Train stations and airports were bustling with travelers returning from trips Monday, the last day of Japan's Golden Week holidays, with people experiencing the first spring holiday period completely unaffected by coronavirus-related travel restrictions in four years.
Despite higher costs resulting from the yen's sharp decline against other currencies, many travelers opted for overseas destinations nearly a year after the government downgraded COVID-19 to a lower-risk disease category.
Shinkansen bullet trains reached peak congestion Monday as carriages with unreserved seats were overcrowded, with occupancy reaching 100 percent on some trains, according to Japan Railway companies.
At Tokyo Station, where an announcement alerted passengers that some shinkansen services were delayed due to overcrowding, Mariko Ohira from Tokyo's Ota Ward expressed relief that she had reserved seats for herself and her son on their return trip from her parents' home in Yamagata Prefecture.
Tokyo's Haneda airport and Narita airport near the capital saw an influx of Japanese travelers returning home. Takehito Shibuya, a company manager from Shizuoka Prefecture who traveled to Taiwan said, "I was surprised as everything was expensive" because of the weak yen.
On May 8 last year, the government reclassified coronavirus as an infectious disease on par with the seasonal flu, facilitating the normalization of social and economic activities.
Related coverage:
JAL's annual net profit grows 2.8-fold on travel demand rebound
Japanese opt for short, cheap overseas trips for Golden Week holidays
Foreigner hotel stays in Japan surges 68% to record high in March
