After cherry the blossoms' flowers have fallen, the best season has come to Okinawa. The warm spring. Although this year it seems to have stayed cooler than usual, we have ahad a few really sunny days outside.
To the hard working business people in Japan, here is another reason why they like the season. The Golden Week. THis is usually starts April 29th and lasts till May 8th but you can expect all the traffic and travel delays to start a few days before and last a few days after this holiday season.
April 29th is Greenery Day (Midori no hi, until 2006) is the opening act of Golden Week. This holiday was originally celebrated in honor of Emperor Hirohito’s birthday. Emperor Hirohito was born April 29, 1901. After his death he was given his posthumous name of Emperor Showa, as is the custom in Japan. The new imperial name means the era of enlightened peace. The emperor died on January 7, 1989 but the Japanese chose to continue to celebrate the day, following the accession to the Chrysanthemum Throne of the current Emperor, the name "Birthday of the Emperor" was changed to "Greenery Day". As its name suggests, it is a day to commune with nature, to be thankful for blessings, and to foster an abundant spirit. calling it the Day of Green in reference to Emperor Hirohito’s interest in plants and the environment. He was an expert biologist and was the author of 14 books about biology.
The Japanese people revered this most popular emperor for many reasons. Chief among them was that he ended the idea that emperors were divine entities, therefore becoming the first “human” emperor in the history of Japan. His decision to surrender in World War II is credited with saving thousands of lives and saving Japan itself from total annihilation. After the war the emperor worked diligently to bring about true peace and a new prosperity. He is considered one of the greatest Japanese leaders of all time.
Greenery Day is one of the holidays for Japanese Citizen. It falls on April 29th until the year 2006, and from 2007 on, it will fall on May 4. It was the birthday of the Showa Emperor (Hirohito) until his death in 1989.
In 2007, Greenery Day will move to May 4th, and April 29th will be changed to Showa Day in accordance with the revising of a law expected to be passed in the near future. The Showa Emperor reigned for 62 years and 2 weeks. On May 3, 1947, he became a symbol of Japan by the new constitution of the country.
Considered controversial even within Japan, this decision is likely to be resented by Japan's Asian neighbours who still harbour hostile feelings towards the country for its expansionist policies during the Second World War. Although this has been acknowledged by Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda, the decision ultimately rests with the Diet.
Showa Day (Showa no hi, from 2007) The holiday is planned to officially start in 2007. Showa Day will be April 29th which is also Hirohito's birthday. The official purpose of the holiday is "To reflect on Japan's Showa period when recovery was made after turbulent days, and to think of the country's future."
Emperor Hirohito died on January 7, 1989. Since that year, April 29th was no longer celebrated as The Emperor's Birthday but instead as Greenery Day (Midori no hi), part of Japan's Golden Week. After many legislation attempts since 2000, Greenery Day finally won approval to be renamed to Showa Day in May 2005. Also, the date of Greenery Day was decided to be moved from April 29th to May 4th.
May 3rd is Constitution Memorial Day (Kenpou Kinen-bi) is a national holiday in Japan. It takes place on May 3rd in celebration of the promulgation of the 1947 Constitution of Japan. It is a part of the collection of holidays known as Golden Week.
A holiday since the current Japanese constitution came into effect on May 3, 1947, this is the only day of the year that the National Diet Building (kokkai-gijido) is open to the public. Being a day that draws its significance from the Japanese constitution, Constitution Memorial Day is often chosen as a day to reflect on the meaning of democracy and Japanese government. For instance, in 2003, a number of newspapers featured editorials regarding the constitution's embattled Article 9.
May 4th is called the Between Day (Kokumin no kyujitsu until 2006) The People’s Holiday, which is celebrated on May 4th, was designated as a national holiday for the sole purpose of giving the people of Japan three consecutive holidays. This is a day off just for the sake of having a long holiday!
May 5th is Children's Day (Kodomo no hi), also known as Boys' Day (Tango no Sekku) is a Japanese national holiday which takes place annually on May 5th. It is a day set aside to respect children's personalities and to celebrate their happiness.
It was originally called Tango no Sekku, which may originally be the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival. Sekku means a season's festival (there are now usually five Sekku per year). This one was considered to mark the beginning of the summer or of the rainy season. Tango has a double meaning: Tan means "edge"/"first" and go means "noon". In Japanese "go" also means five, which could refer to the date of the festival being the fifth day of the fifth month. From the beginning of history, the fifth month of the Chinese calendar was said to be a month for purification, and many rites that were said to drive away evil spirits were performed in this month.
Although it is not known precisely when this day started to be celebrated, it was probably during the reign of the Empress Suiko (593-628 A.D.). In Japan, Tango no Sekku was assigned to the 5th day of the 5th month after the Nara period. Until recently, Tango no Sekku was the boys' day (also known as Feast of Banners) while the girls' day (Hinamatsuri) was celebrated on March 3rd. In 1948, the government decreed this day to be a national holiday to celebrate happiness of children and express gratitude towards mothers. It was then renamed to Kodomo no hi.
On this day, families raise the carp-shaped Koinobori flags, one for each boy (or child), and display the doll of Kintarou usually mounting on a large carp, and the traditional Japanese helmet, Kabuto. Kintarou and the Kabuto are both the symbol of a strong and healthy boy. Kintarou is the childhood name of Sakata no Kintoki who was a hero in the Heian period, a subordinate samurai of Minamoto no Raikou, having been famous for his strength when he was a child in Japan. It is said that Kintarou mounted on a bear, instead of a horse, and played with animals in the mountain when he was a young boy. Mochi rice cakes wrapped in kashiwa oak leaves, that is, kashiwa-mochi and chimaki, are traditionally eaten on this day.
Other symbols and decorations displayed for Children’s Day include suits of samurai armor that are often family heirlooms worth a small fortune. The armor is usually displayed in a small alcove off the main room of the house called a tokonoma. This is the most honored place in the home. Bows, arrows, swords, warrior dolls dressed for battle and dolls depicting boys in armor on white horses are also displayed throughout the homes. Rice wine with iris petals floating in it is also traditional refreshment. Iris blossoms are often added to the bath water of boys on this day to protect them from evil spirits during the coming year. The iris has long been associated with this holiday for many reasons. They bloom during the festival and their sword shaped leaves are believed to be a lucky charm to keep evil spirits at bay.
Carp streamers are also on display at many attractions as well. The Okinawa Zoo usually displays hundreds of the streamers for 3 days to symbolize good health and growth to all the children of the island. A wonderful Carp Streamer Festival takes place at Oku in Kunigami Village at the northernmost tip of Okinawa. Another Carp Streamer Festival takes place in Nago at Haneji Okawa which is a river running through the city. The stream is located along Highway 58.
***Note that May Day (on May 1) is not a public holiday, but is nevertheless often granted as a holiday by many companies
Golden Week is one of the happiest times in Okinawa. With four holidays occurring within the week, many businesses are closed and schools are out. Those businesses that have to remain open can count on increased revenues as people celebrate the different holidays.
Huge crowds can be expected at every attraction on the island during Golden Week. Many tourists come from Mainland Japan to celebrate and locals hold many family picnics and take vacations to spend time with their families. Traffic will be heavy and beaches will be crowded as well. You can expect delays at the airport and on all the highways and expressway.
