“Why are there so many f@$#ing dudes here today…?” I thought to myself one Sunday night as I surveyed the sea of shlongs that had invaded Matsuri-no-Yu, a hot spring on top of Seibu-Chichibu Station. For years now, this onsen has been the final stop on a daylong escape from Tokyo that I’ve taken more times than I care to count when stressed out. My hot spring relaxation now thoroughly disturbed by the sheer number of dicks in my field of view, I closed my eyes and tried to piece together why there were so many men at Matsuri-no-Yu today, despite there being only an hour left until the last Laview limited express back to Ikebukuro Station at 9:24 PM.
Then it hit me! It was Sports Day tomorrow, meaning that this just happened to be a three-day weekend in Japan for the normies with Monday-to-Friday office jobs.
Don’t Travel on National Holidays in Japan
As evidenced by my comedic anecdote above, traveling on Japanese national holidays or the weekends that coincide with them is bad news bears. Not only are the various attractions going to be crawling with families and couples, but the availability of reserved seating on trains like the Shinkansen, as well as hotel rooms, can also be really sus. This means that prices per night are far higher than they usually are, and you might be left standing on the train the entire way back from wherever you’re coming from. It’s honestly something that can sap all of the fun out of travel.
Nowhere is this phenomenon more pronounced than during Japan’s so-called Golden Week. Occurring at the end of April and running into the first week of May, there are a number of national holidays that take place during this time of year. When combined with weekends, this results in extended periods of time when most businesses in Japan are closed. As a result, literally everyone takes off to travel somewhere. Along with the end of the year and the summer holidays around Obon, Golden Week is one of three times of the year when there are tons of local travelers on the road.
Of course, the increase in people making excursions to Japan’s many wonderful countryside allures is not just limited to Golden Week and its cousins. Even a normal three-day weekend like the one mentioned at the beginning of this article can lead to a significant uptick in the number of people traveling. Thus, it’s almost always a good idea not to plan any major moves, like taking the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Kyoto, during the window when many Japanese workers have time off. Instead, wait until the following day or try to get there before the long weekend starts.
Why Consecutive Holidays are HELL in Japan
Why everyone travels on the same days is largely a product of Japan’s work culture. You see, despite the fact that many people actually have a lot of PTO days, not many workers take them. Unlike in other countries, most employers do not distinguish between vacation days and sick days. As a result, a lot of Japanese workers bank their paid vacation in case they need it, and this regularly leads to staff not using up all their days. Instead, many locals in Japan opt to use longer consecutive holidays for their travels, at most just taking a day or two before or after.
Making matters worse, there is often not a lot of redundancy at Japanese companies. Back when I was a full-time employee at one of the country’s largest marketing agencies, if I didn’t show up for a day, that client wasn’t getting serviced because there was literally no one else on staff who could handle my workload. This is the case with many other firms. So, sure, while workers themselves might have the right to take days off as they see fit, there’s always the subtle reminder that taking time today means creating an even busier day down the line.
Given that many people don’t want to burden their co-workers with extra work or have to do twice the tasks as usual when they come back, many Japanese employees ration their days off like it’s a scarce and precious resource, only to be used for unexpected events like a friend’s wedding or when a family member suddenly falls ill. As a result, everyone ends up traveling on the same days, and when you combine this with the already rampant overtourism in Japan, even lesser-known spots like Chichibu can see many times more visitors than usual.
Personally, I like to travel immediately after national holidays, as hotel prices are far cheaper and transportation is much less crowded. Famously, I go into what I call “monk mode” every Golden Week and barely leave my rental office. Since everywhere is going to be sickeningly full of other sightseers, making it nigh impossible to film any good content, I instead use the time to review where I am at and make long-term plans for the future. Then, when Golden Week is over and everyone is back at the grind, I make my move and visit where I want to go.
So whether you’re on rails or rubber, expect movement to be slow and patience to be in short supply…
If You MUST Travel on National Holidays
As non-residents, many of you don’t need to deal with already being in Japan and thus needing to dodge peak travel periods. Still, in addition to avoiding visiting the country during timings like Golden Week, I also urge you to check if there are any national holidays during the period that you’ll be in Japan. Especially when they fall on a Monday or a Friday, you can expect almost anywhere worth visiting to be far more packed than you’d otherwise expect on a given weekend. (This was why Matsuri-no-Yu was so uncomfortably crowded for me recently.)
Now, if a national holiday does happen to fall smack dab in the middle of your travel plans, know that it’s not entirely the end of the world. Yes, you’ll need to deal with significantly more people all trying to see the same spots as you, but it doesn’t mean that the experience isn’t salvageable. You just need to change up your strategy when it comes to scheduling. Since many three-day weekends are family outings, you’ll want to get an early start on the day before the little tykes are even out of bed. Likewise, reserve trains well in advance and opt for later departures.
Additionally, I’d recommend eating at off times. Most families and couples are going to be on a three-meals-a-day schedule, meaning that if you have a big breakfast, postpone lunch, and then eat around 2 PM, restaurants will be far less packed than if you try to go exactly at noon with everyone else. Or, if you’re like me, you can just fast the entire day and then pig out on a huge yakiniku feast once the sun sets and there’s little left to do and see for the day. Just be sure to avoid the timings when other diners are going to be sitting down to dinner.
One other tip is to explore lesser-known regions wherever you are before venturing onward as you wait out the long weekend. For example, during my outing to Matsuyama City, I opted to go further south and explore Uwajima Castle and Ozu Castle in the bottom half of Ehime Prefecture. Since I knew these locales would be guaranteed not to be busy, I was able to dodge crowded trains and mainstream spots, then head back to Tokyo the day after the holiday.
For reference, here is a full list of all of the national holidays in Japan…
- New Year’s Day — January 1
- Coming of Age Day — 2nd Monday in January
- National Foundation Day — February 11
- Emperor’s Birthday — February 23
- Vernal Equinox Day — Around March 20
- Showa Day — April 29
- Constitution Memorial Day — May 3
- Greenery Day — May 4
- Children’s Day — May 5
- Marine Day — Third Monday in July
- Mountain Day — August 11
- Respect for the Aged Day — 3rd Monday in September
- Autumnal Equinox Day — Around September 23
- Sports Day — 2nd Monday in October
- Culture Day — November 3
- Labor Thanksgiving Day — November 23
My Closing Thoughts on Japanese Holidays
In closing, know that three-day weekends mean that Japan’s already stressed travel infrastructure is pushed even harder than it already is, but that doesn’t have to be a trip-ending event. With a little bit of planning, you can dodge the worst of it and not find yourself stuck in an onsen with a bunch of other naked strangers on a random Sunday. Just keep your eyes out for upcoming holidays and take any evasive maneuvers necessary to preserve your fun while visiting Japan.
Oh yeah, and by the way, don’t think that just because you’ve got yourself a rental car and have your own set of wheels that you’re free from fighting the crowds. During national holidays, Japan’s expressways turn into endless lines of brake lights stretching for kilometers, especially on routes leading in and out of major cities like Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya. Rest areas become battlefields for parking spots, and what should be a two-hour drive can easily balloon into five.
Until next time travelers…
