Golden Week

Learn a little about Golden Week while practicing your reading and listening abilities. Read the story below while listening to the audio either fast (normal speed) or slow if you need to train your ears. Download or view the PDF (above) for more explanation.

Translation Notes

1. ゴールデンウィーク go-ruden wi-ku Golden Week; A series of holidays in Japan at the end of April and beginning of May. This is when just about everyone has vacation time.
2. ９連休 even if you didn’t know this jukugo, you can guess by looking at the individual kanji. 連 ren means ‘link’ or ‘connection’ and is used in such common jukugo as 連絡 ren raku, 連続 ren zoku, etc to mean this. So a number (9) plus 連 and 休 would mean 9 consecutive holidays.
3. となるため to naru tame so this would happen—May First and Second are made into holidays to let everyone have 9 consecutive days off
4. 見込み mikomi means an “estimate” here but it can also mean ’hope’ or ‘prospect’ as in 見込みのある子供 mikomi no aru kodomo A child with a promising future. Or 見込みがない mikomi ga nai hopeless!
5. およそ ’about’, ‘approximately’ is used often in news type reporting.
6. 増 zou is used by itself to mean increase
   
7. に集中しそう ni shuuchuu shisou looks like concentration (of returnees). The shisou shows probability but not certainty. “It appears most people will return to Japan between the 5th and 7th.”
   
8. 好天に恵まれる is used as a set phrase meaning ’having nice weather’
   
9. 寺社 is used for general temples 寺 and shrines 神社 in the area
   
10. 新緑に包まれた各行楽地 gives the feel of a lively (green) and pleasant vacation spot
    
11. 京都地方気象台によりますと according to the Kyoto meteorological center…
    
12. 晴れ一時くもり hare ichiji kumori mostly sunny, occasionally cloudy—「一時」 means occasionally, but is less likely than 時々 (toki doki). So it is mostly sunny (晴れ) but clouds could occasionally crop up. Has nothing to do with 1 O’Clock :)
    
13. 行楽日和 kouraku biyori is a set phrase for ‘ideal weather for an outing’