A power outage suspended operations of the Joetsu Shinkansen for 3½ hours on Sunday, leaving passengers stuck aboard packed trains between Tokyo and Niigata on the second day of an extended 10-day holiday period.
The outage, which occurred at 7:21 a.m., also left travelers stranded in front of shinkansen ticket gates at Tokyo Station, with crowds gathering to travel for the Golden Week holiday made longer this year due to celebrations marking the Imperial succession.
Services resumed at around 11 a.m.
"It's regrettable that I'll have less time to play with my grandchild, but waiting is all I can do," said 66-year-old Toshio Suzuki, who was on his way to visit Niigata.
Trains bound for the Sea of Japan coastal city were fully booked from Sunday morning, but no passengers were injured or fell ill as a result of the delays, according to East Japan Railway Co.