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I've just learned that during my planned stay in Japan the Golden Week takes place. Having read loads of warnings we are thinking of going to Hokkaido during the festivals and see the beautiful nature.

Will it be even more crowded than the urban areas (Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto) or are Hokkaido's sights less frequented during golden week?

The intention behind the question is finding out where large tourist crowds go during Golden Week since Tokyo might be crowded according to StackExchange whilst Japan-Guide.com claims that people are leaving urban centres.

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Seb
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2 Answers2

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I wouldn't recommend it, but not because of Golden Week: it's just a poor season to go. Hokkaido is far up north and cold, and April is when the snow starts to melt. This means that by May, when Golden Week rolls around, most ski resorts will have closed and the few that may remain open won't be at their best. But it's also still too early for hiking or most other outdoor sports, since temps can hover near zero and many trails remain snowed in. It's also too early for the flower fields of Biei/Furano. Despite all this, because it is Golden Week, prices will be higher than usual, particularly compared to the surrounding rock bottom off season. About the only positive is that (if lucky) you may see cherry blossoms, which will have ended in mainland Japan by now.

Source: A friend of mine living in Sapporo, who strongly recommended against visiting in Apr/May. We went in July instead, which was much better!

lambshaanxy
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Hokkaido is fine, but I wouldn't worry about urban areas. Your biggest gripe will be actual travel TO and FROM Hokkaido.

Certain places where Japanese people go on vacation will be crowded. Places like Hakone, Beppu, DisneySea/Land, etc. will be crowded. Transportation in and out of cities will also be busy.

If you're travelling around, you may run into some challenges, but if you're in a major metropolitan city, like Tokyo or Osaka or Kyoto you won't notice much difference. It's like taking the highways on a Friday Long Weekend.

Tokyo is always crowded. It can handle Golden Week without issue. Concentrated popular places like Disneyland can be crazy busy.

Armstrongest
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