Travelling to Japan during Golden Week gets bad press. Yes, the crowds are real, the sold-out trains are real, and the queues snaking outside Kyoto’s most popular temples are very real. But the people telling you to avoid it entirely are leaving something important out: Golden Week also happens to fall during one of the best times of year to actually be in Japan.

Late April and early May bring what locals sometimes call the “Second Spring.” While the cherry blossoms are gone, you get the peak of other stunning blooms, like the wisteria and the azaleas. The pleasant temperature also makes it one of the most comfortable times to explore the country. You get mild, sunny days that are warm enough for a T-shirt yet cool enough to allow for hours of walking without feeling sticky, as the heavy humidity of the rainy season has not yet set in.

The problem is that too many people want to be in the same places at the same time. So, the most popular tourist destinations can feel less like cultural experiences and more like airport queues by mid-morning. 

If you want the full picture of what Golden Week actually involves, including the public holidays, transport tips, and what to expect day-to-day, our blog on What to Expect From Golden Week covers all of that in detail. This guide, on the other hand, is about something more specific: which destinations actually hold up during Golden Week.

Staying Near Major Hubs While Travelling to Japan During Golden Week

The instinct during Golden Week is to leave the big cities and head somewhere quieter. That is not wrong, but it is also not the only option. If you are already based in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Fukuoka, Hiroshima, or Nagoya, there is a decent argument for staying put and working with the city rather than against it. The crowds during Golden Week follow predictable patterns. They cluster around the famous sites and the popular day-trip destinations. That leaves some surprisingly good pockets of calm in places you might not have thought to look.

Marunouchi and Otemachi, Tokyo

Marunouchi and Otemachi are worth visiting during Golden Week specifically because of what they turn into when the office workers leave. The area around the Imperial Palace Outer Gardens is one of the best urban walks in Tokyo: wide gravel paths, open green space, and the kind of quiet that is rare in this city during a national holiday. The Marunouchi Naka-dori Boulevard, lined with trees and high-end boutiques, is another good stretch to cover on foot. 

For food, this district has some of Tokyo’s best restaurants across every price point, from high-end kaiseki to ramen, and during Golden Week, the usual lunchtime queues disappear almost entirely. Book dinner in advance even so, because the best places still fill up in the evening regardless of the season.

• Nearest station: Tokyo Station (Marunouchi exit) or Otemachi Station
• Getting there: Directly accessible from most major Tokyo lines
• Fees: The outer palace gardens is free, but thenner palace requires advance reservation.

Okutama, Tokyo

If you’re looking for green space and fresh air within easy reach of central Tokyo, you honestly have so many choices. That said, many of the most popular spots, such as Showa Kinen Park, regularly feature on domestic Golden Week must-visit lists, and the crowds can become unbearable. 

If you want somewhere quieter, Okutama is a good choice. It is about 90 minutes from Shinjuku by train, and offers walking trails along rivers and forests. The areas near Okutama Station can be a bit busy on peak days, but it becomes much quieter once you start walking. There are trails for all levels, from easy walks by the river to harder hikes along the ridges. Okutama-ko, the lake at the top of the valley, is a good goal for a half-day trip and is usually quieter than the lower areas. It is best to bring food from a convenience store before you go, since there are not many places to eat in the valley.

• Nearest station: Okutama Station (JR Ome Line from Shinjuku, change at Ome)
• Getting there: Around 90 minutes from Shinjuku
• Fees: Free

Amanohashidate, Kyoto

Amanohashidate is one of Japan’s three most scenic spots, and the fact that it takes around two hours from Kyoto by train is precisely why it holds up during Golden Week when closer destinations are overwhelmed. For the smoothest trip, you’ll want to book the JR Hashidate Limited Express. It’s a direct train from Kyoto Station, and since it’s popular, all seats are reserved, meaning you can’t just hop on with a regular ticket and hope for the best.

The classic way to see it is from the viewpoint at Kasamatsu Park, where you bend forward and look at the sandbar through your legs, an odd tradition that somehow produces a genuinely striking view. Beyond the sandbar itself, the surrounding bay has good cycling along the waterfront, and a handful of small shrines worth visiting at either end of the walk.

• Nearest station: Amanohashidate Station (Kitakinki Tango Railway from Nishimaizuru)
• Getting there: Around 2 hours from Kyoto by train
• Fees: Chairlift to the viewpoint is around 700 yen. The sandbar walk is free.

Kishiwada, Osaka

Kishiwada is about 30 minutes south of Namba and has almost no international tourism to speak of, which during Golden Week is exactly the point. The castle at the centre of town is one of the best-preserved ones in the Kansai region. The surrounding castle town layout is largely intact, with old merchant streets and a covered shopping arcade. The castle grounds are pleasant to walk through, and the view from the top floor of the surrounding town and coastline is beautiful.

• Nearest station: Kishiwada Station (Nankai Main Line from Namba)
• Getting there: Around 30 minutes from Namba
• Fees: Castle entry is 600 yen for adults. 

Yanagawa, Fukuoka

Yanagawa is a canal town about 40 minutes south of Hakata by train. The main activity here is a flat-bottomed boat ride through the network of canals that run through the old castle town, guided by a boatman who poles you slowly through the waterways while pointing out the old townhouses, gardens, and bridges along the route. 

It may sound a bit touristy, and it does draw crowds, but it works well during Golden Week because the canal network is large, and the slow pace gives you time to enjoy the scenery.

Beyond the boat rides, Yanagawa also has a covered market street, and several eel restaurants that the town is known for. It does get visitors during Golden Week (and any other time of the year, to be honest), but it is much calmer than central Fukuoka, which is especially busy at this time because of the Hakata Dontaku Festival. A good plan is to spend the morning in Yanagawa, then head back to Fukuoka in the evening to catch some of the festival atmosphere.

• Nearest station: Nishitetsu Yanagawa Station (Nishitetsu Tenjin Omuta Line from Fukuoka Tenjin)
• Getting there: Around 40 minutes from Fukuoka Tenjin Station
• Fees: The boat ride is around 1,500 to 2,000 yen per person, depending on the operator. 

Onomichi, Hiroshima

Golden Week brings visitors to this beautiful port town, but the layout and multiple entry points mean it absorbs them reasonably well. The temple walk connects 25 temples across a couple of kilometres, and doing it in the morning, with the harbour visible through the trees below, is very memorable. 

Onomichi is also the starting point of the Shimanami Kaido, a cycling route that crosses a series of bridges between Honshu and Shikoku over nearly 70 kilometres, and renting a bike here to cover even the first stretch across Mukaishima Island is worthwhile for the views alone.

• Nearest station: Onomichi Station (JR San’yo Line from Hiroshima)
• Getting there: Around 70 minutes from Hiroshima by train
• Fees: Some individual temples charge small entry fees of 500 yen or less. Bike rental is from around 1,500 yen per day.

Heading Off the Beaten Track While Travelling to Japan During Golden Week

The logic here is simple. During Golden Week, the majority of both domestic and international travellers compress themselves into the same destinations between Tokyo and Kyoto. Going in the opposite direction entirely is one of the most effective things you can do. To make it clear, the destinations below are not compromises. They are places worth travelling to at any time of year, and Golden Week happens to be when the case for going there is strongest.

Matsue, Shimane

Matsue is the kind of city that makes you wonder why it is not more visited. It has one of only twelve original castles remaining in Japan, with a moat you can tour on a small wooden boat. The Adachi Museum of Art is in nearby Yasugi, about 30 minutes away by train, and its garden has been ranked the best in Japan by the Journal of Japanese Gardening for over twenty consecutive years.

The practical case for Matsue during Golden Week comes down to the route. Getting there means taking the Shinkansen to Okayama, and then the limited express across to Matsue. This is a route that sits well outside the heavily pressured Tokyo-to-Osaka stretch. While reservations are still necessary, seats on this route are considerably easier to secure than anything heading toward Kyoto. 

• Nearest station: Matsue Station (JR San’in Line)
• Getting there: Shinkansen to Okayama, then limited express Super Matsukaze
• Fees: Adachi Museum entry is 2,300 yen for adults. Matsue Castle entry is 680 yen.

Matsuyama, Ehime

Matsuyama is the largest city on Shikoku and has enough going for it that a two-night stay feels short. For one, Dogo Onsen is one of the oldest bathhouses in Japan and is widely believed to have inspired the bathhouse in Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away. It has been renovated in recent years, and the main building is partially open while restoration work continues, but the experience is still worth it. 

Beyond Dogo, you can visit Matsuyama Castle, which offers a view over the city and the Seto Inland Sea. The streets around the castle base and the Gintenkai covered shopping arcade are also great for wandering without any particular agenda.

The transport options from Osaka or Kyoto make Matsuyama a very practical choice for travelling to Japan during Golden Week. You can take the overnight ferry from Osaka Nanko Port. This means you do not have to worry about Shinkansen seat reservations, or the anxiety of sold-out trains. 

While the ferry might seem like an added expense, it doubles as your accommodation for the night. During the late April to early May peak season, a single room starts at 10,600 yen, and a suite for two people costs 17,600 yen per person. When you consider that a standard Shinkansen and limited express ticket from Osaka to Matsuyama costs roughly 11,000 yen, the ferry is a win. 

If you prefer the rails, the route from Shin-Osaka to Okayama and then the Ishizuchi Limited Express across the bridge to Shikoku is much less crowded than the main line to Tokyo. 

• Nearest station: Matsuyama Station (JR Yosan Line) or Matsuyama City Station (Iyo Railway)
• Getting there from Osaka: Overnight ferry from Osaka Nanko Port, or Shinkansen to Okayama then Ishizuchi limited express (around 3 hours total)
• Fees: Dogo Onsen entry is from 610 yen. Matsuyama Castle entry is 520 yen, not including the ropeway ride.

Aizu-Wakamatsu, Fukushima

Aizu-Wakamatsu is a castle town in inland Fukushima with a samurai history that runs deeper than most places in Japan. Tsurugajo Castle is a reconstruction, but it is a unique one because it is the only castle in Japan with red roof tiles, which were designed to withstand the freezing northern winters. 

The inside of the castle has been completely renovated into a modern museum that uses digital art and VR to tell the history of the region. The top floor gives you a 360-degree view of the city, and you can even use your smartphone to see how the landscape looked during the Edo period compared to what you see today.

One great reason to visit during Golden Week is its northern location, which means that the cherry blossom trees around the moat peak later than the rest of the country. For 2026, the festival illuminations run through the entire Golden Week period until May 6.

If you are travelling from Tokyo, visiting Aizu-Wakamatsu means that you can skip the busy Tokaido Shinkansen. The Tohoku Shinkansen to Koriyama is less crowded than the lines heading toward Osaka. From Koriyama, the Banetsu West Line takes you through the mountains to Aizu in about an hour. 

• Nearest station: Aizu-Wakamatsu Station (Banetsu West Line from Koriyama)
• Getting there: Tohoku Shinkansen from Tokyo to Koriyama (around 80 minutes), then Banetsu West Line to Aizu-Wakamatsu (around 60 minutes)
• Fees: Tsurugajo Castle entry is 410 yen for adults. 

FAQs About Travelling to Japan During Golden Week

Is Golden Week actually worth it, or should I just avoid it?

It depends on what you are after. If your trip is built around Kyoto’s most famous temples, the traditional ryokan towns of Hakone, or getting a relaxed Shinkansen seat whenever you feel like it, Golden Week will frustrate you. If you are flexible about where you go, willing to book early, and open to destinations outside the obvious circuit, it is genuinely one of the best times of year to be in Japan. 

How crowded does it actually get?

Worse than you are probably imagining at the most popular sites, and much better than you might expect everywhere else. The crowding is real but it is also heavily concentrated, and choosing your destinations carefully makes an enormous difference.

How do I handle Shinkansen reservations during Golden Week?

Reservations open exactly 30 days before the date of travel. For the busiest routes, particularly anything between Tokyo and Osaka, seats on peak departure days go within minutes of the window opening.

Will shops and restaurants be open during Golden Week?

Almost everything stays open, and many places extend their hours because the foot traffic is there. Restaurants, shops, convenience stores, supermarkets, temples, shrines, and major attractions all operate normally. The places that close are government offices, banks, and post offices, none of which most visitors need to interact with.