Apr 30 (Japan Today) - Travelers wearing masks crowded train stations and airports across Japan as the Golden Week holiday began Friday without the issuance of a coronavirus state of emergency for the first time in three years.
Transportation reservations have increased sharply compared with those a year earlier, although they have not recovered to pre-pandemic levels.
Haneda airport in Tokyo was crowded from early morning with travelers and their luggage, as reservations for domestic departure flights of Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways were almost fully booked, according to the airlines.
At the airport, all four security checkpoints of Terminal 2 were open for the first time in about two years.
According to Japan Railway companies, reservations for bullet trains increased by 56 to 284 percent in the period from Thursday to May 8 from a year earlier.
Airlines' bookings from Friday to May 8 were 1.7 times higher than the previous year for domestic flights and 4.7 times higher for international flights.
In the previous two Golden Week holidays, local governments asked citizens to refrain from traveling across prefectures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. This year's Golden Week will end on May 8.
