OTARU, Hokkaido -- Few people were seen at a popular tourist spot in Hokkaido on Friday, as the government prepared to declare a state of emergency in the prefecture amid a surge in coronavirus cases.
According to Ato Sakaguchi of the Otaru Sakaimachi Dori Shopping Street, the number of visitors to Otaru has decreased dramatically since the Golden Week holiday period in late April and early May, when cases began rising in Sapporo and elsewhere.
Three tourists in Otaru who had traveled to Hokkaido via Shizuoka Airport said they would not visit Sapporo to avoid crowds.
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