Summer holidays in Japan in full swing amid warnings of a huge earthquake

Japan's summer holiday season was in full swing on Saturday as people headed back to their hometowns and railway stations and airports were packed amid caution after the weather agency warned of a possible major earthquake.

“This is my first visit to my hometown in five years after a hiatus due to the coronavirus. Now it's an earthquake,” said Tomohiro Ogawa, 49, a resident of Chiba Prefecture, at a crowded Tokyo station, adding that he had discussed disaster preparedness following the alert with his family.

Japan's Meteorological Agency issued its first-ever warning Thursday of a possible major earthquake in the Nankai Trough, which runs along the Pacific coast, just hours after a 7.1-magnitude quake struck southwestern Japan, centered in waters off Miyazaki Prefecture, near the basin's western edge.

Although the Tokaido Shinkansen bullet train was running at reduced speed on one section in central Japan, causing delays of about 20 minutes, reserved seats on services departing from Tokyo were mostly sold out throughout Saturday.

Tokyo's Haneda Airport is crowded with passengers on Aug. 10, 2024, during Japan's summer holiday season. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

At JR Nagoya Station, a 20-year-old resident from Yokohama near Tokyo said he fully charged his smartphone and brought more water than usual as a precaution.

At Tokyo's Haneda Airport, seats on domestic flights, including those to areas where a major quake could cause potential damage, were nearly full.

“We can finally go on a family trip after having to cancel flights repeatedly due to the coronavirus,” said Masatoshi Eguchi, 48, at Haneda Airport before leaving for Okinawa in southern Japan. “I'm worried about an earthquake, but we can't worry about it too much.”

At Miyazaki airport, Rikoto Kawashima, 24, who arrived from Fukuoka Prefecture, said: “I was worried about my parents' house being damaged by the 7.1-magnitude quake. I'm glad I was able to visit my hometown safely.”

Konomi Matsuo, from Tokyo, was greeted with hugs at the airport by her family, who said: “I am worried about aftershocks.”

In Kochi Prefecture, one of the areas expected to be affected by a potential major quake along the Nankai Trough, Ryota Nakaoka, who arrived at Kochi airport from Aichi Prefecture to visit his parents, said: “I will remain on alert until I leave Kochi.”

“I have concerns (about the massive quake), but I'm also worried about my family,” said a university student who arrived at JR Kochi Station from Kagawa Prefecture.

Following the advisory, accommodation facilities at tourist sites, especially those along the Pacific coast in central and western Japan, were subject to cancellations, while some beaches in the areas were closed and swimming was banned.

Local governments said up to 64 people had taken shelter in evacuation centers in Aichi and Kochi prefectures in response to the advisory.

Railway operators said the number of seats booked rose about 1.2 times from a year earlier on local and express trains from July 25 during the Christmas holiday between Friday and August 18. Bookings for domestic flights remained almost unchanged from a year earlier.

The likelihood of traffic jams of 10 kilometres or more is about 1.6 times higher, motorway operators said.

Related Coverage:

Japan braces for possible massive quake after 7.1-magnitude quake

Domestic travel tops Japan's leisure activities list but still below pre-COVID levels

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