Kate Elwood in her Cultural Conundrums column discusses sickness in the spring and hit s upon a cultural trend that is somewhat arduous-the long post Golden Week work stint without any holidays or breaks:
Despite spring fever and gogatsu-byo occurring in the same season, a large part of the difference between them is related to the disparity in the academic and business calendars in Japan and many Western countries. People in Japan who in April have started at a new school or workplace often feel overwhelmed, and exhaustion and anxiety take their toll just after Golden Week, when the weeks and weeks to come seem tarnished and bleak. And unlike in the United States with Memorial Day at the end of May and Independence Day at the beginning of July, in Japan after Golden Week there is no respite beyond weekends until Marine Day at the end of July, the longest stretch with no national holidays in the Japanese annual calendar. Oh, I'm starting to mourn my heedlessly spent Golden Week and it hasn't even started yet!
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