[Sunday Culture] Japan's Golden Week Begins... What Exactly Is 'Golden Week'?

Long Holiday with Four Consecutive Public Holidays Brings Crowds and Continued Rallies

Are you office workers feeling a bit relieved? Starting next week, we enter a period of holidays including Labor Day and Children's Day. Those with children seem to be worried about where to go for outings.

I've been getting questions from people around me who are going on trips to Japan, asking about good restaurants and places to visit. When asked, I always make sure to ask back, "Where exactly are you going?" If you are planning to visit Japan during next week's golden holiday period, you should double-check your sightseeing spots and restaurant schedules. This is because Japan enters its major holiday period called "Golden Week" during this time.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Golden Week in Japan starts on the 29th of this month. Golden Week refers to a period from late April to early May when many public holidays overlap, allowing people to take a break for anywhere from a week to up to ten days. During this time, companies also set holiday periods, giving office workers a short vacation. It is literally a golden holiday. Because of this, Golden Week is often abbreviated as "GW" in English. However, the public broadcaster NHK does not officially recognize the term "Golden Week" and instead refers to it as a "major holiday period."

So, what holidays make up Golden Week? It begins on April 29th with "Showa Day," followed by May 3rd "Constitution Memorial Day," May 4th "Greenery Day," and May 5th "Children's Day."

First, Showa Day is a holiday but a somewhat controversial one. It was created to commemorate the birthday of Emperor Hirohito of the Showa era, a period of Japan's post-war recovery. In short, it is the emperor's birthday, reflecting the characteristics of Japan as an emperor system country.

Because of this, various events are held every year, but opposition protests also take place. There are people in Japan who advocate for the abolition of the emperor system. Various progressive groups gather on this day to hold protests against Showa Day, and clashes sometimes occur with conservative groups during these demonstrations. Citizen groups advocating for the abolition of the emperor system view Japan's political system, rooted in the emperor, as reproducing conservative atmospheres and discrimination. This year, opposition protests are planned in various places including Osaka.

A rally opposing constitutional amendment held on Constitution Day last year. (Photo by Labornet TV YouTube channel)

May 3rd, Constitution Memorial Day, is the day Japan's constitution was enacted. Large-scale gatherings are held in places like parks in Tokyo on this day as well. Japan is a country responsible for starting World War II. Because of this, the constitution strictly limits the use of military force. This is why Japan has the Self-Defense Forces instead of a formal military. For this reason, conservatives in Japan argue for constitutional revision to allow armament. Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe even considered nuclear sharing, deploying U.S. nuclear weapons in Japan for joint operation.

Those opposing constitutional revision say this would ultimately lead Japan to wage war again and break peace. Like Showa Day, protests to block constitutional revision are held on Constitution Memorial Day. Japanese media often interview people in their 70s and 80s participating in these protests. The generation that experienced war says the damage from war ultimately falls on the citizens. Due to the recent Ukraine war, there seems to be growing momentum for constitutional revision, so this year's Constitution Memorial Day gatherings are expected to be large-scale.

May 4th, Greenery Day, is a day to cherish nature. Originally, Greenery Day was on April 29th, which was Showa Day as mentioned earlier, but it was moved to May 4th following a revision of the holiday law. The reason it became Greenery Day is that then Chief Cabinet Secretary Keizo Obuchi proposed naming it after Emperor Showa, who was also a biology researcher and had a special affection for nature. This holiday is also related to the emperor system.

May 5th, Children's Day, is the day when you can see carp-shaped flags fluttering. Although it is now firmly established as Children's Day, traditionally it was a day for boys, wishing them to leap vigorously like carp. This is the day of "Koinobori." Also, like in Korea, it coincides with the traditional seasonal day called Dano. I will explain more about this in a future article.

So why do the Japanese call it "Golden Week" in English instead of "황금연휴" (hwanggeum yeonhyu, golden holiday)? There are two origin stories. One is that it came from the Japanese film industry, and the other is that it came from the radio "golden time."

The first story is that before the term Golden Week existed, movies shown during this holiday period attracted more viewers than during major holidays like Lunar New Year or Chuseok. The film industry named this period "Golden Week" to encourage more people to watch movies during this time.

The second story is that during this golden holiday period, many people went to the suburbs, causing radio listenership to peak, so it was called "golden week," which eventually became "Golden Week." Neither story has solid evidence, though.

We've covered the overall aspects of Golden Week. Now, let me explain why visitors to Japan during this period need to be careful. Since literally everyone from office workers to others take holidays, all the "places worth visiting" become crowded. Even in Japan, lists like "5 best domestic travel spots to visit during Golden Week" are discussed before Golden Week starts. This means the places you plan to visit are also popular among Japanese people.

Roads become congested with people heading to the suburbs. If you plan to use buses or trains during this period, you should check the schedules carefully. During Golden Week, timetable adjustments and route changes such as skipping stops in crowded areas happen frequently. Demonstrations also take place in city centers. Additionally, since shop owners also take holidays, visitors to tourist spots should check whether businesses are open.

Still, many events are held in major cities like Tokyo during Golden Week, so there will be plenty to see.

Golden Week is a major holiday period in Japan, but protests held on days like Showa Day and Constitution Memorial Day reveal the current conflict between conservatives pushing for constitutional revision and armament, and progressives opposing it, as well as movements aiming to abolish the emperor system and purge remnants of militarism.

Visitors should travel safely and also take a moment to consider these underlying meanings.