It’s golden week in Japan. A time for people to take a week off work and relax. Most people I know use this holiday to travel. Narita is usually really really busy during this time and sure enough I found an article from Kyodo News that describes what traveling can be like during this crazy time.

A massive exodus of holidaymakers started at Narita International Airport near Tokyo on Saturday, with its operator estimating some 727,000 people will go through the airport during Japan’s Golden Week holiday season through May 6.

According to a major travel agency, China is attracting many tourists from Japan as it enjoys a robust economy prior to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, while Hong Kong and Macao are also popular destinations.

Hiroko Morita, 35, from Fukaya, Saitama Prefecture, said before departing for Greece with her family, “I’m planning cruising in the Aegean Sea and looking around monuments there.”