Japanese airports and train stations on Saturday started seeing some lines of travelers heading to their hometowns or elsewhere for the New Year's holidays, but there was less crowding than usual because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Given that the government has decided to suspend its travel subsidy program and asked people to stay home as much as possible to prevent the further spread of the novel coronavirus, reservations for the festive season are lower than usual, according to airlines and train operators.
Still, there were many travelers going through security checks at Tokyo's Haneda Airport, with announcements reminding passengers to take precautions against the virus.