Japan's Golden Week 2024: Travel Boom and Festive Fun

by Naeem Khan 5 months ago 3 min read

Japan's famous "Golden Week" holiday period is upon us again, and this year it's shaping up to be a golden opportunity for the travel industry. As the country celebrates its first restriction-free spring since the pandemic began, a record number of Japanese are gearing up to pack their bags and take off for an adventure during the extended break.

So what exactly is this "Golden Week" that has the nation in a festive frenzy? It's a cluster of four national holidays that fall between late April and early May every year, giving many Japanese workers a rare chance to take a week or more off to travel with family and friends. The holidays are:

April 29: Showa Day, honoring the birthday of former Emperor Showa
May 3: Constitution Day, celebrating the establishment of Japan's post-war constitution
May 4: Greenery Day, a time to appreciate nature
May 5: Children's Day, an occasion to wish for the health and happiness of kids

Traditionally, Golden Week sees a surge in vacation travel both domestically and internationally. But this year, with Japan fully reopened to the world, that surge is expected to be a tsunami.

According to JTB, a whopping 23.3 million Japanese plan to travel during Golden Week 2024, up 1.8% from last year and recovering to nearly 90% of pre-pandemic 2019 levels. An estimated 520,000 will head overseas, a staggering 67% jump from 2023.

So where is everyone going? South Korea tops the list of international destinations this year, followed by Southeast Asian countries like Thailand and Vietnam that offer good value for the yen. Hawaii and Guam remain perennial favorites as well.

Domestically, the most popular spots are expected to be tourist meccas like Kyoto, Osaka, Hokkaido and Okinawa. Bullet trains and highways will likely be packed with vacationers, while hotels and ryokans in hot spring resort towns are already booked solid.

But this pent-up travel demand is not without its challenges. Airfares and accommodation prices have spiked, and the weak yen is making overseas trips more costly for Japanese. Travelers also have to contend with bigger crowds and longer lines everywhere.

Tokyo office worker Yumi Sato, 28, is feeling the Golden Week squeeze. "My friends and I booked a trip to Guam, but the flights and hotels were so expensive compared to before COVID," she laments. "I'm excited to travel again, but I hope it's not too crazy crowded everywhere."

Indeed, major airports like Narita and Haneda are bracing for a chaotic onslaught of passengers, with lines out the door expected at check-in and security. The scene at tourist sites from the Gion geisha district in Kyoto to the Dotonbori street food mecca in Osaka could border on mayhem.

But for those opting to avoid the holiday rush and stay local, there is still plenty of festive fun to be had around Tokyo. The city is coming alive with a smorgasbord of cultural events, markets and activities catering to all ages and interests.

Foodies can savor artisanal eats and craft drinks at Ginza Six's Mihara Local Market. Anime fans can geek out at events like the Ghibli Expo and Pixar Fest. Techno lovers have a buffet of world-class DJs to dance to at clubs across the city.

For families, there are kid-friendly attractions galore, from the life-sized moving dinosaurs at On Art Tokyo's Dino Safari to the dazzling Sagamiko Illumillion light show out in the 'burbs. The young and young at heart can walk among the fluffy pink clouds of the Shibazakura Festival in Chichibu or frolic in the Nemophila Harmony baby blue flower fields at Hitachi Seaside Park.

As the Golden Week juggernaut shifts into high gear, it's clear that Japan is ready to shake off its COVID doldrums and reconnect with the simple pleasures of travel, leisure and togetherness. The frenetic energy in the air is palpable as friends swap holiday plans over drinks, kids dream up vacation mischief, and families scramble to book last-minute trips.

After two years of socially distanced, masked-up muted celebrations, Golden Week 2024 feels like a joyous exhale - a much-needed chance to roam free and revisit the people and places we've been missing. It's a golden opportunity to make new memories, recharge our mental batteries, and reaffirm our love for this fascinating floating world we inhabit.

Sure, we may have to elbow our way onto crowded trains and jostle for photo ops at tourist hotspots. Our wallets may take a bigger hit than usual from inflated holiday prices. But after being cooped up for so long, those seem like small prices to pay for the privilege of exploration and human connection again. Bring on the Golden Week madness - we're ready for it!