Minato's Golden Week

By Minato Karato and John Wang

Japan’s Golden Week is one of the country’s biggest holiday seasons, happening every year from late April to early May. It is called “Golden Week” because several holidays fall close together, creating a vacation period for many students. During this time, people across Japan travel, spend time with family, attend festivals, and enjoy spring activities. 

The following is a recount from one of our students, Minato Karato: 

Getting There

This year for Golden Week, I went to Tokyo again. I go there a lot because most of my family lives there, but this time was a little special because I was turning 16 and my whole family wanted to celebrate together. Plus, Ian, my friend from Taiwan, was coming too. Ian used to come to HIS, but he left 3 years ago. Ian always comes to Tokyo during breaks to go shopping, and we always hang out when we go together. 

The flight from Shin-Chitose Airport (Sapporo) to Haneda (Tokyo) is only an hour and a half, and I always get some homework done when I'm flying, as there is nothing else to do. But the second I got off the plane, I remembered exactly what Tokyo feels like. Humid. 

In Tokyo

The second day was all about family. We all met at my house, and then went out to a restaurant together and spent basically most of the day eating, chatting, and just catching up. We also celebrated my cousin’s birthday, since his birthday was only a few days away from mine. It was very nice to have everyone in the same place because it doesn't happen very often.

Out with Everyone

The third day, I spent the whole day hanging out with Ian, Shun, Taiga, and Jesse. Shun is a classmate of mine, Taiga was a former HIS student, and Jesse is Ian’s friend from UEIS (Ian’s school). We basically went around Omotesando and Shibuya, just checking out random stores and buying whatever caught our eye. It's always fun and relaxing hanging out like this; you never really plan what you're going to get, just walking around until you see something you like.

On the last night together, Ian and I went to Shibuya Sky. It was a really nice way to end the trip, just the two of us up there at night and looking over the view. It was a very relaxing and good moment to just calm down before heading back.

Heading back

And before I knew it, it was already time to go back to Sapporo. It was a very short trip but a really chill one. That's what I always look for in a break, just relaxing while you can. I am very grateful to be able to see my family again and be able to have a great time in another city.

We hope everyone in the HIS community has enjoyed their golden week and had fun! Go Huskies!