Golden Weekゴールデンウィーク · GW
A late-April-to-early-May cluster of four national holidays that turns Japan into the world's largest synchronised travel surge.
Upcoming dates
A fixed cluster: Shōwa Day Apr 29, Constitution Memorial Day May 3, Greenery Day May 4, Children's Day May 5. Substitute holidays close the gaps when components fall on Sundays or stack with weekends.
| Year | Date |
|---|---|
| 2027 | Apr 29 (Thu) Shōwa Day · May 3 (Mon) Constitution · May 4 (Tue) Greenery · May 5 (Wed) Children's Working days Apr 30 + May 6/7 bridge into a 9-day window with 3 PTO. |
| 2028 | Apr 29 (Sat) Shōwa Day · May 3 (Wed) Constitution · May 4 (Thu) Greenery · May 5 (Fri) Children's Substitute May 1 (Mon) covers Apr 29 Sat. May 1–5 + weekend = 7 days off, 0 PTO. |
| 2029 | Apr 30 (Mon) Shōwa Day · May 3 (Thu) Constitution · May 4 (Fri) Greenery · May 5 (Sat) Children's Apr 29 Sun → substitute Apr 30. May 7 (Mon) substitute for May 5 Sat. 3-day + 4-day blocks. |
| 2030 | Apr 29 (Mon) Shōwa Day · May 3 (Fri) Constitution · May 4 (Sat) Greenery · May 6 (Mon) May 4 Sat → substitute May 6. Strong bridge: Apr 30/May 1/May 2 PTO = 10 days off. |
| 2031 | Apr 29 (Tue) Shōwa Day · May 3 (Sat) Constitution · May 4 (Sun) Greenery · May 5 (Mon) Children's May 6 (Tue) substitute. Apr 30/May 1/2 PTO bridges into a long stretch. |
What it is
Golden Week (ゴールデンウィーク, Gōruden Wīku) is the cluster of four national holidays that falls between April 29 and May 5 every year in Japan. The component days are Shōwa Day (April 29, marking the late Emperor Shōwa's birthday), Constitution Memorial Day (May 3, the 1947 constitution's anniversary), Greenery Day (May 4, a nature-celebration holiday), and Children's Day (May 5, the historical Boys' Day Tango-no-Sekku). When any of these days falls on a Sunday or another holiday, a substitute weekday holiday (振替休日, furikae kyūjitsu) is added — and the gap between April 29 and May 3 is usually closed by another substitute, producing a continuous run.
The term "Golden Week" was coined by the film industry in the early 1950s to describe the stretch's box-office peak. It has since become the largest synchronised travel period in Japan: over 25 million domestic trips during the week, plus more outbound international travel than any other comparable window. Shinkansen seats sell out the moment reservations open, six weeks ahead. Domestic flight prices triple. Hotels in Kyoto, Hakone, Okinawa, and the major hot-spring (onsen) resorts sell out earlier than any other peak.
Many salaried workers extend Golden Week with PTO — particularly the Tuesday April 30, Wednesday May 1, and Friday May 6 of years where the cluster doesn't already roll into a 9- or 10-day megabreak. "Carrier Day" briefings and ad placements in major Japanese papers explicitly chart the optimal bridge configuration each year.
For inbound visitors Golden Week is generally the worst week of the year to travel: Tokyo and Kyoto are clogged, prices spike, and shinkansen unreserved cars run standing-room-only. The week immediately after — May 7 onward — is one of the best weeks of the year, with greenery at peak, mild weather, and prices that snap back overnight. If you must visit during Golden Week, base yourself in a single city and avoid intercity travel.
What's open, what's closed
Closed
- Banks, government offices, and schools — all four holiday days
- Many corporate offices, especially manufacturing — full week shutdowns are common
- Smaller museums and galleries (the big-name ones stay open with shortened hours)
Open
- Department stores, malls, and convenience stores — open every day, often extended hours
- JR shinkansen and local rail — full service plus extra trains, but seats are scarce
- Major museums, theme parks, and tourist attractions — open and packed
- Restaurants and cafés — most stay open; reservations essential in tourist areas
- Onsen resorts, hotels, and ryokan — open but selling out earlier than any other week
Travel tips
Avoid intercity travel during Golden Week if you can. Shinkansen seats open six weeks ahead and sell out instantly; non-reserved cars are standing-room-only. Hotels in Kyoto, Hakone, Hokkaido ski/onsen towns, and Okinawa are 2–4× their normal rates and often unavailable. The smartest play is to base yourself in a single city — Tokyo handles the crowds best because of its sheer scale — and use the week for neighbourhood exploration rather than bullet-train hops. If you have flexibility, the week immediately after Golden Week (May 7 onward) is one of the best weeks of the Japanese travel year: greenery at peak, mild weather, prices snapping back overnight, and shinkansen running half-empty. Outbound airports (Narita, Haneda, Kansai) hit peak congestion on April 28–29 and again on May 5–6 — pad your buffer to 3 hours.
Plan your PTO around it
Bridge guides show day-by-day strategies for turning this holiday into a longer break.
Read more
Plan the rest of your year around Golden Week
Leavewise maps every efficient PTO window in Japan, factoring in every public holiday.
Optimize your PTO