2 days 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.
