People heading back home as holiday period in Japan comes to end
As the spring holiday period in Japan comes to an end, people are heading back home from their holiday destinations, congesting expressways and trains.
The Japan Road Traffic Information Center says that as of 8 p.m. on Monday, traffic was backed up for 37 kilometers on inbound lanes of the Kobe-Awaji-Naruto expressway near the Maiko Tunnel in Hyogo Prefecture; for 29 kilometers on inbound lanes of the Kan-etsu Expressway near the Kawagoe Interchange in Saitama Prefecture; for 27 kilometers on inbound lanes of the Tomei Expressway near the Yokohama-Aoba Interchange in Kanagawa Prefecture; for 27 kilometers on inbound lanes of the Chuo Expressway near the Kobotoke Tunnel; and for 27 kilometers on inbound lanes of the Nishi-seto expressway near the Innoshima Ohashi bridge in Hiroshima Prefecture.
Congestion is expected to continue on Tuesday, particularly on lanes leading to metropolitan areas.
Trains have also been crowded. Nearly all "Nozomi" bullet trains bound for Tokyo on the Tokaido Line were fully booked on Monday afternoon. Some trains heading for Tokyo on the Tohoku and Joetsu Shinkansen lines were carrying more passengers than the seating capacity.
As for air travel, around 70 percent of seats were booked on domestic flights departing regional airports on Monday. But some flights bound for Tokyo and Osaka were full.
Railway companies and airlines say congestion will peak on Tuesday.
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NHK
05-05-2025
- NHK
People heading back home as holiday period in Japan comes to end
As the spring holiday period in Japan comes to an end, people are heading back home from their holiday destinations, congesting expressways and trains. The Japan Road Traffic Information Center says that as of 8 p.m. on Monday, traffic was backed up for 37 kilometers on inbound lanes of the Kobe-Awaji-Naruto expressway near the Maiko Tunnel in Hyogo Prefecture; for 29 kilometers on inbound lanes of the Kan-etsu Expressway near the Kawagoe Interchange in Saitama Prefecture; for 27 kilometers on inbound lanes of the Tomei Expressway near the Yokohama-Aoba Interchange in Kanagawa Prefecture; for 27 kilometers on inbound lanes of the Chuo Expressway near the Kobotoke Tunnel; and for 27 kilometers on inbound lanes of the Nishi-seto expressway near the Innoshima Ohashi bridge in Hiroshima Prefecture. Congestion is expected to continue on Tuesday, particularly on lanes leading to metropolitan areas. Trains have also been crowded. Nearly all "Nozomi" bullet trains bound for Tokyo on the Tokaido Line were fully booked on Monday afternoon. Some trains heading for Tokyo on the Tohoku and Joetsu Shinkansen lines were carrying more passengers than the seating capacity. As for air travel, around 70 percent of seats were booked on domestic flights departing regional airports on Monday. But some flights bound for Tokyo and Osaka were full. Railway companies and airlines say congestion will peak on Tuesday.
NHK
03-05-2025
- NHK
Holiday traffic congestion in Japan expected to peak on Saturday
People heading for hometowns and holiday destinations during the ongoing spring holiday period are causing traffic jams across Japan. Japan Railway group companies say congestion on Shinkansen bullet trains departing from Tokyo will peak on Saturday. Nozomi and other bullet trains on the Tokaido Shinkansen Line leaving Tokyo Station in the morning were almost fully booked. All seats were taken on most non-reserved cars of the Tohoku and Hokuriku Shinkansen trains departing Tokyo Station in the morning. Traffic jams on expressway lanes heading out of the capital are also expected to peak from Saturday through Sunday. The Japan Road Traffic Information Center says as of 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, traffic was backed up for 32 kilometers on outbound lanes of the Tomei Expressway near the Isehara Junction in Kanagawa Prefecture. The center also says traffic was jammed for 30 kilometers on outbound lanes of the Kanetsu Expressway near the Fujioka Junction in Gunma Prefecture. Domestic flights are fairly crowded, with reservation rates for departures from Tokyo of 83.5 percent at All Nippon Airways and 80.2 percent at Japan Airlines.
Kyodo News
03-05-2025
- Kyodo News
Holiday traffic rush hits Japan on 1st day of Golden Week 4-day break
KYODO NEWS - 2 hours ago - 12:09 | All, Japan, Travel/Tourism All modes of transportation experienced peak congestion Saturday, the first day of the four-day holiday in the second half of Japan's Golden Week, as the travel and return rush intensified, operators said. Reserved seats on shinkansen bullet trains were quickly filled, while many domestic flights were at full capacity. Train stations and airports were packed with travelers, with long traffic jams expected on expressways. Most seats on Nozomi bullet trains departing Tokyo on the Tokaido Shinkansen Line were already booked Saturday morning. Reservations for other shinkansen lines were also mostly filled from the first services of the day through early afternoon. According to All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines, only a few seats were available on domestic flights departing from Tokyo's Haneda airport. Expressway operators said outbound traffic from major cities including Tokyo was set to be heaviest on Saturday, while the return rush is likely to peak on Monday.
