Take our user survey and make your voice heard.
Travelers returning from New Year holidays crowded train stations, airports and expressways in Japan on Tuesday, the last day of the New Year holidays.
Airlines and railway operators reported higher numbers than last year as this year was the first time since 2020 that there were no travel restrictions due to the coronavirus.
JR reported 100% capacity on several shinkansen (bullet trains) bound for Tokyo and Osaka. The Tokaido lines was almost at full capacity, JR said.
Long traffic lines were seen on the Tomei and Meishin expressways, the Japan Road Traffic Information Center said. Traffic was backed up for about 30 kilometers on the Tohoku and Kan-etsu expressways, the center said.
© Japan Today
31 Comments
Login to comment
Sanjinosebleed
Enjoyed that 4 day holiday now back to work 60hrs a week!.....
Derek Grebe
Just watch those COVID numbers next week.
Elvis is here
I had a nice holiday. I especially enjoyed Kohaku. Hope our frequent fliers are having a good time too.
Eastmann
if there could be something like "winter week" people could travel in more relaxing mode.
Elvis is here
Nah. You just don't get it.
Spitfire
Thank goodness the young people are returning from their hometowns.
The last week or so the roads and streets near my house in East Tokyo have consisted of about 85% seniors and a handful of kids.
No matter how healthy they are it is still depressing to see an ocean of grey wherever you look.
TrevorPeace
Year after year after year. This is no longer news. But the photos are humorous.
Zizi
Looks so bleak
smithinjapan
get ready for it: "We could not have predicted that loosening restrictions would see such a dramatic increase in Covid-19 infections and deaths. We will look investigate thoroughly. In the meantime, please enjoy GoToTravel discount coupons!"
The last part is a bit of a joke, of course, but I have no doubt the former will be the official line within a couple of weeks.
itsonlyrocknroll
The very definition of herd mentality, bonkers.
I know/aware of JR Nagoya Station Aichi Prefecture well.
Is it any wonder this pandemic has been so brutally savagely unpleasant.!!!??
Mark
Glad to see so many getting time off to be with family and friends after 2 years from HELL,
2023 should mark the beginning of getting back to the G . O . days.
Mark
What's with all the NEGATIVTY people?
No matter wher you go it's crowded this time of the year, Japan, North America, south America, Europe, Australia, Hawaii, Bali, even China and North Korea. LOL
Mark
Some DOWNERS are never happy.
rcch
Today 05:00 pm JST “ Enjoyed that 4 day holiday now back to work 60hrs a week!..... “
..
Depressing and funny at the same time; …
Michael Machida
Got back to Tokyo early. No one was here. Only me.
wtfjapan
had my holiday early, 26, 27th found a nice 4 star hotel that the family and inlaws all stayed at. just before new year rush so the hotel was having a discount week only around 20% occupancy
since only triple vaxxed were allowed it end up cost us around 20000yen for 6 people, with all the go to travel discounts and travel vouchers. id like to thank the antivaxxers for their tax yen funding it.
Kobe White Bar Owner
2 more days for us then head back on empty highways as ever. Oh the joy of common sense and no boss. Excluding the Mrs! Kakadenka Christmas & NY.
GBR48
Looks increasingly normal. Yay. Plus I enjoy seeing photos of places I have actually stood. I wonder if the photographer included the film cameraman in the shot by accident or design.
Jennie
Confuses me how everyone here eats at the same time, takes off at the same time…..oh and their destinations match as well.
finally rich
It was a true paradise on my commute to work this morning here in Tokyo, roads 1/5 full than usual.
Thought I was the only soul commuting to work.
This is life without overcrowding, people spilling on each other, drivers fighting for every inch. What a bliss.
Jennie
@ rich,
Thought I was the only one working throughout the holiday season. Agree with the subway situation but I can’t get a cab…
JoshK
@ Mark
It's not crowded where I live, though I don't live in a major city. Never really understood what everyone liked about big cities.
Jennie
@ Josh
love small cities in Japan.
wtfjapan
No problem, my last hotel (Keio Plaza) costed 35000 Yen per night for two. You can have some of my tax money for yours.
well thats almost exactly what my hotel cost for, 6 people about 100000yen for 2 nights.
best thing i get to claim that as a tax deduction for my business and after all the go to travel go to eat vouchers end up costing around 20000yen all up. thanks for your tax yen contribution, appreciated.
why would you need 8 boosters, flu vaccine is only a yearly shot.
get this none of my family have got covid, theyve all been vaccinated, except my sister inlaw and her son,
guess who got covid last week. her son 28yrs old currently sick asf but wont require hospitalization thankfully.
his age is what probably saved him from far worse
wtfjapan
It's not crowded where I live, though I don't live in a major city. Never really understood what everyone liked about big cities.
20yrs+ ago before the internet shopping was a thing city living was great if you were single no kids,
I know I use to live in Umeda, central Osaka.
but now theres little desire to be there especially when you have kids. housings and land is far cheaper,
I live in a 3 story 440sqm home that most could never afford in the city, cost me a fraction of the price of a similar city residence. I live around 50minutes commute to Osaka which i only need to do about once a week. other than that, driving is easy parking is free , traffic almost doesnt exist. once youve lived in a rural/ semi rural area its really hard to go back to city living
itsonlyrocknroll
The most vernable, never acquaint the reality is the COVID-19 Information and resources.
The photos are beyond redemption, please view, the masks will not prevent or calculate risk of transmission