Japan's summer holidays in full swing with lack of Covid restrictions

Vehicles in a traffic jam on the Chuo Expressway in Sagamihara, Kanagawa prefecture, Japan, on Thursday. The Obon holiday, celebrated from Saturday to Tuesday this year, is one of the busiest travel seasons as people traditionally travel home to visit the graves of their ancestors. (Bloomberg photo)

TOKYO: Japan's summer holiday season started in full swing on Thursday, with reservations for domestic trains and flights leaving Tokyo reaching a peak as travelers took advantage of a lack of coronavirus restrictions for the first time in three years.

While more people headed abroad for their break, numbers are nevertheless far below the pre-Covid-19 era as new cases across the country remain elevated, hitting record highs in recent weeks.