News in Easy English: More people in Japan staying home during Golden Week
TOKYO -- This year, many people in Japan will stay home during Golden Week. This is mostly because prices are going up and to avoid crowded places.
JTB, a big travel company, asked 10,000 people about their Golden Week plans. Only 20.9% said they will travel or might travel. This is 5.6 points lower than last year.
Why are more people staying home? The biggest reason (45.9%) was, "It will be crowded." Many other people (34.6%) said, "Travel costs are high." Some people (25.9%) said, "We don't have enough money." These money reasons were more common this year than last year.
People of all ages plan to travel less than last year. This year, 33.9% of young men (age 29 or younger) plan to travel. Last year, it was 40.5%. Young women who want to travel are now 31.5%, down 8.2% points from last year.
Many people also say they do not have extra money at home. About 25.7% said their family has no extra money. Also, 18.1% said they are spending less on hobbies and other fun things.
JTB said, "These numbers show many people feel their money situation is difficult. People are now more careful with how they spend money."
(Japanese original by Minhyang Hong, Tokyo Bureau)
Vocabulary
Golden Week: a holiday time in Japan from late April to early May
crowded: many people close together
travel costs: money needed to go someplace (like paying for a hotel, bus, airplane, and meals)
hobbies: fun things people do in their free time (for example, sports, music, art)
extra: more than you need or use
situation: how things happen or how things are now
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