The rush of holidaymakers returning to the Tokyo metropolitan area after spending the New Year's holidays in their hometowns and other destinations peaked Thursday, with trains, airplanes and expressways crammed with travelers.
Reserved seats on Tokyo-bound bullet trains from northern, central and western Japan were almost fully booked, according to railways, with passengers on the Joetsu Shinkansen Line connecting Tokyo and Niigata exceeding capacity by over 70 percent on some of its services.
Travelers also packed domestic flights to Tokyo's Haneda airport, with All Nippon Airways Co. reporting 98 percent of seats on flights booked and Japan Airlines Corp. 91 percent. JAL expects the number of passengers on its services, including international flights, to peak Saturday.