Travelers jammed railway stations, airports and highways throughout the nation Wednesday as they headed off to resorts or hometowns as the main part of Golden Week got under way.
Bullet trains leaving Tokyo were packed beyond capacity as many opted to stand. The Tokaido-Sanyo Shinkansen Line reported a seat-occupancy rate of 160 percent, with the Tohoku, Joetsu and Nagano Shinkansen lines over 100 percent as well.
Haneda airport in Tokyo said most flights were fully booked.
Highways were packed with traffic outbound from the capital.
On the Kanetsu Expressway running from Tokyo to Niigata, traffic was backed up for about 56 km from the Hanazono interchange in Saitama Prefecture.
A 54-km traffic jam developed on the Tohoku Expressway near the Adatara service area in Fukushima Prefecture.
Golden Week this year started last Saturday and runs to Sunday, with Wednesday through Saturday consisting of three consecutive national holidays.
