Japan’s year-end homecoming rush peaks as long holiday begins
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Travellers crowding a platform at Shin-Osaka Station in Osaka as the long holiday started in Japan.
PHOTO: BLOOMBERG
TOKYO – Japan’s year-end homecoming travel rush peaked on Dec 27, with major train stations and airports crowded from the morning as families with suitcases queued on platforms, kicking off a holiday stretch of up to nine days.
With 2025 drawing to a close, after rising prices weighed heavily on daily life nationwide, many travellers said the long holiday offers a rare chance to relax and spend quiet time with family.
At Tokyo Station, a 78-year-old company employee returning to Osaka from a solo posting near the capital said prices rose across the board in 2025, making life tough, but he was looking forward to seeing his grandchildren. He clutched bags of sweets in both hands for them.
At Shin-Osaka Station, a 40-year-old worker from Osaka travelling to Hiroshima said a recent job change marked a fresh start and he wanted to reassure his parents.
Crowds also filled Tokyo’s Haneda Airport as travellers checked bags and carried gift boxes for relatives. A 25-year-old woman said her year-end trip to Hiroshima is an annual routine, adding: “I want to visit a shrine and take it easy with my family.”
A 45-year-old female public servant left for Miyazaki prefecture in south-western Japan with her spouse and two daughters to visit a 101-year-old grandfather, saying they were “looking forward to enjoying teppanyaki together”. KYODO NEWS
