Train stations, airports and expressways around Japan are expected to be crowded with year-end travelers on Saturday as vacations start and people head for their hometowns.
Japan Railway group companies say almost all seats on Shinkansen bullet trains out of Tokyo on the Tokaido, Sanyo, Joetsu, Hokuriku, Tohoku, Akita and Yamagata lines are booked for Saturday. Outbound routes are expected to remain congested through Tuesday.
All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines say domestic flights departing from Tokyo or Osaka are near full capacity through Tuesday.
A tailback of more than 20 kilometers is expected on the outbound lanes of the Tomei Expressway near the Ayase Smart Interchange in Kanagawa Prefecture through Wednesday.
A 20-kilometer traffic jam is also projected in the morning on Sunday and Monday on the Higashi-Meihan Expressway near the Kameyama parking area in Mie Prefecture.