Before 2007, Showa Day was called Greenery Day. Before it was called Greenery Day, it was celebrated as The Emperor’s Birthday. And before 1985, it was not considered a national holiday, but it is now even though the name of the holiday has been changed several times over the past decade.

When the holiday was known as The Emperor’s Birthday, it was considered a day of rest. Now that the holiday is no longer known as Greenery Day, but Showa Day, it is back to being considered a holiday of rest.

And this year, as it happens, because the day is right smack in the middle of the week this year, Wednesday, there are really no other options but to stay home and rest for tomorrow it is back to work.

Everyone and their mother will be on the roads this Golden Week and most won’t be traveling the side roads to avoid high toll fees like many have in the past, including myself. If anyone chooses to use the side roads to get long distances, it won’t be because of prices but will be because of the most likely high number of cars that WILL be traveling on the toll roads.

If you want to use the toll roads, you may want to consider doing so at a time when most others won’t be on there, preferably late at night and early, early in the morning. If you choose to travel during the daytime, alternate routes like free roads and highways may be your best bet to getting there in the shortest amount of time.

My family and friends are planning on going down to Okayama like we do every Golden Week. But we’re hoping to sidestep the traffic by going early in the morning before most others get on the road. Whether that works or not remains to be seen. I’ll report back about it after Golden Week is over. Till then, happy Golden Week and safe travels!

However, historians have yet to find evidence of either the significance of celebrating the holiday on this date or the existence of Emperor Jimmu outside of the Nihonshoki.

Originally, the holiday was named Empire Day or kigensetsu in Japanese. Kigensetsu was considered one of the four major holidays of Japan, but was abolished after World War II. Later in 1966, the holiday was re-established as National Foundation Day.

Current customs include the raising of Japanese flags and reflection on the meaning of Japanese citizenship although most people use the holiday to travel about the country or relax away from work.

The roads during Golden Week are more crowded than anyother time of the year. Someone once told me it took 12 hours to drive from Osaka to Okayama because of the traffic that jams up at the bottleneck just outside Osaka between Takarazuka and Sanda. The normal driving time is two and a half hours from Minoh City.

A better way to travel, if you have no other alternative vacation plans in the area, is to travel at night when most people choose to sleep. Traffic is usually a lot less and many traffic lights are activated to flashing yellow lights. A friend and I traveled at night from Kyoto to Wakayama in record time this way going backroads. We drove it in just under 3 hours.

Hopefully, some good advice is to travel a few days before or after Golden Week. That way you can beat the traffic and the higher costs that come with the holiday period.

For those of you who don’t have a good idea of what to do, here are a few suggestions of things you probably shouldn’t do.

Don’t…

• …visit Universal Studios Japan – It doesn’t matter how many people leave the Kansai area because many people outside the Kansai area will probably come to the Kansai area to USJ.
• …drive through Takarazuka or Sanda area on the Chugoku Expressway during rush hour traffic, on the first day or last day of a long weekend or holiday. Traffic is at its worst then.
• …go out to popular family restauarants during Golden Week because too many people in Japan go there with the family and relatives during this time. Visit a restaurant that is not family style or is ethnic food. You have a better chance of finding parking and a seat.
• …expect a large majority of shops and/or banks to be open. Most close down during Golden Week, or at least they usually do. Things are changing all the time in Japan, so it wouldn’t be surprising if more shops begin to stay open during the holidays. Most are closed on Mondays though, even without the holidays.
• …buy an airplane ticket, abroad or domestic. It’s the secondmost expensive time of the year to travel other than summer during Obon. Most airfare is double if not triple the average cost.

Hopefully these few tips will help you make wise decisions for your Golden Week. Choose something outside these Don’ts and you may do well with the little time Golden Week vacation truly offers since it isn’t really a full week of vacation time.