Golden Week holidays might be an unique system in Japan. It's a holiday-studded week or a week with a string of holidays. In this year, it starts from Apr 29th and ends on May 7th except for May 1st and 2nd on calendar basis. In my case, I'm taking nine consecutive days off with strong will. Do you envy me? Yey! But, what I'm going to do is just adding two days off -- May 1st and 2nd, with using paid holiday. Yesterday, I had achance to talk about Golden week with a native english speaker and a few Japanese. The Japanese told that they would work on even the problematic days off. Besides, they exclaimed that they HAVE TO WORK or HAVE TO BE in their offices as if working is virtue and taking holidays is vice. It's weird to me. I hate such a "have to" notion or obligation as is often the case for Japanese. I dislike that the perspective -- No rest for the wicked, is virtue. Of course, the individual situation/case would not compromise. It might be difficult for them to take holidays. But they have paid holidays and are entitled to use them. Whether they take a holiday or not is up to their volitions. I strongly recommend that they bear in mind one proverb -- Hard work and no play make Jack a dull boy.