ゴールデンウィーク
ごーるでんうぃーく
noun
Golden Week; late-April to early-May holiday period
1.
Golden Week; late-April to early-May holiday period
A cluster of national holidays from late April to early May, typically spanning April 29 through May 5. One of Japan's three major vacation periods alongside New Year and Obon.
ゴールデンウィークは何日ある？
How many days is Golden Week?
ゴールデンウィークに沖縄へ旅行する予定だ。
I'm planning to travel to Okinawa during Golden Week.
ゴールデンウィークは高速道路が毎年大渋滞になる。
The highways get massively congested every year during Golden Week.
今年のゴールデンウィークは最大で十連休になる人もいる。
Some people will get up to ten consecutive days off this Golden Week.
A Japanese-English hybrid term (和製英語) referring to the cluster of national holidays from late April to early May. The name was coined by the film industry in the 1950s to promote cinema attendance during this period. Often abbreviated as GW in writing.
The holidays included in Golden Week are:
- April 29: 昭和の日 (Showa Day)
- May 3: 憲法記念日 (Constitution Memorial Day)
- May 4: みどりの日 (Greenery Day)
- May 5: 子どもの日 (Children's Day)
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- ゴールデンウィーク中: during Golden Week
- ゴールデンウィーク明け: after Golden Week ends
- ゴールデンウィーク前: before Golden Week
- 大型ゴールデンウィーク: an extra-long Golden Week
CULTURAL NOTES:
Golden Week is one of Japan's busiest travel periods. Trains, flights, and hotels are heavily booked, and tourist spots are extremely crowded. Many companies close for the entire period, making it a rare opportunity for extended rest in Japanese work culture. NHK and some formal media use the term 大型連休 ('extended consecutive holiday') instead, as ゴールデンウィーク originated as a commercial term.