General News

Tourist Spots Across Japan Bustle with Families, Foreign Visitors for Golden Week Holidays

The Yomiuri Shimbun

17:23 JST, April 28, 2024

The Golden Week holiday period, which features up to 10 consecutive days off this year, kicked off on Saturday, with tourist destinations across Japan bustling with many families and foreign tourists.

Toyama: Spectacular falls

A walking trail leading to Shomyo Falls, a waterfall in Tateyama, Toyama Prefecture, that boasts Japan’s highest drop of 350 meters, reopened after winter closure on Saturday. A prayer ceremony for safety was held at the entrance to the walking trail, known as Shomyodaira.

Hannoki Falls, with its 500-meter drop that appears only during the snowmelt season, is also visible from a point close to Shomyo Falls, allowing tourists to enjoy spectacular spring views.

The Yomiuri Shimbun
Shomyo Falls, left, and Hannoki Falls form a V-shape in Tateyama, Toyama Prefecture, on Saturday morning.

Tochigi: ‘Wisteria shower’

Wisteria flowers are currently in full bloom at Ashikaga Flower Park in Ashikaga, Tochigi Prefecture. The park attracted more than 25,000 visitors from Japan and abroad on Saturday. Visitors were seen marveling at the cascading blooms and exclaiming that it looked like a “purple shower.”

The park, renowned as a famous spot for wisteria, features more than 350 wisteria plants of five different varieties, which reach their peak sequentially from mid-April to mid-May.

Yomiuri Shimbun photos
Left: About 160,000 clusters of wisteria are in full bloom at Ashikaga Flower Park in Ashikaga, Tochigi Prefecture, on Saturday.
Right: A tunnel of white wisteria at their peak bloom is seen at Ashikaga Flower Park in Ashikaga, Tochigi Prefecture, on Saturday.

Hokkaido: Zoo kicks off summer operation

Asahiyama Zoo in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, attracted many people on the first day of its summer operational hours on Saturday, with visitors gathering well before opening. As soon as the zoo opened, people flocked to their favorite animal exhibits to view the behavioral exhibitions, a notable feature of the zoo that showcases the animals’ habits and dynamic movements.

The Yomiuri Shimbun<
Visitors watch seals swimming in a tank at Asahiyama Zoo, Asahikawa, Hokkaido, on Saturday.

Tokyo: Foreign tourists flock to Toyosu

The Toyosu Senkyaku Banrai commercial complex, which opened in Tokyo’s Koto Ward in February, was packed with tourists on Saturday. The complex particularly appeals to foreign visitors with its recreation of Edo period street scenes, lined with dining establishments and souvenir shops.

Due to the yen’s weakening, the number of foreigners was noticeable. with some surprised at how the prices were low.