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Golden Week

The top 10 things foreign tourists visiting Japan want to do during Golden Week

Survey reveals a growing interest in facilities and experiences with beautiful scenery outside of central Tokyo.

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Tokyo’s anti-crowding coronavirus countermeasures backfire, make trains needlessly dangerous

Ridiculous problem could have been avoided simply by looking at a calendar.

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As Japan’s largest holiday approaches, one island in Okinawa bans guests from local restaurants

Sadly for certain tourist hotspots, stricter measures must be enacted to protect their residents.

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One thing NOT to do in Kyoto if you’re headed there during the vacation period

If you don’t want to waste a huge amount of time in Japan’s cultural capital, here’s something you’ll want to avoid.

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Deer in Nara refuse crackers after Golden Week visitors leave them too full to eat【Photos】

Tourists were shocked to see the usually ravenous deer turn down their favourite treats.

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Seven injured at Kobe station as car speeds through intersection, mounts sidewalk

One man is arrested in relation to the incident that injured a number of pedestrians during one of Japan’s busiest holidays.

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Japanese women of Twitter show off legs to encourage men working over Golden Week holidays

It’s Golden Week in Japan! Aside from New Year’s, these precious vacation days at the end of April/beginning of May are the longest stretches of time in a row that most people get off from work. Unless, of course, you don’t get the time off work because you’re too busy. Then your Golden Week is typically spent crying to yourself at your desk and watching people have fun outside your window.

But not this year! Women all over Twitter have teamed up to create a hashtag devoted to cheering up men stuck in the office over Golden Week: #ShowLegToShowSupportForSalarymen. If you’re stuck at work too, then feel free to join the fun and take a look as well… just as long as no one’s watching the slightly NSFW tweets on your computer.

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Gogatsu-byou: The “sickness” that strikes Japan each and every May

As well as being the start of the new business and academic year, April in Japan also marks the time when new graduates make their first forays into the world of full-time employment and many companies rotate their staff both to keep them on their toes and help them acquire new skills. It’s a fun, frenetic time of year, and everyone from kids in their new school uniforms to fresh-faced employees wearing crisp, black suits looks tremendously smart and presentable as they hurry to their place of education or employment, eager to make the most of their day.

In May, however, it all comes crashing down. Reality sets in and people start to realise that everything is just as awful as it was before, albeit with a few quirks and a shiny new name badge or lunchbox. The fire in kids’ bellies goes out, the twinkle disappears from new employees’ eyes, and they start to approach their work with all the enthusiasm of a pot-smoking snail going through a serious emo phase.

This, dear reader, is gogatsu-byou; the phenomenon that occurs every May and affects millions of Japanese to some degree or other.

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We visit the limited-time IKEA café in Tokyo

IKEA is a shopper’s paradise. The colors, the designs, and the price all work together and the impeccably presented showrooms make you want to recreate them in your own home. In Japan, there is the extra bonus of that “European style” that really speaks to some shoppers. IKEA is also well-known for its restaurant, where customers can relax and daydream about the new layout of their rooms while stuffing their face full of meatballs. For a limited time in Tokyo, IKEA has made it possible for you to experience living in a space all decked out in IKEA goods and stuff your face with Swedish meatballs at the same time!

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【Golden Week Special】31% Discount on Baskin Robbins Ice Cream!

This year’s Golden Week is shaping up to be awesome. Not only do people living in Japan get a handful of government sanctioned holidays sprinkled throughout the first week of May, we also get some sweet deals on food. Not only is McDonald’s giving away a free in-car “potato holder” to patrons who purchase a meal deal with a large order of fries, but Baskin Robbins Japan has just announced a 31 percent discount on a double scoop of ice cream during Golden Week!

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