Have you noticed more Japanese people around you over the past couple of days? If so, it may be due to this week being Golden Week, a semi-accidental grouping of holidays which gives everyone here a break from their normal school or work lives, as well as an excuse to travel outside Japan for sightseeing. The holidays are Showa Day on April 29, the birthday of Emperor Hirohito; Constitution Memorial Day, when Japan’s postwar constitution went into effect; Greenery Day on May 4, an excuse to celebrate the “vibrant greenery” or something; and Children’s Day on May 5th, for celebrating (boy) children by flying Koinobori kites proudly. The name Golden Week was coined in 1951 when an executive at the Daiei Movie Company noticed a spike in ticket sales around these holidays, so his company started a campaign advertising the holiday week as a great time to go see a movie. While Golden Week is a nice break from the daily grind, the entire population of Tokyo heading for the mountains at the same time isn’t a lot of fun, and getting caught in those 50 km-long traffic jams really sucks.
Golden Week is a great time to sit in traffic for 12 hours.
