Japan's Golden Week: What It Means for Your Trip - 2027

Originally Published: April 2023 | Fully Updated for 2027 Travel: May 2026

By Justin Trollip Co-Founder - The Japan Concierge

If you are thinking about travelling during Golden Week, you should be aware that this is no ordinary time to travel around Japan. If you are there, you will notice Tokyo’s normally bustling streets start to empty out a little, salary men will disappear overnight, konbini shelves cleared of pretty much everything by noon, and travellers having to stand the whole way to Kyoto because Shinkansen tickets sold out on the day of release.

It is a fantastic time to be here, but it is also chaotic if you are travelling between cities or planning on visiting some of the major sights.

What Golden Week Actually Is

It’s an annual event where four public holidays cluster together between late April and early May. When the weekends align, you get a consecutive stretch of up to seven days off. In a country where dedicated downtime is rare, this matters.

Japan actually has 16 public holidays spread across the year - more than most Western countries - but Golden Week is the one that causes a mass migration across Japan.

The four days have distinct meanings:

• 29 April (Showa Day): This marks Emperor Hirohito’s birthday, carrying real historical weight from the post-war recovery era rather than being a perfunctory day off.

• 3 May (Constitution Day): This remembers the day the 1947 post-war constitution came into effect, reshaping the country's governance.

• 4 May (Greenery Day): A day mostly dedicated to a quiet nod to nature and environmental awareness.

• 5 May (Children's Day): The one you will notice most obviously on the streets. Look up at the balconies and riverbanks to see koinobori, these massive carp-shaped windsocks, flying everywhere. It makes the concrete skyline look completely different.

What to think about

Do not let this put you off travelling during Golden Week, just make sure you have a solid strategy.

Shinkansen tickets are most critically impacted. Japan Rail opens seat reservations exactly one month before departure at 10:00 AM JST. Popular morning services out of Tokyo on the first peak day can sell out within minutes of opening.

So, if you are moving between cities during the holiday period, diarise to reserve your tickets 30 days out from your travel date. Especially if you are travelling between Tokyo and Osaka and you need to book seats with luggage allowances.

Note: Japan Rail operates all high-speed Nozomi trains on the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen lines (the primary route connecting Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka) as 100% reserved-seat services during Golden Week.

While other service tiers on the same line do maintain their usual non-reserved cars, relying on them as a backup is highly risky.

Because the Nozomi is entirely locked down, unreserved commuters are left with these alternative trains. If you have to use the other trains, i.e., the slightly slower Hikari and the all-stations Kodama, you should expect intense platform queues and a very high probability of standing in a packed carriage the entire way from Tokyo to Kyoto.

For peace of mind, we would suggest booking the Nozomi 30 days out. It is the fastest option, and having a reserved seat is the only option during this period.

If you are planning to visit any theme parks during your stay, this is absolutely not the time to do it.

If Disneyland or Universal Studios – or any other theme parks are on your to-do list, it is our (very) strong recommendation that you time your trip to avoid park visits outside of Golden Week.

Also, bear in mind that hotel rates will jump up; there may be fewer inbound tourists, but with everyone in Japan having a week off, demand for hotels is significant. And we all know what happens when demand increases. So factor this into your budget.

Also, very important: local bank ATMs often shut down entirely for days during the holiday. Post office ATMs are notorious for this. Stick to the 7-Eleven ATMs, which reliably accept foreign cards throughout the holiday break, but carry more physical cash than you normally would.

Where you go matters

Kyoto is busy at the best of times, and during Golden Week is peak plus. The Japanese are as a rule, happy to stand in line for their turn, but as you will no doubt be less flexible with your time allocations, we would suggest that you skip the major sights during the middle of the day. If you must go, plan your main sightseeing for dawn (I know), and spend your afternoons wandering quiet Kyoto’s fascinating backstreets.

As an alternative, we would suggest heading to Hiroshima, which copes with holiday influx with a lot more ease. The more modern layout of the city offers more space, and the major attractions of The Peace Memorial Museum and the park feel open and peaceful, which is the intent, and it works very well during busier periods.

Hakone is another favourite destination for locals, who take advantage of the weather at this time of the year – spring heading into summer, warm but not sweltering, to visit this iconic region.

The influx puts significant pressure on the local infrastructure, which relies on buses and taxis to move visitors between the popular attractions. If you are planning on visiting Hakone during your stay, try to time your visit so as to avoid visiting Hakone during this week but if you do decide to visit during Golden Week, be sure to book a centrally located ryokan, reducing your dependence on public transport.

If you need a Fuji fix during this time, consider Shizuoka, great views of Fuji and one of the major tea-producing regions in Japan, for all the matcha fans, but possibly without the additional attractions that Hakone offers, which means it is a lot quieter at this time of year.

Even better, think about heading off the more popular trails and consider visiting smaller centres, particularly in the lesser-internationally-known regions like Kyushu or Shikoku.

2027 Dates

Golden Week 2027 runs from Thursday, 29th April to Wednesday, 5th May. These public holidays create a five-day block this time around. Expect the locals to move out of the urban areas around the middle of that week as city residents return home or head out to popular tourist areas for the break, with them returning around 4th and 5th May. Book your flights and routes to avoid those exact windows where you can.

Thinking about a trip to Japan around the 2027 holiday calendar and want help planning your itinerary so you don’t get caught out?

We build bespoke itineraries that work around Japan's peak travel spikes, ensuring you have the ideal Japanese vacation. Get In Touch to talk about how we can do this for you.