Golden Week

Japan is a nation that famously takes their working week very seriously. Hours are often long and hard and, as paid vacation is relatively limited when compared to many western countries, the decision to take time off is not taken lightly. This goes a long way to explain why Golden Week is so fervently celebrated in Japan. Golden Week straddles the spring months, from April 29 to May 5, and is marked by four national holidays. As such, many Japanese take the opportunity to take the whole week off work, supplementing the non-sanctioned days with their precious paid vacation, although many businesses shut down operations entirely, giving their employees, with weekends taken into consideration, up to ten days of rest. Not surprisingly, many people see this time as an excellent chance to get away for the week, meaning that travel and accommodation tend to come at a high price and, if you are not a tourist taken to great forward planning, you may end up paying through the nose or even miss out entirely. In 2019, the Emperor of Japan will abdicate his position on April 30, paving the way for a new emperor to take over on May 1 which…