Golden Week 2024 - Avoid crowds

We will be in Japan for 3 weeks, including Golden Week. We enjoy easy walks with beautiful scenery and mountain views. I read that Tokyo is less crowded during Golden Week, but we don't want to spend all that time in Tokyo. Any suggestions? Thank you.

Hi, I'd consider doing at least a few days of the Nakasendo Way (Kiso Valley), earlier this year we based ourselves in Kiso Fukushima and did a few sections, personally I would do the Narai to Tabuhara section and the Tsumago to Magome section on the weekends as the towns are much more fun on the weekends and not that many people do the walks between. There is also a section at Karuizawa that is pretty.

Takayama/Kamikochi area is also nice around then though Kamikochi will be cold which means carting heavy clothes around, and I would spend at least 3 or 4 nights at Nara because it is our favorite place. Lots of people go there, but not really crowded because it is so open.

What worked for me last year was to base myself in Miyajima for three nights, during the "worst" part of GW. I spent one day hiking on the island, and the other in Hiroshima. I really enjoyed traveling against the crowd. The ferry and train to exit the island in the morning were almost empty. Same in the evening when I came back.

Nara would probably work as well, as many visitors are day trippers from Osaka/Kyoto. If you were planning to visit Nikkō, you can stay there for a few nights.

I always feel that the fear of the crowds is bigger than the crowds.
Tokyo won�ft be THAT quiet that you notice a real change except maybe in early morning commuter trains.

So don't spend your time in Tokyo.
GW is no-were near as crowded as the fear mongers make out and my travels in many years avoid crowds and actually have few people in the places I go.

@JCT: honestly, it's easy to avoid crowds when you have already visited the must-see spots, and are not trying to do the Golden Route in a three-week trip. I personally feel quite sympathetic towards first time travelers who also want to see the most iconic sites in Japan. But I agree that GW is not as horrible as some people describe :)

@ellen: by the way, being in Japan during GW is not necessarily a bad thing. There are many events held exclusively at that time, for example Hakata Dontaku or Yabusame Shinji in Kyoto, and various ceramics fairs.

As said, GW can be hell if you don't know what you're doing. If you're not fighting the crowds trying to get a train seat going the same direction at the same time, it doesn't have to be that bad at all. Theme parks, popular resorts, and other such places can be jammed, but if you think outside the box, you can avoid the migraines. It's also one of the most beautiful times to be in Japan and see it at spring's peak.
This year in GW I was still able to get a decent cheap hotel in Kyoto just a minute's walk from the station, and from Tokyo I was able to go to Kakunodate without any trouble at all.