Holiday Traditions Still Going Strong

Cannot reach your business partner in Japan today? No wonder. As of today, Japan is entering into a series of holidays, the so-called “#Golden #Week ”.

🥇“Golden Week” is said to be a coinage that the film industry in Japan came up in the hope for full house of movie theatres while having “golden hours” for TVs on their mind.

🥈Is there also a #Silver #Week ? Yes, there is. September is also rich in public holidays including “Respect-for-the-Aged Day”. How fitting! This year, Silver Week comes in two parts: 17 -19 Sept. and 23 - 25 Sept.

Some claim another calendar period is the Bronze Week but the term has not been yet coined.

💎 The true jewel among the off-duty weeks in Japan is actually around the Bon festival （お盆）in mid-August. The old tradition of paying visits to family graves to honour one’s ancestors is still kept alive in modern Japan.

🏭 In particular, plants and factories often shut down for a week. A week of downtime is quite something in Japan but the tradition is going strong.
 
So if you are planning online meetings with Japanese partners, avoid any date during the Golden and Sliver weeks and the time of the Bon Festival.
 
In the past, I was often in August in Japan on vacations. It’s always nice to see familiar faces on the occasion of O-bon.
 
#goldenweek #silverweek #japaneseholidays #culturaltipps