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Apr 24, 2025

Golden Week 2025 plans?

This year's Golden Week gives us Tuesday, April 29th, and then potentially a four-day weekend from May 3rd to 6th. How are you intending to spend the break? Will you travel, "staycation", or dare I ask, work through it?

TonetoEdo

TonetoEdo

Living between the Tone and Edo Rivers in Higashi Katsushika area of Chiba Prefecture.

4 Answers



  • genkidesu

    on Apr 25

    We tried to travel over GW during one of our first years in Japan, and it was a nightmare. Ever since, we opt to stay home or just explore things locally. It's a nice time of year for walks, enjoying flowers, and so forth, so I'm not really mad about some 'forced relaxation' so to speak.

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  • BigfamJapan

    on Apr 25

    We have nothing booked, but we'll hopefully get away for at least one night. But the kids have a lot on - karate tournaments, soccer matches etc - so a lot of the time will be spent on ferrying them around and watching their events!

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  • helloalissa

    on May 6

    We had a day trip nearby to meet a friend but always stay close to home. I borrowed a lot of library books and we've been doing some much needed relaxing (although genkidesu's article about extra chores and decluttering reminds me I could have been more productive). We also did our annual hike to see the wild fuji blossoms in the mountains on greenery day which seemed fitting.

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  • TonetoEdo

    on May 6

    @helloalissa Right on! Getting out was an option in the Kanto region until today...It's raining! I opted to declutter and clean. My house smells all fresh. My work schedule has a few down days later in May, so I don't feel deprived of holidays.

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Awaiting More Answers

1 Answer

Fears in Japan that you didn't have in your home country?

I've written a number of blogs here on City-Cost about how bears are a real worry in my area these days, and it's something that I didn't have to concern myself with in my home country. I know people talk about snakes and spiders in Australia being deadly (and yes, there are some types that are), but they're not typically going to come and attack you unprovoked. Also, it's a lot easier to outrun a snake or a spider than a bear ;) I'm curious about the rest of you, if you have fears here that maybe weren't present in your country of origin. Let me know in the comments!

genkidesu

10 hours ago

2 Answers

Christmas - shopping, meals, etc. - how are we faring?

I saw a press release this morning from FamilyMart, which promoted their festive season eats but also covered a survey about spending. The survey mentioned most people planning to celebrate Christmas at home aim to spend less than 5,000 yen on food. How does your budget look in comparison to that? Do you go all out for Christmas here if it was something you celebrated in your home country, or is it a quieter celebration owing to it not being an official holiday here? How about Christmas shopping? Have you got strict budgets in place, and have you completed your shopping or are you still looking for bits and pieces for people?

genkidesu

on Nov 7

2 Answers

What is your favorite 'nabe' hot pot?

November 7th is "Nabe no hi" or 'hot pot day'. As I wrote in a post about it, there are many different type of hot pot in Japan. What type of 'nabe' do you like in Japan? The post about 'hot pot day' ; https://www.city-cost.com/blogs/BigfamJapan/G68de-food_wako_shi_saitama

BigfamJapan

on Nov 7

3 Answers

Diamon Fuji views

From October to February, the Diamond Fuji phenomenon is visible for a few days. Have you seen this sight before? Where did you watch it from? Is it close to transportation?

TonetoEdo

on Nov 6