How Our Family Spends Golden Week

Golden Week kicked off at the end of April. Our oldest daughter’s kindergarten follows the regular calendar, so she has the day off on every day of the break except May 1 and 2. The weather has been pretty good this year, making it perfect for getting out and about.

…But our family rarely goes anywhere together during Golden Week or other holiday periods.

Because everywhere is packed (-_-)

The roads are clogged with cars, traffic crawls on both local roads and expressways, and every leisure spot has long lines. On top of that, accommodation prices go through the roof during peak season.

“What’s the point of taking the family out when a holiday weekend comes with the triple whammy of crowds, queues, and sky-high prices?” So we hardly ever travel or go on outings during the holidays. If we do, we usually go a little before or after the busy period.

A Couple With Not a Romantic Bone in Our Bodies

We’ve been this way since before we got married. Neither my husband nor I likes crowds, so we’ve never been to a fireworks festival or a local festival together. We don’t even know when the fireworks festivals are. We’ve also never gone to a popular restaurant or ramen shop because we hate waiting in line.

Our first lunch date was at Kappa Sushi (My husband asked, “Where would you like to go for lunch?” and I said, “Kappa Sushi—it’s cheap and never busy.” Apparently, he was amazed that a woman like me existed!). After that, we often went to Sukiya or McDonald’s for meals. We’d go out of our way to avoid traffic and do the exact opposite of everyone else—so, yes, we were a couple with not a romantic bone in our bodies.

Doing Our Own Thing for the Holidays

Our family has a set routine for Golden Week and other long weekends:

My husband: Goes on a three- or four-night motorcycle tour
Me and the girls: Visit my parents

This arrangement means:

My husband: He can enjoy a tour at his own pace, doing whatever he likes—just like when he was single, without having to worry about the kids needing the bathroom or getting cranky.
Me: I can leave the housework and childcare to my parents and lounge around at home (Sorry for being such a lazy daughter! lol)
The kids: They get to play with their grandparents, eat loads of snacks they’re usually not allowed to have at home, and go on lots of outings.
The grandparents: They’re over the moon to have their grandkids come stay.

So everyone’s happy. For now, this is the best way for our family to spend the holidays.

Every Family Has Its Own Way

That said, I can see how this might not work for a family where the husband wants to go touring, but the wife wants to go out together—it can be hard when you want different things. It may not be an option for families who are expected to visit both sets of grandparents, either. And as the kids get older, we may find ourselves having to plan outings during the holidays, too.

Our approach works because of where our family is in life right now.

People sometimes ask, “Doesn’t your husband mind you taking the kids to your parents’ place during the holidays?” Others ask, “Are you really okay with your husband leaving you and the kids behind to go touring by himself?” But neither of us sees it that way at all.

There’s no single “right” way to spend a holiday. As long as everyone in the family—and anyone else involved—is happy with the arrangement, any approach is just fine.

So, my husband set off yesterday for a tour through Yamaguchi, Shimane, Tottori, Hiroshima, and Okayama, exploring the region’s agricultural roads on his beloved “SL Grandpa.” The kids and I headed to my parents’ place.

Oh, the joy of being back home! ( ´ー｀)