Please don’t worry if you’ve accidentally booked your Japan holiday during the Golden Week period.
It is still possible to have a fantastic time – you’ll just need to be super organized but you’ll be in the middle of the hustle and bustle .. it will be a different kind of special.
Firstly, why is Golden Week so busy?
Golden Week is Japan’s longer stretch of national holidays in a row. Therefore, this is the best time for those working in Japan to take a holiday and travel without having to take leave. So it means that, if you’re seeing Japan during this time, you will be contending with international AND domestic tourists for spots on trains, seats in restaurants, limited tickets for events etc.
When is Golden Week?
It’s in Spring and the dates change slightly every year. Best way to find out is to google “Golden Week Japan 2024” etc to find out and then also include the weekend dates either side and that will, basically, be the busy period.
So if travel dates must fall over Golden Week – what can you do to make sure the holiday is still the best it can be?
Avoid travel on the first and last day of Golden Week. That includes the night before the first day too- imagine that some will finish work and then catch the first train or plane to their holiday destination.
If you must travel on these days – book as far ahead as you can. For the bullet train, it is really important to obtain a reserved seat too because, if you have an unreserved seat and the unreserved car is full you will either need to stand or, worse, wait on the platform until there is a train carriage with space.
If you have a JR Pass, it is possible to reserve a seat free of charge with the train ticket office at the bullet train station ahead of time.
Plan and pay for as much as you can ahead of time
Reserve restaurants via the restaurant’s website, using tablecheck or using your hotel concierge as soon as you arrive.
Buy Disneyland, Team Lab, Show and event tickets online ( Klook can be useful to do this too.)
Time to get super nerdy. Do as much as you can first thing – plan breaks or long lush ( pre-booked) meal times if crowds stress you out.
I have some tips here on how to make the most of Tokyo Disneyland on a busy day too.
Make the most of early mornings
Many major cities in Japan don’t open their doors until 10am-11am ( even some coffee shops). I find, in general, Japanese people tend to stay up late and start the day a bit later – you can use this to your advantage. I recommend doing your own research and either visiting the places that are open early ( I have my own list here for places that open early in Tokyo) OR make sure that you enter shops and touristy spots the moment they open.
Put some green in your itinerary!
Here are my favourite more traditional options around Tokyo that are not always as crowded and can break up the time in Tokyo.
Google around for the lesser known temples in Kyoto too, for example.
Head out of the cities, if time and budget allows or the suburbs. This article by Lucy Dayman for ‘Japan Objects’ has some fantastic suggestions for lesser known Japanese countryside options.
Plan for quiet time / downtime
Even in Tokyo there are some quieter spots to gather your thoughts. I have put some suggestions for quieter spots in Central Tokyo here.
And, you know your family and what they can handle during busy times so maybe schedule in “ice-cream in the hotel in the afternoon time” for every few days or even plan for “slow, slow days” where you just explore the immediate area around your accommodation in order to “go hard” on other days. For example, my kids LOVE deep Japanese baths in hotel rooms so I try and schedule an early evening or afternoon “bath, movie and snack” session on days where they are a bit overwhelmed. I give them some convenience stores snacks to eat while they bathe, set up some Netflix on their iPad just out of the bath but in sight… and they are so happy and then are recharged for dinner out as a family later.
This amazing bathtub is from an amazing Japanese house we stayed in when we visited Takayama
Eat outside of stock-standard meal times
Generally, I find that Japanese people stick to set lunch and dinner times ( dinner time is more flexible as some people eat late.. but …) and you can use this to your advantage – I find this to be especially easy with small children as they are happy to eat super early anyway.
So… if the restaurant you want to try is full – how about you try for an 11am lunch? or a 2:30pm lunch? It sounds boring – but imagine having more space and more options by booking tables and the restaurants you really want to try at 5:30pm ! You might even get more of a chance to get a better table and watch the chef do their thing and people watch as others join the restaurant later in the evening.
So what are some advantages to travelling during Golden Week?
– There is a real “excitement” and hustle and bustle at this time. Lots of families out. Lots of people out drinking and eating.
– There are lots of events, festivals and special deals for dining out for this time ( the retail and hospitality industry know people will be out and about and looking to make memories.)
– It’s Spring ! The weather is often stunning and it’s a fantastic time to go see sakura, peonies, hemophilia, shibazakura. I have documented some of my favourite spots to check out beautiful flowers around Tokyo and the surrounding area here and I’ve also mentioned my favourite Tokyo spots to check out sakura (cherry blossoms) in Tokyo.
