ID :
58707
Sun, 05/03/2009 - 19:08
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/58707
The shortlink copeid
Holiday exodus hits peak amid concerns over new flu+
TOKYO, May 3 Kyodo -
The exodus of people heading for their hometowns or traveling to resorts at
home and abroad for the Golden Week holiday reached its peak Saturday,
overshadowed by growing concerns over the spread of a new type of influenza.
Expressways were congested across the nation from the early morning due partly
to the introduction in late March of two-year toll discounts on weekends and
national holidays.
A 66-kilometer traffic jam was observed on part of the Tomei Expressway in
Shizuoka Prefecture while vehicles were backed up for 45 km on part of the
Chugoku Expressway in Hyogo Prefecture, according to the Japan Road Traffic
Information Center.
As of 7 p.m., the number of car accidents on the Tomei Expressway in Shizuoka
Prefecture hit 59 for the day, about half the number that occurred during the
whole of the Golden Week holiday last year, according to the Shizuoka
prefectural police.
Of the total, 48 were rear-end accidents, many of which were apparently caused
by slow-moving lines of vehicles due to the congestion.
Under the discount system, a uniform toll of 1,000 yen was introduced for an
unlimited distance on weekends and holidays for passenger cars and motorcycles
equipped with electronic toll collection devices traveling on expressways
outside the Tokyo and Osaka metropolitan areas.
Expressway operators are installing temporary toilets at rest areas and
extending the business hours of restaurants and stores to cope with a surge in
traffic during the holiday period.
Almost all reserved seats on outbound shinkansen bullet trains departing
Saturday on the Tokaido, Tohoku, Yamagata, Akita, Joetsu and Nagano lines had
already been booked, East Japan Railway Co. and Central Japan Railway Co. said.
Domestic flights departing Tokyo and Osaka were also booked up, according to
All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines.
Japan has yet to confirm a case of the new influenza, which is believed to have
originated in Mexico, but a number of travelers were seen wearing face masks at
major stations and airports as a precaution against possible infection by the
H1N1 influenza A strain.
''There may be infected persons in crowded places,'' Nobue Takahashi, a
46-year-old Tokyo metropolitan government official who was heading for Kagawa
Prefecture with her family members, said at Tokyo Station while wearing a face
mask.
At Narita International Airport, east of Tokyo, and Kansai International
Airport near Osaka, which are on the alert to prevent the new flu from being
introduced into Japan, the number of travelers heading overseas is hitting a
peak. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday are all national holidays.
The operator of Narita airport estimates that about 46,000 people will depart
from the airport on Saturday alone. The number of returning travelers is
expected to peak on Wednesday, it said.
According to the operator of Kansai International Airport, some 19,100 people
are expected to depart from the airport Saturday.
Amid the fall in fuel surcharges and the yen's appreciation against other major
currencies, South Korea and Guam are popular as travel destinations, according
to travel agencies.
''There are moves among companies to cancel business trips (due to the new
flu), but the impact is limited at the moment,'' a travel agency official said.
At Narita airport, however, a number of passengers waiting for flights could be
seen wearing face masks.
''I am worried but I cannot cancel (my trip) now as it would be difficult to
take time off work some other time,'' said Satoshi Sato, a 75-year-old company
executive who will visit Spain on a tour.
The H1N1 influenza A strain is rapidly spreading around the world, with South
Korea, one of the most popular overseas tour destinations for Japanese people,
confirming its first case Saturday.
''I am scared of being infected, but I don't want to bring (the virus) into
Japan,'' said a 27-year-old female company worker from Hirakata, Osaka
Prefecture, who was waiting for her flight to South Korea at Kansai
International Airport. ''I will wash my hands and gargle thoroughly.''
==Kyodo
The exodus of people heading for their hometowns or traveling to resorts at
home and abroad for the Golden Week holiday reached its peak Saturday,
overshadowed by growing concerns over the spread of a new type of influenza.
Expressways were congested across the nation from the early morning due partly
to the introduction in late March of two-year toll discounts on weekends and
national holidays.
A 66-kilometer traffic jam was observed on part of the Tomei Expressway in
Shizuoka Prefecture while vehicles were backed up for 45 km on part of the
Chugoku Expressway in Hyogo Prefecture, according to the Japan Road Traffic
Information Center.
As of 7 p.m., the number of car accidents on the Tomei Expressway in Shizuoka
Prefecture hit 59 for the day, about half the number that occurred during the
whole of the Golden Week holiday last year, according to the Shizuoka
prefectural police.
Of the total, 48 were rear-end accidents, many of which were apparently caused
by slow-moving lines of vehicles due to the congestion.
Under the discount system, a uniform toll of 1,000 yen was introduced for an
unlimited distance on weekends and holidays for passenger cars and motorcycles
equipped with electronic toll collection devices traveling on expressways
outside the Tokyo and Osaka metropolitan areas.
Expressway operators are installing temporary toilets at rest areas and
extending the business hours of restaurants and stores to cope with a surge in
traffic during the holiday period.
Almost all reserved seats on outbound shinkansen bullet trains departing
Saturday on the Tokaido, Tohoku, Yamagata, Akita, Joetsu and Nagano lines had
already been booked, East Japan Railway Co. and Central Japan Railway Co. said.
Domestic flights departing Tokyo and Osaka were also booked up, according to
All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines.
Japan has yet to confirm a case of the new influenza, which is believed to have
originated in Mexico, but a number of travelers were seen wearing face masks at
major stations and airports as a precaution against possible infection by the
H1N1 influenza A strain.
''There may be infected persons in crowded places,'' Nobue Takahashi, a
46-year-old Tokyo metropolitan government official who was heading for Kagawa
Prefecture with her family members, said at Tokyo Station while wearing a face
mask.
At Narita International Airport, east of Tokyo, and Kansai International
Airport near Osaka, which are on the alert to prevent the new flu from being
introduced into Japan, the number of travelers heading overseas is hitting a
peak. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday are all national holidays.
The operator of Narita airport estimates that about 46,000 people will depart
from the airport on Saturday alone. The number of returning travelers is
expected to peak on Wednesday, it said.
According to the operator of Kansai International Airport, some 19,100 people
are expected to depart from the airport Saturday.
Amid the fall in fuel surcharges and the yen's appreciation against other major
currencies, South Korea and Guam are popular as travel destinations, according
to travel agencies.
''There are moves among companies to cancel business trips (due to the new
flu), but the impact is limited at the moment,'' a travel agency official said.
At Narita airport, however, a number of passengers waiting for flights could be
seen wearing face masks.
''I am worried but I cannot cancel (my trip) now as it would be difficult to
take time off work some other time,'' said Satoshi Sato, a 75-year-old company
executive who will visit Spain on a tour.
The H1N1 influenza A strain is rapidly spreading around the world, with South
Korea, one of the most popular overseas tour destinations for Japanese people,
confirming its first case Saturday.
''I am scared of being infected, but I don't want to bring (the virus) into
Japan,'' said a 27-year-old female company worker from Hirakata, Osaka
Prefecture, who was waiting for her flight to South Korea at Kansai
International Airport. ''I will wash my hands and gargle thoroughly.''
==Kyodo
