The Season in Japan Locals Warn You Avoid Travel

① Why You Should Avoid Japan During Lunar New Year Holidays

While the demand for travel to Japan continues to increase, the proportion of travelers choosing Japan during the Lunar New Year holidays is high.
This year, the Lunar New Year holiday period is short, so short-distance travel destinations are gaining popularity, and travel to Japan continues to be popular.
The Lunar New Year holiday is from February 9th to 11th. Many Korean tourists visit Japan during this period.
However, if you decide to travel to Japan during this time, it overlaps with Japan’s National Foundation Day.

Every year, February 11th is Japan’s National Foundation Day and is a public holiday.
This year, it falls on Sunday, so February 12th will be applied as an alternative holiday.
Many Japanese people also take vacations from February 10th to 12th.

During this holiday period in Japan, not only are there many people everywhere, but hotel and airfare prices are also much more expensive than usual.
You may not be able to stay at the hotel you want, and the price range may be too high and burdensome.
Moreover, not all stores are open because it is a public holiday.

In addition to National Foundation Day, there is another holiday period due to the Emperor’s Birthday.
February 23rd is the Emperor’s Birthday, a public holiday in Japan.
This year, it falls on a Friday, making it a three-day holiday from Friday to Sunday.
Many Japanese also travel domestically during this period.

Especially near Tokyo Station, many people gather because events can be held.
Many stores close at this time. There are a lot of cars and traffic, so the travel times are longer.
This may cause disruptions to your itinerary.

② Check the Longest Holidays in Advance

May is always a month with many events. Accordingly, there are many holidays.
Many people plan trips to Japan because the holiday is long, and you should check that Japan also has many holidays during this period.
If you are planning to travel to Japan in May, there is a time you must avoid.
It’s Japan’s ‘Golden Week’. This year, it is from April 29th to May 5th.
Golden Week is a period when four public holidays are clustered together, allowing people to take about a week off.
Many companies also designate a holiday period, so employees also get a long holiday.
You can take more than 10 days off if you take your annual leave.

Golden Week starts with Showa Day on April 29th, followed by Constitution Memorial Day on May 3rd, Greenery Day on May 4th, and Children’s Day on May 5th.
Golden Week is a very big holiday period in Japan, and people in Japan are looking forward to it.
Many people flock to both urban and suburban tourist destinations. Various events are held in large cities.

Traveling during Golden Week can be burdensome because there are always a lot of people and the hotel fare is much higher.
Although many people travel abroad in May because there are many holidays in our country as well, it is necessary to reconsider travel during Japan’s Golden Week.

In addition, the longest holiday, ‘Obon’, begins in August.
Every year, the Obon holiday is from August 13th to 16th around the solar calendar August 15th.
This year, Mountain Day, a public holiday on August 11th, falls on a Sunday, so August 12th is applied as an alternative holiday.
That’s when the holiday begins and lasts for a total of 6 days. If you are planning a summer vacation in Japan, you’d better avoid this period.

The Korean Thanksgiving holiday is from September 14th to 18th.
The demand for travel to Japan is expected to be high during this time as well.
However, in Japan, there is a three-day holiday from September 13th to 16th for Respect for the Aged Day.

This year, October 14th is Sports Day and November 3rd is Culture Day, but because they fall on a Sunday, November 4th is applied as an alternative holiday.
November 23rd is Labor Thanksgiving Day and is a public holiday, so it would be good to keep this in mind.

③ Good Times to Travel

The best times to travel to Japan are spring and winter.
Of course, these seasons are also famous for being good times to travel in Japan.
Japan is famous for its beautiful cherry blossoms. If you visit Japan from the end of March to early April, it’s a good time to enjoy various flowers.

Christmas is also a time when you can enjoy a glamorous end-of-year trip.
If you visit a region where it snows a lot, you can fully enjoy the real winter.
In particular, Sapporo has established itself as a popular overseas winter destination for Korean tourists.

However, hotel and airfare prices are very expensive, although the scenery is good during these times.
There are many places with good scenery and good for travel outside of famous areas, so aiming for small city destinations is also one way.

Since religious dates are not designated as public holidays in Japan, it would be good to consider these factors into account when planning your trip.

By. Min Jae Kim