Hi everyone! I’m flying into Tokyo (26 Apr 5.30pm) and out from Osaka (8 May 5.25pm). My boyfriend and I had excitedly booked our flights due to a promo, intentionally after the peak Sakura months to avoid the the crowds but unexpectedly found ourselves travelling in the PEAK of the peak season – Golden Week (GW). Our flights are non-refundable and no changes can be made. My bf really doesn’t do well with crowds and hates them. It’ll be his first time in Japan so I really want to make it the best trip of his life haha. And so here I am hoping to make the best out of the situation, by planning it to the best of my abilities. I’ll need everyone’s help/advice, as I have not been to Japan since I was a child. My plan is to spend maximum 3 days in Tokyo and Osaka each (so he at least has a chance to see the city), and spend our remaining days outside major cities to avoid the crowd. This will work in our favour as we both love the tranquility of the countryside, scenic views, nature, animals, and unique experiences.
**Questions:**
1) Is it true that stores and attractions (basically everything) is closed during GW? Does this also apply outside of major cities, in Gifu? I want to try to avoid crowds, but not to the extent i make life hard for myself as a tourist who doesn’t speak Japanese.
2) Am I correct to think that by going to Gifu, I would be avoiding the crowds? I hope that I won’t instead be squeezing with the locals who have the same idea as me too holiday in the countryside.
3) As 5th May falls on a Sunday, will 6th May (Monday) also be an additional public holiday in Japan? I’ve read that this is the case in Japan but I hope someone can help verify this for me.
4) Please could I have your help to sense check my itinerary? Planning to spend the bulk of my time outside osaka and tokyo in gifu, but my research of those places have not yielded very interesting places. Open to suggestions to alternative places that we can not only avoid crowds, but have a good time with tranquil and nice views.
**My itinerary**
**26 Apr (Fri) night in Shinjuku:** Izakaya dinner at memory lane, golden gai, kabukicho, see the night scene
**27 Apr (Sat): Disneysea** \- we love theme parks!
**28 Apr (Sun): Shibuya/Harajuku + Ginza**
Shibuya (potential spots): Meiji Jingu (Shrine), Takeshita Street (shopping), Kamayama Street, Quick stroll through Yoyogi Park nearby Kamayama Street to see cherry blossoms (no entrance fee), Shibuya crossing, Shibuya sky, Pop Mart store
Harajuku (potential spots): Mipig cafe (see the micro pigs!), Japanese sweets making and tea ceremony workshop
**29 Apr (Mon – Public Holiday) in Hakone:** Hakone ropeway, lake ashi, hakone shrine, lake kawaguchiko, onsen, Fuji-Q Highland, sightsee area/cycle
**30 Apr (Tues) in Hakone:** Checkin to a ryokan and enjoy the onsen
**1 May (Wed) in Takayama:** Takayama old town, miyagawa morning market, try hida beef, takayama jinya,
**2 May (Thurs) in Takayama:** Not sure, seems there isn’t much else to do!
**3 May (Fri) Day Trip to Shirakawa-go before heading to Kanazawa:** Little kyoto
**4 May (Sat) in Kanazawa:** Kanazawa castle, omicho market, higashi chaya district (geishas?), kaikaro, kenroku-en (amazing night views), mori mori sushi
**5 May (Sun) in Osaka:** solaniwa onsen (osaka bay tower, largest onsen theme park), osaka castle, dotonburi, shinsaibashi-Suji Shopping Street, will skip USJ due to insane queues as i’ve heard its overrated too.
**6 May (Mon) day trip to Nara:** Day trip to see deers
**7 May (Tues) day trip to Arashimaya, Kyoto:** Hozugawa river boat ride, rent kimono, walk thru kimono forest, bamboo forest/grove, street food, gioji temple, monkey park, katsura river, tenryu-ji temple and gardens, kiyomizu-dera temple
**8 May (Tues) in osaka:** chill day, buy souvenirs before we head off to kansai airport at 5.30pm!
Thanks all!
3 comments
Actually the crowd might not be as apparent in big cities, as there is just a lot of people all the time anyway. You will more likely have crowd in popular touristic attractions, museum, castle, amusement park than just in normal locations in the city. Things like taking the local train in Tokyo and shopping in Akihabara and Ikebukuro on the last day of golden week this year just felt like any other day for me.
Japanese people will also travel to the countryside, go hiking and such, it won’t be possible to avoid all crowd.
Stores and attractions will likely not be close, it would make no sense for stores and touristic attractions to close when everybody is in vacation. See it more as holiday when office workers are all in vacation and people in the service industry continue to work. But national holiday can change the regular schedule like some attractions can be off for a day that is usually open in the following week.
And yes, it is possible that you will squeeze with the locals who travel in the same area and Takayama, Shirakawa-go and Kanazawa are already a popular destination.
Hello, I’m Japanese.
My answers:
1. Not true. They are usually open.
2. Not true. You CAN’T avoid the crowd coming to Japan during this period. Impossible. Period.
3. Yes, it is true.
4. Looking at your itinerary, I will tell you which day and place you will likely come across a huge crowd.
Pretty much anywhere anytime in Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ginza and Harajuku unless after midnight or very early in the morning; some places are still busy after midnight / April 27 – Disney Sea; it’s not a great idea to go there at the beginning of GW. And it’s weekend. / April 29 – Hakone / May 3-6 / May 7 – Arashiyama; it’s busy every day.
If you and your boyfriend want to avoid being choked up by a large crowd, you also want to not take the transit in Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto during the rush hours on weekdays. I’m pretty sure there are some videos out there. Watch them and educate yourselves for how bad it is.
Good luck.
Disney is a horrible idea over GW, as was said. (I think it’s a horrible idea in general, but that is just me:) Kyoto is always a mess, and GW is even worse—particularly now with all of the foreign tourists coming back. Osaka castle is lame: reconstructed concrete block with a traditional Edo elevator and gift shop. Go to Himeji instead—but GW? Crowds, again.