Travelers in Japan were cautious Thursday as they set out on excursions on the first day of a four-day holiday, even amid persistent concerns over rising novel coronavirus infections in the country.
The national holidays began a day after the Go To Travel subsidy campaign was launched to help revive the domestic tourism industry affected by the virus, but with Tokyo being excluded due to a spike in new cases in the capital. The government covers part of the cost of the trips, but the initiative has stirred worries it could worsen the outbreak.
While Tokyo Station was busy with people dragging suitcases, shinkansen saw vacancies in both reserved and nonreserved seats.