Amid a rising number of new coronavirus cases in Tokyo and Osaka, there are not many places people can go without risking infection.
But with their wide, open spaces, large parks have become crowded with people hanging out and picnicking under the sun with family and friends, something that is likely to increase during the Golden Week holidays from late April.
On one recent sunny day in Tokyo’s Yoyogi Park, Kohei Koyama, 26, and his friend Kazutoshi Osakabe, 40, chatted for more than four hours, eating delivered Spanish dishes at a park table.