Golden Week: Japan Tourist Spots Bustling With Foreign Visitors

The Yomiuri Shimbun

1:00 JST, May 1, 2023

The Golden Week holiday period kicked off this weekend, and sightseeing spots around the nation were crowded with foreign tourists.

Sensoji Temple in Asakusa, Tokyo, was filled with shoppers and tourists in kimono taking commemorative photos.

“I’m impressed by all the interesting buildings,” said a 24-year-old university student from Poland who had come to Japan with his family. “I’m glad the border restrictions have been relaxed so people can visit Japan more easily.”

The owner of a fan store on the Shin Nakamise shopping street said: “The number of foreign tourists is gradually increasing. I hope things will soon go back to the way they were before the pandemic.”

In Kyoto’s Arashiyama district, people took commemorative photos around the famous Togetsukyo Bridge without masks on.