What do people get wrong about Golden Week, Obon and New Year travel?
This answer is a draft. It stays unpublished until legal review and source verification are complete.
Three times a year most of Japan travels at once, and visitors who arrive in the middle of it find full trains, doubled hotel prices and closed businesses. The dates are fixed and known years ahead; planning around them is the single easiest way to improve a trip.
The three peaks
| Period | Dates | What happens | Advice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Week | 29 April – 5 May (four public holidays; often a 7–10-day block) | Domestic travel peak; Shinkansen reserved seats sell out a month ahead; hotels in Kyoto, Kanazawa, Hakone at 2–3× price; expressways jammed (40 km queues) | Book everything 1–2 months ahead or avoid; big cities are actually quieter (Tokyo empties) |
| Obon | around 13–16 August (not a public holiday, but most companies close) | Return to hometowns; outbound trains and roads jammed 10–13 Aug, inbound 15–17 Aug; heat at its peak | Stay in one place; visit ancestral festivals (bon odori) |
| New Year | 29 December – 3 January | Outbound 28–30 Dec, return 2–4 Jan; shops, museums, restaurants and government offices close 31 Dec–3 Jan (department stores reopen 1 or 2 Jan); shrines packed | Plan for closures; see the New Year article |
| Secondary | Silver Week (September, when holidays align), school holidays (late July–August, late March–early April), cherry blossom (late March–early April), autumn leaves in Kyoto (mid–late November) | Hotel prices up; Kyoto foliage weekends rival Golden Week | Book Kyoto in November early |
- Golden Week transport: the six JR companies reported over 13 million passengers on Shinkansen and limited-express trains over Golden Week 2025 (up 3%; up a further 5% in 2026); reserved seats on the Tokaido line hit 100% on peak days.
- Hotel prices: Kyoto averages roughly ¥15,000–20,000 in an ordinary month and ¥40,000+ on peak Golden Week and November foliage weekends (market data).
- Public holidays in Japan number 16 a year; when one falls on a Sunday, Monday is a substitute holiday, which is how long weekends form.
[Verify] Holiday dates with the Cabinet Office's list of national holidays; passenger figures with JR Group's seasonal reports.
Misunderstanding 1｜Holidays make Japan more festive to visit
Golden Week and Obon are domestic travel, not festivals. You compete with 100 million residents for trains and rooms. The exception is Obon's bon odori dances in towns.
Misunderstanding 2｜Everything is open at New Year
Most businesses close 31 December to 3 January; museums and many restaurants for longer. Convenience stores, department stores (from 1 or 2 Jan) and shrines are open. Plan meals.
Misunderstanding 3｜Unreserved Shinkansen seats are a fallback
Nozomi trains have no unreserved cars at all during Golden Week, Obon and New Year (all-reserved since late 2023); Hikari/Kodama unreserved cars are standing-room-only with platform queues. Reserve a month ahead, or travel against the peak flow.
Misunderstanding 4｜Tokyo is worst during Golden Week
Tokyo empties as residents leave; museums and restaurants are quieter than usual. The crowds are in Kyoto, resorts and on the roads.
Misunderstanding 5｜Cherry blossom season is the only expensive spring window
Golden Week follows a month later and is more expensive for hotels. Mid-April to late April between the two is a relative lull.
---
Sources
- Cabinet Office — National holidays (国民の祝日について)
https://www8.cao.go.jp/chosei/shukujitsu/gaiyou.html
- JR Group — Passenger volumes during Golden Week, Obon and New Year (seasonal press releases)
https://www.jreast.co.jp/press/
- Japan Tourism Agency — Accommodation statistics (宿泊旅行統計調査)
https://www.mlit.go.jp/kankocho/tokei_hakusyo/shukuhakutokei.html
⚠️ Editorial note: the source URLs above were identified by search. Our working environment cannot reach go.jp domains, so the contents have not been checked against the text. Verify every source before publication and record who checked it and when.
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