Golden Week

This week has been ‘Golden Week’, practically the only time where Japanese are on holiday. One crazy week, during the year, where they all go on holiday. Apparently, that’s why you get the snap-happy Japanese tourist. They pack themselves off to Europe, and any other holiday destination and cram it all in in a week. They do speed tourism!

Anyway, the 29th of April is Showa day. Which this year got moved to a Monday as it fell on a Sunday, so it got ‘compensated’. Then the 3rd (constitution day), 4th (green day – I wore green) and 5th (children’s day) are also holidays. Interestingly enough, and in line with the whole Japanese work ethic, if a national holiday falls on a Saturday it doesn’t get compensated! Shocking.

I’m liking this whole Golden Week thing. The weather has been happy and sunny, which is especially nice because it had been having a bit of a temperamental phase where it would start off lovely and sunny then have some horrendous rain storm later in the evening.