Japan to Adapt to Chinese National Holidays

[Mulboyne]

The government has long been considering the decentralization of national holidays, allowing different regions of the country to have breaks at different times. This earlier thread, outlined details of how that might work for Golden Week. One other plan is to have a holiday in October, with different parts of the country establishing a long weekend in the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th weeks of the month. The Sankei wonders (Japanese) why the first week of the month isn't up for discussion. It seems that October 1st is China's National Foundation Day, and is perhaps the second most popular time for tourists from that country to visit Japan, after the Lunar New Year. Consequently, policy makers think a holiday at that time might create traffic jams and crowds which would interfere with the aim of separating Chinese tourists from their money. The Sankei is outraged that the meaning and significance of Japan's national holidays might be downgraded out of consideration for other countries and asks whether even Obon might be shifted to cater for the similar Korean holiday at the same time. To a large extent, this is showboating by the Sankei. The "Happy Monday" plan - taking existing isolated holidays and moving them to create long weekends, was thought up by the LDP but it suits the Sankei's agenda to describe Minshuto as giving way to foreigners on the matter. Tourist promotion is certainly a national policy but the primary aim of rescheduling the national holiday calendar is to boost domestic demand. The Sankei questions whether staggered holidays might instead disrupt industrial activity and negate this anticipated effect.

[matsuki]

....but all the price raping that goes on during Japanese holidays would just be extended to the Chinese tourists?

[IkemenTommy]

More holidays? Great!