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Japan’s spring break is coming, which means time for travel, get-togethers, and events of all kinds. Here are a few fun things to do around Tokyo this Golden Week!
Golden Week 2022
Golden Week has long been a time for the people of Japan to take a load off, head out of the country or into the countryside, and enjoy some well-earned rest and relaxation. But with the spring season being so mired in pandemic blues for the past couple years, a number of standard Golden Week events had been blown off course – canceled, downsized, or just mysteriously disappeared. Fortunately, in 2022, Tokyo finds itself free and clear of any kind of state emergency, and event planners are taking notice, picking up Golden Week traditions where they left off back in 2019. So for anyone in the Tokyo area looking to stay close by, but still get out of the house, enjoy the beautiful weather, and have some fun – here are just a few fun options for enjoying Golden Week in 2022!
➡ Hibiya Festival 2022 (Performing Arts Festival)
➡ Tokyo Tower Taiwan Festival (+ Night Market)
Wish you could take a trip overseas for Golden Week, but not ready to take that step just yet? Well you can get just a little dose of international travel by stopping by Tokyo Tower this spring, instead! The Taiwan Festa, being held for about a month around Golden Week, is like a little Taiwan night market, with booths offering plenty of pineapple sweets and some of Taiwan’s most popular street foods (like Taiwanese fried chicken and soup dumplings), along with all kinds of noodle soup, and much more! Tickets come with some fun Taiwanese souvenirs, too, which you can bring back for a friend (or just enjoy on your own).
While you’re at Tokyo Tower for the Taiwan Festa, don’t forget to check out the 333 colorful koinobori (鯉のぼり), or carp-shaped windsocks, representing the 333-meter height of the tower. The koinobori are a tradition for celebrating Children’s Day, one of the holidays that makes up Golden Week.
➡ Saitama Ice Cream Hakurankai (Ice Cream Expo) 2022
As May rolls around in the Tokyo area, locals will be getting their first taste of the heat that late spring and early summer bring to Japan every year. So beat the heat and cool off with a sweet treat! Held north of Tokyo in Saitama, this yearly Ice Cream Expo brings together ice cream and icy sweets from around the world, including everything from stretchy Turkish ice cream and “spaghetti ice cream” from Germany, to luscious gelato from Italy, and Japanese favorites like flower-shaped babahera ice cream!
➡ Okinawa Week at Yomiuriland Amusement Park
For some tropical Japanese vibes, without all the hassle of travel, this year those around Tokyo can just head to Yomiuriland Amusement Park for a Golden Week with a little extra Okinawa flair! Spend a day at the amusement park to check out a wide variety of Okinawan musical performances, Okinawan drum shows, Okinawa-style craft workshops, local cuisine like Okinawa soba, and much more – all alongside the roller coasters and Ferris wheel! The Hana-Biyori botanical garden is showing off some special tropical plants and offering workshops using little Okinawan glass flower pots, too!
➡ Rindo Lake Fireworks Festival in Nasu, Tochigi
Fireworks festivals are a standard part of the summer in Japan, but since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the vast majority of these fun, carefree events have been canceled out of safety concerns. A couple hours north of Tokyo, however, the resort area of Rindo Lake has gone with a different safety strategy – instead holding a series of socially-distanced fireworks shows! For 2022, they’re moving up the event dates from mid-summer to Golden Week, but they’re still setting off 3,500 fireworks each night for this open-air event! The Nasu Highlands might be a bit of a hike from Tokyo, but it’s worth it to see the beautiful lights glittering on the waters of Rindo Lake.
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NAME:Golden Week (ゴールデンウイーク)
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