Agoda's Golden Week travel trends

I've seen a number of studies this spring about domestic travel, and this latest one from travel site Agoda shows another clear spike in interest for getting away across Japan.

Looking at search trends for local weekend stays in April and May, interest has climbed sharply compared to early April. The weekend of April 17–18th saw searches jump by 101%, followed by May 1–2nd at +65% and April 24–25th at +27%, suggesting that many people planned trips not just for Golden Week itself, but surrounding weekends.

As for where people are heading, the usual favorites are leading the way, including Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, Sapporo, and Kyoto. No great surprises there, I think they're nice places for local stays since you can combine nature, food, shopping, and culture all in the one spot. 

If you're planning a spring trip yourself, it might be worth thinking beyond the main Golden Week window and considering other weekends! I personally love May after GW, since to me the weather is super nice at many places, and there's lots of spring beauty left to enjoy.