Feedback
E-mail the author or send us feedback.

Blast @ explode.com is an online magazine presented by Exploding Can Productions, a digital media and Internet company.

Copyright © 1995-1998 Exploding Can Productions. All Rights Reserved. No part of this Web site may be used without permission.

To report any problems or if you have any questions, please write to webmaster@explode.com or feedback@explode.com. For advertising, please contact advertise@explode.com.

home | about blast | who we are | editors' note | feedback | sitemap | press | user feedback | links

Tom (tries to) celebrate a slew of Japanese Spring holidays

By TOM DIEDERICH
Blast Tokyo Bureau

The Japanese celebrate "Golden Week," a cluster of unrelated holidays from April 29 to May 5. Mysteriously, EVERYONE in the country believes this is a great time to travel. The highways and roads are gridlocked; the train stations and airports overcrowded.

And, needless to say, the price of everything travel-related skyrockets.

Here is a list of the holidays:

April 29: Greenery Day (Midori no Hi). This day is set aside for celebrating nature. Plant a tree, water a bush, and all that crap.

May 3: Constitution Memorial Day (Kenpo Kinenbi). Designed to commemorate Japan's new peace constitution.

May 4: People's Holiday (Kokumin no Shukujitsu). I have no idea what this holiday is about. Sounds weird, though.

May 5: Children's Day (Kodomo no Hi). Formerly called Boy's Day, this holiday "celebrates the growth of children."