As the 10-day Golden Week holiday got underway Saturday and popular tourist spots around the country filled with crowds, there are many who view the long stretch with lament over the loss of income the holiday will cause for them.
Some of the holidaymakers found their way to Toyosu Market in Koto Ward, Tokyo.
A 38-year-old company employee from Konosu, Saitama Prefecture, came to see the tuna auction at the market, which opened in October.
"I was looking forward to the vigorous vocal bidding. I'm out and about with my family thanks to the 10-day holiday," he said with a smile.
Taking into account the impact on retailers and restaurants, the market is scheduled to be open on five of the holiday period's 10 days.
The proprietor of a restaurant that serves Kyoto cuisine in Tokyo's Ginza district was buying horsehair crabs and other items at the market. "If we have bookings, we'll be open, no matter if there's a holiday or not," he said.
The area around Tokyo Skytree in Sumida Ward, Tokyo, is festooned with 1,500 koi-nobori carp streamers ahead of Children's Day.
A 32-year-old company employee from Makubetsu, Hokkaido, was one of many customers buying souvenirs and gifts emblazoned with "Reiwa," the name of the new era, at the Skytree's giftshop.
"It will be the Reiwa era when I go back to work after the holiday. This will be a perfect gift," he said.
In Ogaki, Gifu Prefecture, "tarai-bune" boat tours down the Suimon River that flows through downtown have started. Tourists can enjoy the scenery floating in giant washtubs.
Yet others are anxious about a loss of income from the long holiday period.
The Dolce hair salon in Taito Ward, Tokyo, had only one customer on Saturday and not a single reservation for the entire 10 days.
"It's probably because so many people are going on trips. I don't expect customers during Golden Week," the proprietress said.
Likewise, the women's apparel shop Oshare no Mise Pearl had just one customer on Saturday morning.
"There's not much foot traffic in front of the shop today. I'm not happy about the 10-day holiday," said Hisae Fukuzawa, the store's 74-year-old owner.
A man in his late 20s who works as a nonregular employee at an information technology company in Tokyo for yen 1,000 an hour calculates he will lose several tens of thousands of yen in income due to the holiday.
"No matter how much I cut back, I'm going to be in the red for the month of May. There's nothing I can do but hunker down at home," he said.
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