How Are You Spending Your Golden Week?
Kari Stern
Family Time (Aichi)
One wonderful way to spend Golden Week is by spending quality time with family—and that's just what jezzjoy is doing. Since Golden Week is a nationwide holiday, pretty much everyone has time off to see family (though it's not as big a family event as Obon in August!). Sometimes life can get busy, but a family meal during Golden Week is a beautiful thing!
Japanese Alps & Snow Monkeys (Nagano)
Many, many people use Golden Week as the one time a year they can travel, despite the higher fares and more populated travel destinations in Japan. This mom, Bahar_oz, spent her Sunday at Kamikochi in Nagano with the snow monkeys. She's definitely not alone in being impressed by Japan's ability to stay clean despite having so few trash cans. It's an incredible feat!
Wine, Pups & Karuizawa—Oh My! (Nagano)
Karuizawa is a huge resort travel destination in Nagano, with more affluent Tokyo families owning summer homes there. There are many things to do, but Reikokokubu has their Golden Week set with a table of wines to taste! With the pup on the side and the trees in the background, we can just feel the sun on our skin as we recline on the deck.
'Koinobori' in Hakuba (Nagano)
There's nothing that spells out Golden Week quite like koinobori (koi carp streamers), which are put up in celebration of Children's Day on May 5. Hakuba_village's post shows us what Golden Week looks like to them over in Hakuba, Nagano, with the gorgeous mountains in the background. It's a beautiful photo, and it looks like a wonderful place to be during this vacation season!
A Visit to Senso-ji Temple (Tokyo)
Golden Week isn't really temple-visiting time like New Year's, but that doesn't mean you can go for a visit! Matteosco captured some visitors at Senso-ji Temple in Asakusa donning colorful yukata with friends. The smiles and the crowd beautifully encapsulate what Golden Week means to many people. We hope you had a good time, Matteo!
'Purikura' & Friends (Tokyo)
Aly D. B looks like she's having fun spending some of her Golden Week taking purikura in Shibuya! These photo booths are so popular in Japan, it'd be almost hard not to partake during Golden Week!
For the View, Fujisan! (Yamanashi)
majoydepaz_22 headed out to Lake Kawaguchi to get a breathtaking view of Mount Fuji—and to snap this perfect photo of the two combined. No doubt it was well worth it the trip!
Canola Flowers in Niigata
How very "golden" is this photo, taken by Daigokogyo—a canola field in front of Keiwa Gakuen High School during Golden Week! The school is on the coast of Niigata, a must-visit prefecture with serene and calming coastal and mountainous views. It's a picture-perfect place also known for high-quality rice, so you know you'll get a good meal in too!
'Koinobori' beneath Tokyo Skytree
Whether you're a local or a tourist, this view of Tokyo Skytree and surrounding koinobori is a delight during your Golden Week. The picture, taken by 527view_h, has the sun gleaming behind it, just like the Golden Week—always popping in and out of the year, ready to come again!
Traveling with Friends
Shibazakura have been described as "a pink carpet produced by nature." They're a tightly grown flower that resembles cherry blossoms growing on the ground. They bloom right around Golden Week, offering a great chance to catch sight of a kind of cherry blossom if you missed southerner Japan's first wave in late March and early April.
While the most famous shibazakura in the Tokyo area are to be found in Chichibu, this shot was probably taken at the Fuji Shibazakura Festival in Yamanashi. Jesecanreachit reminds us to take a break sometimes—whether it's Golden Week or not—to spend time with friends. Bonus points if you travel, too!
