when you’re sensible about the best way you intend your journey, you may journey comparatively usually through the Golden Week interval.

The best way to Journey in Japan Throughout Golden Week (as a Foreigner)

Concentrate on dates

Japan’s Golden Week is assembled round a wide range of adjoining holidays, beginning with Showa Day and ending with Kids’s Day. Whereas these at all times happen on April 29 and Might 5, respectively, the association of lately will decide whether or not the previous or following weekends might be thought of a part of Golden Week.

Guide lodges early

In case you do plan to journey throughout Golden Week in Japan, it’s important to e book lodges as early as doable, ideally by the tip of February. Previous this level, availability will likely be low and costs will likely be excessive, to the extent that it doesn’t make sense to journey in lots of components of Japan.

(And transport, too)

The identical finest practices go for transportation, whether or not you journey round Japan by practice, or go through home flights. I like to recommend reserving flights on the time you e book lodging (and that you just e book practice tickets on-line nicely prematurely) to keep away from being disillusioned.

Keep in large cities

It would sound counterintuitive, however specializing in Japan’s largest cities is an effective way to keep away from crowds and reduce disruption while you journey throughout Golden Week in Japan. The explanation? Huge metropolis dwellers are inclined to journey to smaller cities and cities (and into nature) throughout these holidays, leaving locations like Tokyo and Osaka comparatively quiet.

Lean into it

Tens of hundreds of thousands of individuals will likely be touring throughout Japan throughout Golden Week, and whilst you can reduce the affect of this large migration in your travels, you may’t utterly keep away from it. One of the simplest ways to ensure you get pleasure from your Golden Week journey is to lean into it, and to simply accept much less pleasing elements proper alongside the nice ones.

 

When is Golden Week in 2024? What About 2025?

In 2024, Golden Week formally begins on Monday, April 29, which is Showa Day. Nevertheless, as is the case in all different years, the previous weekend can also be included within the Golden Week vacation. Because of this, you may anticipate issues to start out getting busy from the night of Friday, April 26. It’ll keep this manner till Sunday, Might 5, which is Kids’s Day. This vacation is known for the colourful carp streamers strung throughout Japan in honor of it.

In case your Golden Week journey will happen in 2025, in the meantime, you may plan on the dates being the identical, however the dates of the week being completely different. Since Showa Day will likely be on a Tuesday, the previous weekend may not be as busy as will probably be in 2024. However, journey exercise will possible peak round Saturday, Might 3, 2025, since this would be the fruits of a four-day vacation interval.

 

Different FAQ About Journey Throughout Golden Week in Japan

Is it OK to journey throughout Golden Week in Japan?

It’s OK to journey throughout Golden Week in Japan, as long as you e book lodging, flights and trains early sufficient to make sure availability, and to ensure you don’t have to pay an obscene value. You’ll additionally want to simply accept that the majority locations within the nation will likely be a minimum of as crowded as they’d be throughout cherry blossom or autumn shade season.

Are issues closed in Japan throughout Golden Week?

Some retailers and eating places will shut throughout Golden Week, in order that their house owners and staff can take off and benefit from the vacation. As a result of that is extremely dependent upon the person enterprise, I encourage you to contact a given enterprise on to see whether or not they are going to be open throughout Golden Week.

How do you keep away from crowds in Golden Week?

There are numerous methods to keep away from crowds throughout Golden Week. Within the bigger image, it’s a good suggestion to journey in bigger cities like Tokyo and Osaka throughout busy weekend intervals, such because the final weekend of April and first weekend of Might. On a extra granular stage, visiting standard vacationer sights early within the morning or after night time has fallen can reduce the extent of disruption you expertise.

The Backside Line

Are you able to journey throughout Golden Week in Japan? The quick reply is an easy “sure.” The lengthy reply? Doing so requires foresight, pre-planning and mindfulness. You want to pay attention to the exact dates of Golden Week for the yr you intend to be in Japan, and deliberate about the way you manage your journey. Mockingly, being in main cities like Tokyo and Osaka through the busiest components of Golden Week is one of the best ways to attenuate disruptions. Need to plan a tremendous journey round Japan in late April or early Might, with out having to fret in regards to the particulars of the vacations? Fee a customized Japan itinerary in the present day!