Haha too late 😂

We can sleep on John's couch if our accomodations fall through 😅

Hi John, you have an amazing and very soothing voice, thoroughly enjoy listening & watching your vids! Will be visiting Japan for the first in November, it’s been on the top of my bucket list for the longest time. SUPER EXCITED!!! I’m best to purchase my JR pass in September to get it at the current price!? So it’s ok to activate in November with no additional costs is that right? Looking forward to hearing from you. Hugs from Australia 🤗

OMGOSH we were in Yokohama today and it was insane! China Town walk to wall! Wharf area, wall to wall, warehouse area, insane! Weather was awesome and we still had tons of fun, but yeah….crazy crowded!

I’m trying to travel to Osaka and Kyoto in September around the weekend of the 28th. Do you think it’ll still be crowded from Silver Week?

It’s still far away but we plan to come during shogatsu 12/27-1/7. That’s the only time our family get have time off together, but now we concern that businesses and stores are closed during that time

i'll be flying out on sunday and arrive in tokyo monday evening, cant wait:) hope the weather is good lol

My trip will hit a few days of Silver week. It will be interesting on the shinkansen ehh .. looking forward to it!!

serious question...i got approved for another business trip out there in 3 weeks. should i plan to sweat through 3 different shirts a day like last august? lol

Spent my weekend in Hakone and it’s so sweet to see families traveling around together. Maybe I got lucky or maybe the places I hit weren’t hot spots but there weren’t many crowds where I went. I’m back in my apartment now near Tokyo so let’s see how the rest of it goes 😅

It is likely that the following areas will be extremely crowded due to overtourism, especially since Japan's consecutive holidays will overlap for the past week. Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Nagoya, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, Hokkaido,Kanagawa, Shizuoka and some famous tour spots. If you would enjoy traveling in Japan, we recommend the Tohoku region. In particular, Yamagata is close to Tokyo and Sendai, and there are relatively few people, so you can spend a comfortable time there. Transportations will be crowded everywhere. It's best to go early in the morning or later in the evening.

We just returned from Japan last week. We saw the crowds increasing as we approached the end of our trip. We got out just in time.

Thanks for your great information! We arrive on May 8th so I’m happy to hear about the lifting of the border restrictions! 😅 We went to Japan during Obon 5 years ago because my sons wanted to go to the Pokémon parade, etc. in Yokohama. It was crowded, but not horrible. We stayed very close to Haneda airport so it was a quiet spot to return to at night.

I will be in Tokyo this golden week. I heard Tokyo gets more empty as the locals travel to Kyoto Osaka etc. is this true?

Shogatsu is usually stated as the 1st to 3rd of January, not from December 28th to January 5th, though.

Thankfully I'm avoiding it by just a few days, I arrive in Tokyo on May 11.

I live in Southeast Asia and November is my favorite month to visit other countries especially to those that have beautiful Autumn foliage. By the way, it is nice to see more and more people not wearing mask.

I'm flying over on the friday of Silver week Hopefully there is no issues

We were in Japan from the 28th of March to 12th April absolutely loved it 😊 Somehow got lots at the train station in Tokyo, couldn’t find out way on for 4 and a half hours 😂 😂 did a little better the next day and got a photo with Hachi statue but couldn’t find the Owl Cafe! Would love to go back before we turn 75 and do it on our own and not a tour. Thanks for all your videos, they are so interesting 😊

What about the week after? Is that a good time, John? Hopefully everyone is back to work/school by then 😉

Yeah too late! My family and I were traveling from Hokkaido all the way to the south to Fukuoka. And it was PACKED! I was planning to stay there for a day before going to Kyoto. But since there were so many people even at the station (we couldn’t find coin locker spot), we skipped Fukuoka and go direct to Kyoto! Very unfortunate since I would like to explore Fukuoka more..

We are here too right now and yes it’s very crowded every where you go , we took the JR line from Shibuya to Shinjuku, we were like shoulder to shoulder with each other. I hope Osaka and Kyoto are not this crowded.

Arriving on the 3rd & would be visiting Ginza, Harajuku/Shibuya. 1st time going to Japan, didn't know of this holiday when I booked, are the shops even going to be open? So worried about the crowd on the streets & the train😢😢

I can totally atest to this. Although I must say here in Tokyo I feel that most areas do empty out during GW.

I mean you're right but it's a bit late for a warning!

I’m In Osaka at the moment and heading to Tokyo next week flights and hotels are super super expensive idk why I want to be in Tokyo next week but I am. If it gets crowded I’ll just chill at the hotel lol

Happy Golden Week John. Let the chaos begin😊

they are ending the border restrictions this weekend 4/28, not waiting until 5/8.

Hi John big holiday 🎊 very feisty

My brother and i are here in tokyo right now. I didn't really think about if there was a holiday or not when I planned our trip. I realized it was golden week here when I was looking into things to see and do. I guess we will get first hand experience while we're here haha

The Clark Griswald grand canyon look.. tooo funny. I love all the National Lampoon Movies. Always watch Christmas Vacation on Christmas eve.

😊😊Super amazing holiday⛩️

hi john 😀 i am mid june in tokyo ginza, probably very close to your position right now ... would be fun to see u there

I would reckon that summer would be perfect time travel to Japan despite the heat , when i looked the dates of those holidays 🤔Thank you for this info and stream John 🙂👍!!!

As requested below are my upcoming travel plans. I had watched your prior video where you recommended not visiting during Golden Week so my upcoming trip from is from May 15th to 26th. I will then use your more comprehensive list to include avoiding Silver Week since my planned future visits will probably be during Spring and Autumn. The only caveat would be if I opt to make a trip during Obon (Summer) to visit with Family in Hiroshima to visit haka. Thank You! Best to Hanae (second cousin's name too!), Leo and you.🙏

How about May 06, 2024. We purposely are going a day after golden week. Is it quiet after?

i was just in Kyoto during cherry blossom.... its not that bad as some are making it out to be. dont get me wrong though as the were some places that were super packed, but its Japan, it always happens. for all the top tourist spots we just went earlier in the morning and it was very nice. anyways it was my first time to Japan and i was so sad to go back home after 3 weeks! cant wait to come back again!

not plan....but we will be coming around silver week...i hope thye have some special autumn food, flavors..yeah...i hope it's not crazy

Traveling at Miyagi and Iwate, Matsushima is packed really hard.

Are you going to see the Mario brothers movie opening in Japan. If you are let me know how its different from the U.S version

Hi John. What a wonderful day at Ginza with the people walking around. Perhaps you can do a special Golden Week edition with Peter at a different popular spot? That guy who just appeared was funny.

I agreed. Japan is overcrowded. Was there the first week of April and all the attractions are packed. I can’t imagine after sept/Oct this year and into next year.

Hey John, think you got your dates wrong. Today is actually the 29th, and tomorrow (Sunday) the 30th. Just a slight detail I noticed.

what is this street?

Traveling next year May 6 2024 is it still crowded after the 5th?

I'm finally on my way to Tokyo! I too didn't really think about it when I booked my trip back last year! 😂 But nothing is stopping this girl from going to Japan! Headed to DFW Airport now bound for Haneda! Wish me luck! 😅❤ And by the way? Thank you soooo much John! I've been watching you for months now! I hope to run into you somewhere! ❤❤❤

Thanks!

Amazing ❤

That overcrowded kyomizu dera temple is a tragedy waiting to happen, best to limit the people entry now than regret the loss of lives due to collapse. The Philippines has almost the same balcony overlooking tourist spot in minesview park baguio city and I hope no accident ever happens.

I’m here for golden week. Not my choice but it’s when my friends wanted to go. I just hope we can survive our time in Tokyo.

I'm Currently in Ōita city and its insane here too.

My holiday is planned from the 9th of May so I'll be missing Golden Week.

During the live chat I asked when Golden Week became popular as I did not recall it to be a thing when I lived in Japan circa 1970. Thanks to Google now I understand why. Of the four holidays now included, only the May 5th Boy's Day were widely celebrated with some of the others having their origin as recently as 2007. Mystery solved.

Too late JD tourists are still coming in and are there now like in some of the comments. But hope they show or they can send you some of their videos on how they survive it so it can be on a future video on your channel or have them send it for the following month. Stay safe have a great vacation time May is coming soon then summer tourism in 🇯🇵👍⛩️🌸📸👍

Im getting on the plane this very minute, its already too late

We went a few days early for our family trip. We live in Edogawa in Tokyo. We are on the way home now from a family vacation to Ito. The hotel we were at was fabulous. It was only 65 percent occupied. Our express train back to Tokyo is really empty. I did notice that Tokyo station two days ago was nuts. Sooo many foreigners.

@The person asking about donuts at the 20:58 mark, imo Hiroshima (when I visited the place in dec and Jan, I found "mr donuts" around the station and a few blocks away from the the atomic bomb dome. In the same area as where animate/melonbooks are. They were awesome.

Yes after today 29th April no more COVID tests to free up the airport lines!!! 👍🏻 Love Koinobori so beautiful them kois blowing in the wind love it!!!! 👌🏻

Oof! This is why, I played Persona 4 and 5 long enough to forget that there is Golden week at this starting point of now. And I keep forget that there’s always discount that is happening.

April 25th is like our original flight to Japan then just literally everyone even friends says that even if it costs a bit, just rebook it. Welp we got free rebooking opportunity so we rebooked the flight almost literally after the golden week which is the May 9th. I hope the crowd died down a bit by that time.

Yeah i think the G7 summit is at the end of May in Hiroshima.

Saga prefecture will be awesome.

i havent been on in a minute, why are so many not wearing a mask anymore?

I'm the opposite...I like to go during Golden Week...enjoy the sale....

I love Papa Beard😊

So Tonkotsu ramen is literally the best soup in the world and still not good enough for you John? lol or did Peter actually get you to go into that restaurant after your recent Tokyo Tower livestream?

i think going in the upcoming 3 month's is not smart, the weather there is exhausting .

true, avoid going to japan to queue for N hours for each of the journeys, restaurants, cafes, burgers, trains, subways, buses.

Me too

Welp I'm here now. It was the lowest nonstop ANA fare I cound find.

Tomorrow I'll be there 😂

It's really nice to finally see that Japanese people are starting to stop wearing masks! At least, a few of them.. I hope they start becoming more and more.

😅wow good thing i went last week

Still doesn't compare with crowds in China during the May 1st holiday.

Iam in Osaka now kkk

The guy at 5:19 who took a photo with John looks and sounds like a Singaporean🤭

I’m here so can’t do anything

If you call this crowded then you must not be from a large area I'm in Japan right now. I've been to several popular spots and it's no where near as bad as you're making it sound I saw the Gundam in Yokohama yesterday and there couldn't have been more than 100 people during my time slot in the afternoon It looked very empty for the area

This is what I wanna come to experience in Japan. No AVOIDING

We are here right now for a month, and omg its busy everywhere . full of European tourists . Never seen this before...not like this

The only reason i'd travel to Japan for Golden Week is to attend all the wrestling shows that take place 😂

But I just arrived today…

amazing JAPAN

This video had over 10 commercial breaks!!!

I'm an American living in Korea and camd to Osaka for one week for vacation and I absolutely didn't know it was Golden week. It was decided in a short notice. The crowds in central Osaka is insane and yesterday I went to Tennoji zoo and it was so overcrowded. I've never seen so many families in one small space in my life! I felt I was suffocating.

I would have said "Tokyo" not Japan. The countryside is still beautiful and fun to visit. Personally, I don't particularly like Tokyo never have.

Have a look at Kyoto. All public transportation is taken over by tourists.

Silver week!! 》》》

PRO TIP: Travel during back-to-school period.

Nice to see less and less mask wearers outdoors

2 Mega

This time lucky

Although the Japanese govnt would obviously disagree-I think let the Japanese enjoy their 1st basically unrestricted holiday without the added congestion of foreigners. It has always been crowded especially the trains and airports with people going to visit family or going abroad from the airports.

wow. im so surprised to see people still wearing masks outdoors!

I never want to go back anyway. The amount of tourists there now makes it feel like a second Thailand. Unfortunate.. but I guess that's how it is.

If you tell us to avoid it, why arent you avoiding it?? Americans are becoming like the English, whinning about everything.

This was a completely irresponsible headline, and aligns with one of the reasons I AVOID YOUR VIDEOS. I just couldn't let this one pass. Yes, Japan overall is busy during Golden Week, but not every spot is Japan is "busting at the seams" with tourists. Some places are crowded, but the most popular locations are usually full of tourists year round, irrespective of seasonal events (like special festivals). And many Japanese travel abroad at this time, such as to Hawaii, Taiwan, Thailand, etc. I have been in Japan for 2 and 1/2 months on a 1 year visa since mid-February this year. It's a trip that was postponed when Japan closed her borders in April 2020, three days before my flight from the US. On average, I have visited Japan about once a year (excluding the pandemic lockdown) since my grandfather showed me the country in early childhood. I studied Japanese for my foreign language requirement in secondary school and university, and spent a significant amount of time learning about her history. So as a retired psychologist, I am now finishing up the last remaining major item on my bucket by residing in Japan for at least a year, and discovering as much of the aspects of the country - culture, people, customs, etc., that I could not glean from visits on a "visa free" 90 day entry that American tourists typically use. Golden week is from April, 29th to May 5th. It ends on Tango no Sekku (old name for Boys Day) or Kodomo no Hi (new name for Children's Day). So to basically claim that everything is just too crowded, especially when it is only the first day (April 29th) of Golden Week, is quite presumptuous. Plus, I have been out since early morning at the gym, train station, grocery stores, dry cleaner, stationary store, etc., and everything seems like a normal Saturday. I actually was disappointed that it really wasn't any different from other Saturdays. I strongly suggest that over exaggerated headlines be avoided. After all, the US is still dealing with the aftermath of President number 45, who over embellished to the point of outright lying. And who by the way, deserves all the pain and agony that the American legal system should be dumping on him for his ignominious crimes.