Where to go during Golden week

Hi,

We are arriving in Japan 1 day before the Golden Week for 2 weeks.

Is it better to stay in Tokyo during the GW? Or is it better to leave it in favor of the other regions/cities?

Thanks for your advices.

I would avoid popular tourist destinations like Hakone and Tokyo Disneyland during the Golden Week. And for train travel I would avoid the busiest days of travel which are outlined on the following page:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2282.html

Apart from that Golden Week just happens to be a little bit more busy than regular weekends.

Many people take this time to travel or go back home to visit folks, so inner city congestion may not be as harsh as opposed to if everyone were to stay in Tokyo (but they might...I'd try my hardest get out of Tokyo just to avoid all that!).

Im assuming you don't travel to JPN often so if I were you, I wouldn't be afraid to go to interesting places just because it's a crowded but popular tourist point. IMHO, two weeks in Tokyo alone just doesn't seem like a good use of vacation time, because you can see most of what Tokyo has to offer in a few days.

Try to visit some of what the surrounding region has to offer:
Hakone - popular tourist spot
Yugawara - hotsprings town near Hakone
Kamakura - old capital with the big buddha
Izu - beach region
Takao-zan - nearby mountain great for hiking
*These are all one-day trips (by train) done easily with a little planning.
**I'd skip Tokyo Disneyland and head straight to see Cirque du Soleil!