Haneda Airport Prepares for Bon Holiday Return of Travelers from Abroad, With Peak Expected on Sunday

2 days ago

Travelers who spent their Bon holidays overseas have been returning to Japan, with international arrivals at Haneda Airport expected to hit their peak on Sunday, according to the terminal's operator.
The international arrivals lobby was crowded Sunday with people pulling suitcases or waiting to greet arriving passengers.
'We stayed at my wife's sister's house [in the United Kingdom] and had a relaxing time walking in the parks and doing sightseeing in London,' said a 50-year-old company employee from Toyota, Aichi Prefecture, who traveled with his family. 'I have to go back to work on Monday, but I feel refreshed and ready to do my best.'

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Crowds peak on trains, flights as summer holidaymakers head home

NHK

15 hours ago

Crowds peak on trains, flights as summer holidaymakers head home

Throngs of travelers returning from their hometowns and holiday destinations are crowding railways and airports as Japan's mid-August Bon holiday season wraps up. Japan Railway companies say congestion on Shinkansen bullet trains bound for Tokyo is peaking on Sunday. All Nozomi services -- the fastest trains on the Tokaido Shinkansen line connecting Tokyo and Osaka -- require reservations during the Bon holidays. Before Sunday noon, almost all the seats on those trains bound for the capital were booked for both morning and afternoon departures on the day. The same was true for bullet trains heading from northern Japan to Tokyo, such as Hayabusa, Komachi and Tsubasa. Domestic flights heading to Tokyo's Haneda Airport, Osaka and some other destinations are also crowded. Japan Airlines says bookings have been peaking since Saturday through Sunday. All Nippon Airways reports that reservations for Sunday are the second highest this month after Thursday. The Japan Road Traffic Information Center says it seems that congestion on expressways peaked from Friday to Saturday. But traffic jams are still expected on some stretches on Sunday. No major traffic jams had been reported on expressways toward Tokyo as of 11 a.m. on Sunday. But congestion is forecast in the afternoon, including a 25-kilometer backup on the Kan-Etsu Expressway near the Sakado-nishi interchange in Saitama Prefecture, north of Tokyo. The center also expects a 20-kilometer backup on the Tomei Expressway near the Ayase interchange in Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo.

Mt. Takao Sees More Incidents than Mt. Fuji; Responding to Foreign Climbers Proving to Be Challenging

Yomiuri Shimbun

2 days ago

Yomiuri Shimbun

Mt. Takao Sees More Incidents than Mt. Fuji; Responding to Foreign Climbers Proving to Be Challenging

With the peak season for summer mountain climbing in full swing, people are flocking to mountains close to city centers. Climbers are being required to exercise the utmost caution to avoid getting lost or involved in an accident, even on low-lying mountains. Care should also be taken to avoid getting heatstroke. Police are calling on climbers to come up with plans that allow for adjustments to be made and to prepare for climbs with the right equipment and enough supplies. On Friday, with the Bon holiday season underway, Mt. Takao in Hachioji, Tokyo, was crowded with mainly young climbers and families. It takes only about an hour from central Tokyo to reach stations near the foot of the 599-meter mountain, which attracts around 3 million visitors a year. The mercury climbed above 30 C on Friday, and what stuck out the most on Mt. Takao were climbers dressed in casual clothing. A second-year high schooler was seen at the foot of the mountain after he had climbed down. The 16-year-old young man from Chofu, Tokyo, was wearing a pair of sandals. He said he came alone without water or a change of clothes. There was a female tourist from overseas wearing high heels and accompanied by a man pushing a stroller. He said they wanted to climb as high as they could. There are cable cars and chairlifts along Mt. Takao's climbing routes, and the mountain is considered to be suitable for children and novice climbers. However, its accident numbers are among the worst in the country. Last year, 131 people got lost or were involved in other incidents on Mt. Takao, exceeding the 83 people on Mt. Fuji and the 66 people on the Hotaka mountain range in the Northern Japanese Alps. Takao Police Station of the Metropolitan Police Department said that it has dispatched officers about 50 times this year to respond to incidents on Mt. Takao and nearby mountains. There were cases in which climbers had become exhausted and were unable to stand on their way down the mountain. In other cases, climbers had fallen and were unable to move. Over half of the cases involved people over the age of 50, the station said. According to the National Police Agency, there were a total of 2,946 incidents on mountains last year, with 3,357 people getting lost or involved in other accidents. Both figures were the third highest since 1961 when the statistics started. Thirty percent of the cases were 'getting lost,' the highest percentage, followed by 'falling' and 'slipping down.' As the hot summer days continue, care must be taken to avoid getting heatstroke. a man in his 30s suddenly began vomiting on a climbing route on Mt. Takao this month. He was taken to a hospital by ambulance and was believed to have suffered from heatstroke. Climbers should remain vigilant even on low-lying mountains. In July, a man in his 60s became separated from his party of two and got lost in the Dennasawa valley — a famous spot for stream scrambling in western Tokyo surrounded by low-lying mountains of 400 to 600 meters. Rescue workers found the man, a veteran climber, the following morning thanks to a small device he was carrying. Foreign climbers Foreign climbers are on the rise, and responding to them has become a challenge. Last year, 135 inbound foreigners got lost or were involved in other incidents on mountains, according to the NPA. This is the second highest such figure after 145 in 2023. In April, a Chinese university student in his 20s was rescued twice on Mt. Fuji within a period of a few days. The man reportedly returned to the site of the first incident to collect his cellphone and other belongings and got involved in another incident. Local governments and other organizations are enhancing their efforts to respond to foreign climbers. The Shizuoka prefectural government has started to require those who plan to climb Mt. Fuji to learn climbing safety via a multilingual app. The Yamanashi prefectural police require climbers, including foreigners, to submit their climbing plans for mountains in the prefecture. On Mt. Takao, messages reminding people to take caution to avoid heatstroke are announced in English and Chinese, in addition to Japanese.

Yomiuri Shimbun

2 days ago

Yomiuri Shimbun