JAPAN TIMES



 

 
Travelers flocked to airports and train stations for visits to resorts and trips home on Saturday, as Japan kicked off its Golden Week holidays, which run through May 6.

Departure lobbies at Narita International Airport in Chiba Prefecture were crowded with travelers, with families hauling large suitcases forming long lines at airline counters in the international terminal from the morning, local media reported.

An estimated 835,200 people were due to travel through the airport during the 11-day Golden Week period — about 77% of the number during the same period in 2019, before the eruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, but more than 1.3 times as many as last year, the Narita Airport Corp. said in a news release.

Hawaii and the U.S. territory of Guam — perennially popular with Japanese tourists — were among the destinations for some travelers. Nearby South Korea and Taiwan were also among key locales for those concerned about the weak yen, NHK reported.

Reservations for bullet train and other rail services were also up for the period, with a total of 2.96 million seats booked for Friday through May 6, up 16% from last year, the nation’s six Japan Railway operators said in a release on April 11. The number was also a 7% increase compared with 2018, before the pandemic began — yet another sign of Japan’s tourism recovery.

This year's Golden Week holidays are the first since the government downgraded the classification of COVID-19 to the same level as the seasonal flu in May last year, completely lifting all remaining virus-linked travel restrictions.

Meanwhile, the earthquake-hit Noto Peninsula area of Ishikawa Prefecture was expected to welcome a large number of volunteers to help in the ongoing clean up and reconstruction effort during the holiday period, NHK reported.

The prefecture has called for volunteers to comeduring the holiday period, when it is easier for them to adjust their schedules and because many residents of the area are due to return home.

Some 23.3 million people in Japan — roughly 90% of pre-pandemic levels — are expected to travel during the holidays, according to a survey by travel agency JTB released earlier this month.