The annual yearend and New Year's holiday exodus from major cities to hometowns has been slow-moving, making traffic less congested than in previous years.
While some travelers have departed or were set to do so later Tuesday, others may have opted to stay at home amid the sluggish economy. There were empty seats on trains and airplanes, and major expressways reported few traffic jams.
If trains were full, travelers did not have to wait long to get seats on later runs. The reservation rate was around 90 percent for domestic flights from Tokyo's Haneda airport, airline officials said. "(Flights) are likely to be crowded until Dec. 31, but they are less crowded than last year," one official said. "We believe that the number of passengers has decreased."
Major expressways across Japan were free of traffic jams except at accident sites, the Japan Road Traffic Information Center said. The return rush of holidaymakers is expected to peak Sunday.