On May 1, 2019 the current Emperor will abdicate and the Crown Prince will take the throne in his place. In recent history new Emperors have been named after the death of previous Emperors. This time, in line with the express desire of the present emperor, the title will be handed over to the Crown Prince while the present emperor is still living. In accordance with this, the “Heisei” era will come to an end and a new era will begin. In the few days preceding and succeeding May 1 there are many national holidays; a period that is known as “Golden Week.” The day of enthronement will be a special national holiday that year, with a ten-day-straight holiday – including Saturdays and Sundays.