golden week

Having trouble deciding when to take your annual leave, and wish that everyone would just holiday at the same time? Well I hope not, but if that's you then you should move to Japan. For others, please keep day dreaming about that next holiday to "insert exciting exotic destination of choice here" with "supermodel of choice here"... topping my list at the moment is Heidi Klum, and I dont really care where we're going.

Standard annual leave is a massive 10 days in Japan. Worst still, its actually pretty difficult for an avg Japanese worker take leave in big blocks... there is a bit of an unspoken rule about asking for 2 weeks leave... you dont ask. Unless you dont want your job. To make up for this injustice, they have a shit load of public holidays... 15 to be precise, 5 more than you would get back home. The crem dela crem of the public holidays is called Golden Week... a smorgasboard of all you can eat public holidays crammed into a meaty first week of May. hence i worked 2 days last week... Now who could possibly have issues with a 4 day weekend? Why would I rant about this...

A lot of Japanese companies take the opportunity to shutdown during G week, and many people take up 2 days leave to essentially take 9 days off ... a golden deal in anyones books, but then you got to ask yourself "what happens when a 100 million people holiday at the same time?"... its a frickin nightmare. planning to escape overseas... well theres 50 000 people waiting at Narita airport queuing to get out... plus it'll literally cost you an arm and some internal organ you probably hadnt planned on parting with just yet. forget the leg, that wont get you far.

Domestic holidays... not much better. During G week, middle of bum fuck no where japan is everyones hot holiday destination. you simply cant hide in this country... there are people everywhere.

so some people just take it easy, stay at home, catch up with friends, sleep, eat, and drink. not the most eventful G week but definitely relaxing BUT for some reason Id rather forgo G week and increase my annual leave, and use them whenever it suits me... not when people are busy forming queues, especially if Heidi and I can only get away during G week!!

People here dont seem to mind tho, its just the pack mentality they have. You do everything together all of the time. You generally dont stray, and if you do they see you as being "kawatteru"... which means different, but not in the "same same but different"kinda way but more like in a "yeh, he's you know.. well different".