The end of April and early May come with a rare cluster of holidays known in Japan as Golden Week. One might say that Golden Week is truly golden, because not only do students get a bit of vacation time, but it’s actually the longest vacation period of the year for many Japanese employees, making it a highly anticipated holiday for families residing in Japan.

The key dates are April 29 (Showa Day), May 3 (Constitution Memorial Day), May 4 (Greenery Day) and May 5 (Children's Day)—though of one of the dates falls on a Sunday, it will be celebrated on a weekday instead.

But every perk comes with a price. Want to see what we mean? Find out more about Golden Week's advantages and disadvantages by visiting Zooming Japan below!