The Golden Week holidays started Wednesday even as the state of emergency due to the coronavirus required people to avoid going out. Train stations and airports, usually crowded with tourists and people heading back to their hometowns, were deserted and few people were visiting tourist spots.
According to Japan Railway companies, the occupancy rate for unreserved seats on Tokaido Shinkansen trains on Wednesday was 10% or less across the board. In contrast, during the same period last year, the rate on some trains reached 150%.
The occupancy rates for most of the Tohoku, Yamagata, Joetsu and Hokuriku Shinkansen trains were lower than 5%. There were several trains with occupancy rates of 0% at the time of departure.
Passengers were sparse on the Shinkansen platforms at JR Tokyo Station. Shops on the platforms had their shutters pulled down.
An 83-year-old man from Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo, who was heading to Akita Prefecture for his brother's funeral, said anxiously: "I didn't want to come out, but I have no choice but to go to the funeral. I hope we get back to normal life as soon as possible."
The number of flights has also decreased sharply. As of April 22, the reservation rate during the holiday period stood at only 9.8% for All Nippon Airways domestic flights and 29.8% for its international flights, and 33.3% for Japan Airlines' domestic flights and 35% for its international flights. Last year, all these numbers exceeded 80%.
The number of cars on expressways has drastically decreased. According to the Japan Road Traffic Information Center, there had been no major traffic jams nationwide by 6 p.m. Wednesday. As expressway companies have asked restaurants and souvenir shops in service areas to suspend operations, more and more stores are closing or shortening their business hours.
Meanwhile, at the entrance of the trail to Mt. Takao in Hachioji, Tokyo, which is popular among climbers, a notice was shown asking people to refrain from climbing during the holidays. Cable cars connecting the foot of the mountain and the summit are suspended.
Although there were fewer climbers than usual, some people were spotted enjoying hiking. A 42-year-old man who came with his two sons from Yokohama said, "Children who have been staying home constantly can't stand it anymore."
"Please refrain from climbing right now. When the coronavirus infections come to an end, we will treat you with maximum hospitality," the chairman of the local commercial association said.
Owakudani Enchi park, a tourist spot in Hakone, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Wednesday extended its access restriction to the whole day. The prefectural road T-junction near the entrance to the parking lot was closed, and tourists were not seen in the usually bustling Owakudani valley.
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