As Saturday marked the start of the first weekend since the state of emergency over the coronavirus outbreak was lifted in Tokyo, three neighboring prefectures and Hokkaido, people returned to some sightseeing spots and commercial facilities for the first time in weeks.
There was, however, concern among some, such as managers of these sites, about crowding situations that could cause a second wave of virus infections.
About 30 cars lined up at the entrance of Owakudani-enchi park, a major tourist spot in the town of Hakone, Kanagawa Prefecture, before the park opened at 9 a.m. on Saturday, for the first time in about a month.
A man from Totsuka Ward, Yokohama, said he had told his child not to touch things at the park. "We want to enjoy the park while being careful about infections," the 46-year-old company worker said.
The Hakone Ropeway, which runs over the park, resumed operations but limited the number of passengers in each gondola to about half of their 18-person capacity to avoid crowding too many people in a closed space.
The Owakudani Kuro Tamago Kan souvenir facility remained mostly closed, but opened its egg shop to sell famous "kuro tamago" black eggs, which are boiled in a hot spring in the Owakudani valley.
"We have to strengthen the measures [against possible infections] because we are going to have a lot of people come." said Masayuki Yanase, the sales manager at the facility.
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