Japan is a country rich in holidays; there are several clustered around May 1st—for instance, Greenery Day on April 29th, Constitution Memorial Day on May 3rd, a National Holiday on the 4th, and Children's Day on the 5th. When these holidays are strung together, Japanese people enjoy a break of at least a week—with the longest stretches extending up to 11 days. For the working class, this extended break holds truly extraordinary significance. Consequently, in Japan, specific celebrations dedicated solely to Labor Day have increasingly been supplanted by the broader "May Day Golden Week." To be precise, Japan effectively enters its "Golden Week" period starting from April 29th. Across Japan, numerous hotels, hot springs, and other recreational facilities launch various advertising campaigns ahead of May Day to attract tourists; indeed, room rates at standard inns often more than double compared to ordinary times. For Germans, May Day is a truly extraordinary occasion. It is designated as a statutory public holiday, as it serves simultaneously as a global celebration for workers and a day steeped in rich German folklore and tradition. As the Germans put it, after enduring a long, bleak winter and a capricious April—which changes as quickly as a child's mood—the bright month of May arrives to bring people renewed hope. Legend has it that long ago, on the eve of May Day, "witches" would dance through the night atop Brocken Mountain and on hillsides across Europe, awaiting the arrival of a horned deity symbolizing masculinity. Today, few people remain who know the origins of this tale; however, the tradition of singing and dancing through the night has endured to this day, evolving into a cherished folk custom. In rural areas, villagers gather around bonfires in the town center to dance and create a cacophony of noise—a practice believed to scare away the "witches." In dance halls throughout Germany's cities and countryside, people dressed in their finest attire take to the floor for lively dances. Unlike on ordinary days, on this particular night, people typically opt for elegant "international standard dances" such as the waltz and tango. The faces of the usually reserved Germans light up with an abundance of smiles. Thus, for many Germans, the tradition is to "dance" the night away on the eve of May Day, dancing their way into the month of May. Furthermore, on May Day itself, many towns and villages across Germany observe the custom of erecting a "Maypole." Typically, the village’s young, able-bodied, and unmarried youths work together in unison to erect a tall, straight, and sturdy birch trunk—the "Maypole." From one village to the next, these Maypoles seem to grow ever taller. Unmarried young women adorn the Maypole with beautiful decorations, praying that in the coming year, they will win the affection of their ideal suitor. Early on the morning of May 1st, many unmarried young women, upon opening their doors, discover "mini" heart-shaped floral...