季節曆 · 2026-05
May 2026 — Golden Week, late spring rituals, and the early rainy whisper
May in Japan starts loud — Golden Week's seven-day cluster of national holidays is the busiest travel week of the year — and ends with the first hint of the tsuyu rainy season. Plan around the holiday spike, then enjoy the quiet middle of the month.
Events
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2026-04-29 to 2026-05-05
Golden Week (Showa Day → Children's Day)
Nationwide
Five overlapping public holidays. Expect packed trains, sold-out hotels and triple-priced flights. Locals travel; if you can, stay put in one city.
More info ↗ -
2026-05-15 to 2026-05-17
Sanja Matsuri
Asakusa Shrine, Tokyo
One of Tokyo's three great Shinto festivals. About 100 portable shrines paraded through Asakusa over three days. Free, intense, full-contact crowds.
More info ↗ -
2026-05-01 to 2026-05-31
Mid-month tea harvest (shincha)
Uji (Kyoto), Shizuoka
First-flush green tea hits shelves. Look for the kanji 新茶 on packaging — fresher than anything you've had at home.