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.
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