Travelers returning home from Golden Week holidays have caused a peak U-turn rush, leaving Shinkansen trains nearly full and expressways congested.

This annual surge marks the conclusion of one of Japan's most significant holiday periods. The volume of people returning to major hubs like Tokyo creates systemic pressure on the nation's transportation infrastructure, affecting both rail and road networks.

JR Central said that afternoon reserved seats on Nozomi Shinkansen trains heading toward Tokyo Station are almost fully booked [3]. The congestion extends to the highway system, where heavy traffic jams have materialized across several major routes.

On the Tomei Expressway, a jam measuring 19 km was reported near the Ebina Service Area at 11:00 a.m. [1]. Authorities expect further delays as the afternoon and evening peaks arrive. Predictions for the Kanetsu Expressway near the Sakado-West Smart Interchange suggest a jam of 40 km [2], while the Tohoku Expressway near the Kazo Interchange is expected to see a 35 km jam [3].

Passengers arriving at Tokyo Station shared stories of their trips. One traveler returning to their hometown in Nagoya said they visited parents in the Hokuriku region and ate fish, and they wanted to work hard again starting the day after tomorrow [4]. Another traveler returning to Aichi after their first trip home since entering university said they spoke with family about the challenges of living alone, such as laundry not drying [5].

The U-turn rush typically creates a bottleneck as millions of citizens migrate from rural prefectures and tourist destinations back to urban centers. This movement often results in the specific regional congestion seen near the Ebina and Kazo interchanges.

“Nozomi Shinkansen reserved seats are almost fully booked.”

The scale of the Golden Week U-turn rush underscores the continued reliance on centralized transport hubs and the predictable volatility of Japan's domestic travel patterns. When reserved rail capacity is exhausted and highway jams reach 40 km, it highlights the limitations of current infrastructure to handle simultaneous mass migrations, often leading the government to issue travel advisories to stagger departures.