tl;dr – It’s technically four ‘holidays’ in one.
This year, Japan will celebrate Golden Week from April 29, 2026, to May 6, 2026. Golden Week is a celebration of four national holidays, rolled into one week.
Specifically, the holidays are:
- Shōwa Day (Shōwa no hi) – April 29th – Celebrating the birthday of former Emperor Shōwa.
- Constitution Day (Kenpō kinenbi) – May 3rd – Commemorating the 1947 postwar constitution.
- Greenery Day (Midori no hi) – May 4th – Dedicated to nature and the environment.
- Children’s Day (Kodomo no hi) – May 5th- A day to pray for the health and success of children.
If you are a foreigner to Japan with plans to be in the country during this time, then you might find things to be even more busy than usual, particularly for a nation that already battles overtourism. Golden Week is when many Japanese travel and vacation domestically, and you’ll find many events, attractions, and exhibitions celebrating the occasion.
I imagine all the reservations at the new Pokemon theme park were booked a long time ago, and it’s a good bet that many of the more popular attractions around the country will be in high demand.
That said, there’s always something said for going off the beaten path. If you’re a tourist seeking to avoid your fellow travelers, how about Hokkaido in its off-season?
While the slopes won’t be an option, there is some of Japan’s best wine – and I’m not talking sake or koshu, traditional vitis vinifera grapes like pinot noir can show pretty well on the northern island. If you’re lucky, the jet lag won’t hit you in the middle of the vineyard as it did for me.
