Showa Day (Showa no Hi)
Monday April 29 2024
Emperor Showa was Japan’s longest-reigning emperor from 1926-1989. He is memorialised on Showa Day, which is his birthday and the first of the Golden Week holidays.
Golden Week is a big deal in Japan. Started in 1948, Golden Week is one of the longest holiday seasons in the country. During this time, the perfect spring weather usually calls for travel and outdoor fun.
Spelled in katakana, the script used for English loan words, the name 'Golden Week' was coined in 1951 after the phrase ‘golden time’, which was widely used by the Japanese radio industry to refer to primetime listening hours. With so many holidays clustered together in Golden Week, a larger-than-usual number of people tuned in to the radio, attended movie theatres and spent money on leisure activities.
Starting at the end of April and finishing in the first week of May, Golden Week consists of four national holidays that sometimes line up with the weekend when luck is on our side. This year, the holidays start on Monday April 29 followed by days off on Friday May 3 and Monday May 6.
Golden Week is usually the busiest travel season, with many city dwellers travelling internationally and domestic tourists returning home on packed bullet trains and buses. It's also a time for countless events in Tokyo, from food festivals to art exhibitions. If you're looking to join the fun, we have the guide for you.
Here are the four holidays that make up Golden Week.
RECOMMENDED: The best Golden Week events in Tokyo
