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| Golden Week | |
|---|---|
| Official name | ゴールデンウィーク (Gōruden Wīku) |
| Also called | Ōgon Shūkan (黄金週間;lit. 'golden week') Haru no Ōgata Renkyū (春の大型連休;lit. 'long spring holiday series') |
| Observed by |  Japan |
| Type | National |
| Celebrations | Numerous national holiday events |
| Date | 29 April – 5 May |
| Duration | 7 days |
| Frequency | Annual |
Golden Week (Japanese:ゴールデンウィーク,Hepburn:Gōruden Wīku)[a] orŌgon Shūkan (黄金週間) is a holiday period in Japan from 29 April to 5 May containing multiple public holidays.[1] It is also known asHaru no Ōgata Renkyū (春の大型連休; Long spring holiday series).
One of Japan's largest holiday periods of the year, Golden Week often sees a surge in vacation travel throughout the country.[1] Four days of the week are officially designated as public holidays, with workers often opting to take the full week off.
Golden Week encompasses the following public holidays.[2]
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Showa Day (昭和の日,Showa no Hi), 2007–present[3] | 29 April |
| Constitution Memorial Day (憲法記念日,Kenpō Kinenbi), 1949–present | 3 May |
| Greenery Day (みどりの日,Midori no Hi), 2007–present[3] | 4 May |
| Children's Day (子供の日,Kodomo no Hi), also known as Boys' Day or the Feast of Banners, traditionally celebrated asTango no Sekku (端午の節句). | 5 May |
Note that Citizen's Holiday (国民の休日,Kokumin no Kyūjitsu) is a generic term for any official holiday. Until 2006, 4 May was an unnamed but official holiday because of a rule that converts any day between two holidays into a new holiday. Japan celebratesLabor Thanksgiving Day, a holiday with a similar purpose toMay Day (as celebrated in Europe and North America). When a public holiday lands on a Sunday, the next day that is not already a holiday becomes a holiday for that year.[4] In some cases, a Compensation Holiday (振替休日,Furikae Kyūjitsu) is held on either 30 April or 6 May should any of the Golden Week holidays fall on Sunday; 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015 have had Compensation Holidays for Shōwa Day, Children's Day, Greenery Day, and Constitution Memorial Day, respectively.
TheNational Holiday Laws, promulgated in July 1948, declared nine official holidays. Since many were concentrated in a week spanning the end of April to early May, many leisure-based industries experienced spikes in their revenues. The film industry was no exception. In 1951, the filmJiyū Gakkō recorded higher ticket sales during this holiday-filled week than any other time in the year (including New Year's andObon). This prompted the managing director ofDaiei Film Co., Ltd. to dub the week "Golden Week" based on the Japanese radio lingo "golden time", which denotes the period with the highest listener ratings.[5] At the time, 29 April was a national holiday celebrating the birth of theShōwa Emperor. Upon his death in 1989, the day was renamed toGreenery Day (みどりの日,Midori no Hi).[3] In 2007,Greenery Day was moved to 4 May, and 29 April was renamedShōwa Day to commemorate the late Emperor.[3]The Emperor's Birthday (天長節,Tenchō Setsu) was celebrated from 1927 to 1948 and it is now calledThe Emperor's Birthday (天皇誕生日,Tennō Tanjōbi).Emperor Naruhito's birthday is on 23 February.[6]
The actual inventor of the slogan was either the company presidentMasaichi Nagata, or Hideo Matsuyama (jp), a Daiei Film executive and the later president ofDainichi Eihai who also coined the "Silver Week".[7][8]
Golden Week in 2019 was particularly long due to theimperial transition, with the succession of new EmperorNaruhito, son ofEmperor Emeritus Akihito andEmpress Emerita Michiko. The new emperor took the throne on 1 May, which was designated as an additional national holiday. This day also marked the official beginning of a new Japanese period, namedReiwa. Under the Japanese law mentioned prior, this meant that April 30 and May 2 became public holidays that year as well, making 2019'sGolden Week last about ten consecutive days, from Saturday 27 April through Monday 6 May.[9]
Due to theCOVID-19 pandemic in Japan, then-Japanese Prime MinisterShinzo Abe announced that the Golden Week Festival would be cancelled for the first time in both 2020 and 2021. The government had declared the firststate of emergency to prevent the spread of the virus in 2020, which extended from April 7 to May 29.[citation needed] Tokyo GovernorYuriko Koike urged the closing of all schools, universities, and colleges, as well as businesses inKantō region; the public was discouraged from holiday travel duringGolden Week to prevent the spread of infection. Japanese residents in Tokyo were advised to stay home forStay Home Week (ステイホーム週間,Sutei hōmu shūkan).[10][11] The rebranded "Stay Home Week to Save Lives" ran from April 25 to the 6th of May.[12][13] Osaka GovernorHirofumi Yoshimura urged schools to close between May 7 and 8, and businesses in theKansai region were encouraged to extend the holiday period through the weekend until 11 May.[14] Also, in late April 2021, then-Japanese Prime MinisterYoshihide Suga announced that the Golden Week Festival would be cancelled for the second time amid the third state of emergency following a COVID-19 infection surge.[citation needed]
Just two years after the cancellation of muted celebrations,Golden Week Festival returned in Japan, which took place between the 29th of April and 5 May 2022 (without an issuance of a COVID-19 state of emergency (during theOmicron time in the first 18-month-period)). ManyGolden Week festivals have resumed, includingHakata Dontaku,Hamamatsu Kite Festival,Hiroshima Flower Festival, and others, which are held across the nation for the first time since the Reiwa period begin in 2019.[citation needed]
Many Japanese nationals take paid time off during this holiday, and some companies are closed down completely and give their employees time off. Golden Week is the longest vacation period of the year for many Japanese workers.[citation needed]
Golden Week is a popular time for holiday travel, such as many Japanese travel domestically and to a lesser extent internationally.[citation needed]
The Takatsuki Jazz Street Festival is held during Golden Week.[15] It has two days of live jazz performances with 300 acts and over 3,000 artists in 72 different locations in-and-around the center ofTakatsuki in northernOsaka.[15]
TheSuper GTFuji 500 km car race is held on 4 May and has become synonymous with that date in Golden Week,[16] but it was cancelled amid COVID-19 infection surge. The race returned from 2021 onwards.