During Golden Week, Only Foreign Tourists Are Out and About... Locals Disappear from Luxury Hotels and Buffets [Japan Sunday Culture]

Start of the May Golden Holiday in Korea and Japan
Accommodation Prices Rise Due to Inbound Tourists
Increase in Day Trips and the Trend of Separating Meals from Lodging

Is everyone enjoying the holidays? Many people are probably traveling during the May golden holiday, and it seems that quite a few are planning trips to Japan. Like Korea, Japan also has its own May golden holiday, known as "Golden Week." However, the atmosphere is said to be quite different. Today, we bring you some unique trends observed during this year's Golden Week in Japan.

What is Japan's Golden Week?

This year, Golden Week runs from April 26 to May 6. During this period, there are five public holidays. When weekends are included, there are a total of seven days off. Because the public holidays are spaced throughout the period, if you take just four additional days off, you can enjoy up to eleven consecutive days of vacation. This makes it the longest holiday period in history.

During this time, Japanese people travel actively both domestically and internationally. Just as Koreans visit Jeju Island, people in Japan often travel to Okinawa, and those living in regional areas may visit Tokyo, much like Koreans visiting Seoul.

The scene around Myeongdong, Seoul on the 28th of last month. Photo by Yonhap News

However, this year's Golden Week has a noticeably different atmosphere. Although the yen has risen recently, the prolonged weakness of the yen and the continuously rising cost of living have led more people to refrain from traveling. According to a survey by Japanese travel agency JTB, the number of people taking trips of at least one night during this year's Golden Week has decreased by 1.22 million compared to 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Japanese broadcaster TBS News highlighted the contrast between foreign tourists and Japanese citizens. Foreign visitors are staying at luxury hotels such as the Hilton in central Tokyo, enjoying buffets, and boarding Tokyo night cruises, while Japanese people are holding back from such full-scale trips. There has been a surge in reservation inquiries for a 4,800-yen (48,000 won) course that tours major Tokyo attractions, such as Tokyo Tower, in three hours.

In the past, many people from regional areas would stay overnight in Tokyo and leisurely enjoy the city, but now, due to financial constraints, most are opting for day trips. The reason is that accommodation costs have risen sharply as everyone flocks to major tourist spots during this period. Even capsule hotels have increased their prices, with some guests booking a night for as much as 23,000 yen (230,000 won).

In this situation, a new trend called "Hakushokubunri" has emerged. This means forgoing meals in order to spend more on accommodation. For example, it is customary for a ryokan to serve a lavish dinner, but now people are choosing to stay at a ryokan without the dinner option. Instead, they spend that money on gifts or dine elsewhere on a menu of their choice.

A similar trend is seen in overseas travel. According to TBS, some families traveling to Hawaii are deliberately booking hotels with kitchens and even bringing rice so they can cook for themselves. Another survey found that only 1.3% of respondents plan to travel abroad during this year's Golden Week, less than half the pre-pandemic figure of 2.7%. It seems that the fear of spending amid high prices is a common sentiment everywhere.