Inflation, hotel prices curtail Japanese ‘Golden Week’ travels

[TOKYO] Japan’s annual “Golden Week” holiday period gets into full swing Saturday (May 3), but inflation and hotel prices sent soaring by record inbound tourism have left domestic travellers less eager to pack their bags.

Traditionally, Golden Week – which includes three consecutive public holidays – gives Japanese workers one of their longest breaks in the year, with many taking the opportunity to see other parts of Japan or to travel abroad.

But this year consumers in the world’s fourth-largest economy are feeling the pain of rising prices for everything from cabbage and rice to electricity bills.

The yen has lost around a third of its value since 2022, one factor behind the record number of foreign tourists also lured by…