【Easy Japanese Listening】What Is Golden Week in Japan?

Hello everyone this is Naoko What comes to mind when you think of May in Japan May is the Golden Week Have you ever heard of the Golden Week Today I would like to talk about Japan's Golden Week Please listen carefully Golden Week refers to a period in late April to early May The period from late April to early May is called Golden Week During this time there are many Japanese holidays There are four of them The first is Showa Day on April 29th and Constitution Memorial Day on May 3rd On May 4th Green Day and on May 5th Children's Day there are holidays Yes there are four holidays within a week The day of the week for holidays changes each year Day Monday Tuesday Wednesday Yes the day of the week changes If the holiday falls on a Friday then Friday will be a day off and Saturday and Sunday will also be days off This will result in a three-day holiday A consecutive period of vacation is called a long holiday Long holiday So if you had off on Monday Tuesday Wednesday and Thursday that would be a four-day holiday It will be a four-day holiday If work is also off on Saturday and Sunday it will become a six-day holiday from Saturday to Tuesday Yes getting back to the topic this Golden Week can sometimes become a long holiday depending on the year For example this is how the Golden Week in 2025 will look Monday Wednesday Thursday and Friday are regular days They are weekdays Many people take time off using their paid leave on weekdays Paid leave refers to days when you receive your salary If I could take a paid leave to take a day off this weekday I could have a longer break This Golden Week refers to the period from late April to early May when there are many holidays Even though it's called Golden Week A vacation of one week is not guaranteed It varies from year to year News often refers to Golden Week as a long holiday Long holiday "Long" refers to something that is large in size or scale Yes the Golden Week is a very long holiday There is a long holiday Of course it depends on the person Yes those who have the day off on holidays will have time off during Golden Week since it is a holiday But people who have jobs that are not related to holidays still have work during Golden Week Especially for those in the service industry This Golden Week is actually a busy time There are various types of service industries for example the food and beverage industry It refers to a business where you serve drinks or food and get paid for it This is called the food and beverage industry Cafés and restaurants are examples When there's a long holiday everyone feels like going out doesn't they Going to a cafe or a restaurant Everyone goes out That's why during the Golden Week period It's a very busy time for people in the food and beverage industry Yes when I worked at a cafe as the Golden Week approached Ah the Golden Week is coming up soon I was thinking it's going to get busy Golden Week is a time when many people go to cafes or restaurants so for those in the food and beverage industry and for people working in cafes or restaurants Golden Week is actually a busy time Not only for those in the food industry but also for people working in hotels this Golden Week is probably a busy time Golden Week is a long vacation Because many people travel there are people who work in hotels those who work in travel-related jobs and the tourism industry I think it's a busy time for people in the tourism industry Yes some people say that Golden Week is not a time when everyone is on vacation but rather a time when work becomes very busy First it's good Of course for those who have Golden Week off it's nice to be able to relax And it feels like the world is becoming a more enjoyable place In various places special Golden Week events are held For example in shopping malls or department stores there are many special Golden Week events Golden Week campaigns and various other events By the way in many advertisements the Golden Week is often abbreviated as GW Golden Week campaign Golden Week sale Golden Week Because there are a lot of people on vacation When you go out on the street the whole town has a cheerful atmosphere There are many people and it's quite lively I think it's a lively and fun atmosphere But at the same time residential areas with many houses seem to get quiet Because everyone is going out or traveling somewhere The residential area seems quiet Then next something bad I suppose or rather something very serious Golden Week is when many people take time off at the same time so various places get crowded It becomes full of people It gets crowded For example shopping malls department stores and famous tourist attractions Popular tourist destinations such as Osaka Kyoto Tokyo Okinawa and Hokkaido Bullet train train airplane hotel and also highways Highways often get congested during Golden Week don't they It gets congested Because many people travel at the same time hotel and plane tickets become more expensive It also becomes harder to make reservations Well it's a tough situation but I think some people who don't like crowds end up staying home all during Golden Week By the way a crowd refers to a place that is crowded What is a crowd Are you okay with crowds Do you find crowds difficult Then a final question for everyone If you had a long break like this Golden Week what would you like to do Are you wanting to travel or would you rather relax at home I'm the type who would rather relax at home if it's crowded outside I didn't go out much during this year's Golden Week I watched a few episodes of YouTube at home and some of the Detective Conan anime movies on Netflix I saw about one two three four Does your country have a period of vacation like this Golden Week Thank you all so much for watching until the end today You all did a great job See you again Bye-bye