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Photo by Copanda_ used under CC

OK, I have some good news and some bad news. Well, actually I have a good news-bad news-good news sandwich to cushion the bad news bit.

So, the good news is that it’s Golden Week, which means you probably have some well-deserved days off (it’s tough being a dedicated on-the-hunt cheapo). With said days off, there’s a whole whack of FREE admission day events for you to attend at places you would normally have to dish out your pretty pennies for:

You can also head to Nerima’s Hikarigaoka Park to celebrate the Songkran festival, a celebration welcoming the rainy season, and part of Thailand’s New Year festivities. Head there on Monday, May 4th or Tuesday, May 5th to find yourself amongst drinks, food and water balloon fights.

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So now for the bad news, with everyone having the same days off, they will surely be flocking to these highly popular locations (i.e., it’s going to be ferociously and un-yieldingly packed). Hats off to the resolute cheapos who are able to put their affinity for personal space aside and head off to the free-events jungle.

If you’re looking at your screen right now and saying “There’s no way in sardined-train-car hell I’m going where everyone else is going!”, we’ve come full circle to good news! We’ve provided some handy tips on how to avoid the Golden Week crowds.

See, that wasn’t so bad after all. Happy Golden Week!

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Adriana's Tokyo favorites are: Mizumoto Park, Gokokuji Temple Tokyo
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