Things to know about the Silver week and traveling in September in Japan
Yes, the Silver Week, not the Golden Week.
The Golden Week is a period of consecutive national holidays in late spring, and the Silver Week is a holiday period we have in early autumn in Japan. The Silver Week is not much known as the Golden Week because it is a short period with a few leap holidays, including a weekend.
The advantage of the Silver Week
The advantage of the Silver Week is that you can take a vacation in Japan's best outing season as the summer heat subsides in September. In summer, it is extremely hot and muggy in most cities of Japan, especially in Tokyo, hardly makes you feel like going outside but staying at home with the air conditioner on. Traveling in September is much comfortable compared with it in August.
The Silver Week is no good for tourists visiting Japan
The Silver Week can be a busy period as many people take a vacation at the same time. Major tourist spots will be more crowded than usual, which may make visitors to Japan feel disappointed. Room rates at hotel and air tickets will be high in price during the week. If you are a tourist planning to visit Japan in September, keep in mind that it is better to avoid the Silver Week.
Tips: Other things to keep in mind when traveling in Japan in September
Not very serious, but better be safe than sorry...
- If you go for mountain hiking, watch out for hornets and bears as they are aggressive in September. Avoid wearing black clothes and take a bear bell.
- If you go to the Japan Alps or those high mountains for climbing, be prepared and take a warm clothes as it is already cold up there. For your info, Mt.Fuji trails will be closed in the middle of September.
- Typhoons still appear in the Pacific near Japan. Check the weather forecast beforehand when going to a seaside resort or for sailing. Watch out for poisonous Jellyfish. You can’t take first aid at beach houses while they are closed in September.
