People were seen returning to resort areas across Japan on the first Sunday since the government's lifting of the state of emergency in 39 prefectures.
Business operators placed top priority on preventing further coronavirus infections, such as by checking customers' temperatures, having disinfectant available and limiting their business operations to being outdoors.
In Ibaraki Prefecture, many people flocked to Oarai Sunbeach in the town of Oarai on Sunday. Signs that were posted on the beach prior to the state of emergency being lifted urged visitors to refrain from clam digging or any other leisure activities, and some people were seen playing on the beach while keeping their distance from others.
"I hope the day comes soon when we can go about our lives without worrying about getting infected," said a construction worker, 24, visiting the beach from the city of Hitachinaka with his child.
Nagashima Spaland in Kuwana, Mie Prefecture, which was also temporarily closed, reopened Sunday with the exception of some indoor attractions. Families enjoyed getting on their favorite rides.
In the parking lot, some staff members held up placards asking visitors from outside of the prefecture to refrain from coming to the amusement park, while others checked visitors' temperatures at the entrance gate. The park has refused entry to people with a temperature of 37.5 C or higher.
Aboard a popular roller coaster, passengers were advised to sit in every other row, and staff members frequently disinfected the areas around the seats.
"My mask almost flew off, but it was a great stress reliever," said a company employee in his 20s from Mie Prefecture's Yokkaichi after going on a thrill ride with his wife and sister.
Akagi Nature Park in Shibukawa, Gunma Prefecture, reopened on Sunday, but the operator asked people from outside of the prefecture to not visit the park. The nature park featuring viewable wild grass saw 625 visitors-- about 60% of visitors seen on Sundays last year during the same season.
"My grandchildren look like they're having fun. They were really stressed from not being able to go out," said a self-employed man, 68, from Midori, Gunma Prefecture, who visited the park with his two granddaughters.
In Yamagata Prefecture, Ogi Kanko Warabi En in Nanyo began this season's operations, attracting about 200 visitors. Visitors can harvest bracken in the 23-hectare forest park. Originally, scheduled to remain closed until the end of this month, the park moved up its reopening date after the state of emergency was lifted.
"The risk of infection should be low because the park is spacious," the park's operator said. "I'd love for visitors to enjoy picking wild plants in this mountainous landscape."
Even within the eight prefectures on special alert and still under a state of emergency, more and more people can be seen at major stations and in downtown areas. Although there are significantly fewer people than what was seen before the spread of the virus, there are more people out than there were during the Golden Week holiday.
The number of people seen at Tokyo's Shinjuku Station on May 6, the last day of the Golden Week holiday, was 82% lower than that before the virus spread, but the decrease rate was 75% this past Sunday, according to NTT Docomo Inc.'s mobile spatial statistics, in which crowds of people in certain areas were compared with those witnessed before the spread of the virus (only on the weekends between Jan. 18 and Feb. 14).
In Kanagawa Prefecture, which is still under a state of emergency, a traffic jam occurred on the national road along the coast in the prefecture's Shonan area. Meanwhile, people without protective masks were spotted on the beach, baffling residents who worry people are letting their guard down a bit too much.
A traffic jam stretching more than 4 kilometers was seen at 3 p.m. on the inbound of National Highway Route 134 from Fujisawa to Kamakura, according to the Kanagawa prefectural police's traffic control center.
To prevent the spread of the virus, the prefectural government and municipalities in the area have posted signs asking people not to come to the prefecture. The Enoshima coastal area experienced a decline in the number of visitors during the Golden Week holiday.
"We ask that people not to come here for now, and that would help local stores resume their businesses as soon as possible," said Hirokazu Yuasa, chair of the Enoshima promotion council.
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