Golden Week

It's Golden Week, though it feels rather different from usual. But as this has turned out to be an unusual year, it comes as no surprise. For one thing, the holidays are interrupted by -- work (!), thanks to the way the calendar goes this year. Friday was a holiday for some (Mikiya was off, but my university had classes). The next holidays are May 3-5. Some are able to take a 10-day holiday, but others like us get only the above days off. Certainly better than nothing, though, since some universities are holding classes all next week to make up for their late start to the school year, and of course, others have to work too. We are glad to have the days off - since every year it is so crazy busy in April, everyone psyches themselves to the tune of,  "If I can make it till Golden Week, I will be OK. " And here we are, so we must be alright!
   The other thing that makes this an unusual GW is people are not going as far afield or being as extravagant during the holidays, to the dismay of the service industry. Spending is down, travel is down, and basic spending and consumption are down as people, including us, stay close to home. Our big events so far have been to attend a lecture yesterday and go out for lunch and to a nearby home centre today. But as we are tired from the hustle of last month, that suits us just fine.
   I will end this post with the story of the origin of the naming "Golden Week." As the story goes, with the launch of the national holiday law in 1948, a string of four holidays was created in late April - early May. As a result, people spent more and the economy felt golden as a result of this boost.  But that is not all: the 1951 movie Jiyu gakko enjoyed record returns at the box office and the theatres and the parent film company coined that week "Golden Week." Thus, the naming was created. In the spirit of the holiday's origin, perhaps we will go to a movie!