Golden Week In Japan Ain’t So Golden in 2020

An Update of Life in the Land of the Rising Sun After Two Full Months in the Coronavirus Era

Parks like this one are still open in Gunma, Japan, but folks are mostly staying home. (Bryan Winchell)

The sizzle of yakiniku on a grill, laughter from the chef and his hungry friends, Kirin beers in their hands, a joyful toddler prancing through an adjacent field under a flapping set of koinobori, the Japanese kites of spring, his father following, hoping the boy won’t stumble into the happy BBQers, and a couple nearby, fumbling tent poles, these are the typical sounds and sights of this annual Golden Week in Japan.

This year the BBQ pits are closed, a sign apologizing for the situation covers the park’s map, a solitary man sits on a bench facing a jungle gym without children, and two teens kick a soccer ball across an otherwise empty field.

As with other countries around the world, much of life in Japan is on pause as the government reacts to the developing COVID-19 situation and citizens adapt to the “new normal,” hoping it won’t go on too long.

It’s caused some to change Golden Week to Gaman Week with gaman being an oft-repeated Zen Buddhist concept which means, in sum, “suck up the suck and don’t gripe about it.” Less poetically: persevere.