Japan's major transport systems reached peak outbound congestion on Saturday, May 2, as the second half of the Golden Week holidays began [1].
The surge in travel creates significant bottlenecks across the country's infrastructure, impacting millions of residents and tourists moving away from urban centers during the national holiday period [3].
Highway congestion is particularly severe on several major routes. On the Chuo Expressway, traffic jams near the Sagamiko Interchange are expected to reach a maximum of 45 kilometers [2]. Similarly, the Tohoku Expressway is seeing significant delays, with jams near the Hanyu Parking Area projected to reach up to 40 kilometers [2]. Other reports indicate some congestion stretches are reaching nearly 30 kilometers [5].
Rail services are experiencing similar pressure, specifically along the Tokaido Shinkansen corridor between Tokyo and Osaka [3]. The high volume of passengers has led to near-full capacity on many outbound trains.
Air travel is also seeing a spike in demand. Approximately 40,000 people are expected to depart from Haneda Airport today for overseas destinations [3]. This trend is reflected in broader industry data, as reservation numbers for Japan Airlines (JAL) and All Nippon Airways (ANA) have increased by about 10% compared to last year [1].
"Each transport agency is reaching its peak for outbound travel," ANNnewsCH said [1].
Local reporters noted the scale of the movement at airports and on the roads, highlighting that the second half of the holiday period typically triggers the heaviest movement of people across the archipelago [2, 3].
“Japan's major transport systems reached peak outbound congestion on Saturday, May 2”
The increase in air travel reservations and the extreme length of highway traffic jams suggest a robust recovery in domestic and international mobility. The concentration of travel during Golden Week continues to stress Japan's transport infrastructure, particularly the Tokyo-Osaka corridor and major expressways, necessitating high-capacity management during these predictable annual peaks.
