With Constitution Day reinstated as a public holiday for the first time in 18 years falling on Friday, July 17 this year, just a few days of annual leave can create a maximum six-day holiday in the middle of summer.

The structure is visible at a glance when you open the calendar. The 17th is a statutory public holiday, and the weekend immediately follows. Without doing anything, a three-day holiday spanning Friday, Saturday, and Sunday is automatically secured.

■ One Day of Leave for Four Days Off, Three Days for Six The easiest way to extend it is to take Thursday, July 16 off. With a single day of annual leave, a four-day holiday from Thursday to Sunday is created. Choosing Monday, July 20 yields the same result. Although the direction differs, the effect of one day of leave is identical either way.

If you want a bit more, you can take one day off on either side simultaneously, allowing for five consecutive days of rest. Adding two more days creates a six-day block from Wednesday (July 15) to Monday (July 20). The investment is three days of annual leave, but the return is six days off.

■ Travel Industry: "Demand Will Exceed the Same Period in Previous Years" Among office workers preparing for travel, movements targeting the third week of July are already accelerating. Airfare and accommodation prices are rising at a correspondingly faster pace. The travel industry expects demand during this period to exceed that of the same period in previous years.

Constitution Day was removed from the public holiday list in 2008. Having been redesignated as a public holiday this year, it landed on a Friday in its very first year back. From the perspective of office workers, it is as if they received 18 years of interest back all at once.

[Written with AI assistance. This article is reference content written to explain the possibilities for utilizing vacation days following the designation of Constitution Day as a public holiday. Actual holiday applicability may vary depending on employment contracts, workplace rules, collective bargaining agreements, shift work systems, and company operational policies. For annual leave usage and holiday planning, please be sure to check your company's human resources and labor regulations. Travel demand, booking trends, and consumption growth projections included in this article are based on general market analysis and may differ from actual conditions. Any institutional changes or matters related to public holidays must be ultimately confirmed through official government announcements.]