EduCareer StaffBlog"Rinjin Blog" | "EduCareer"Supporting your career in English teaching in the Japanese school system

Golden Week

2011/04/20

Everyone in Japan looks forward to Golden week, one of the few long vacations many workers get which comes soon after the start of the new work and school year in April. People may assume Golden Week, based around traditional-seeming national holidays, must have a long history. In reality, it began in 1948, when the National Holiday Laws decided on nine official holidays for the year, with many of them in the first week of May. At the time the emperor's birthday was April 29^th, and after he died the day was renamed "Greenery Day" so the holiday could be kept. Later, "Greenery Day" was moved to May 4^th and April 29^th became "Showa Day" to reflect on the emperor's reign (and add in an extra holiday).

While now many people just think of Golden Week as the time they get to vacation while the weather is actually nice, spare a moment of thought for the late Emperor (Showa Day, April 29^th), the constitution (Constitution Memorial Day, May 3^rd), Japan's nature (Greenery Day, May 4^th), and any kids around (Children's Day, May 5^th). They're the reason we get to take a nice holiday away from the stress of returning to work!

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