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New Year’s holiday travel is shaping up to be frenzied, as 4.46 million seats on trains and Shinkansen between Dec. 27 and Jan. 5 have already been booked, announced the six Japan Railways companies.

This is a 17 percent increase in reservations from the last fiscal year and exceeds the fiscal 2018 pre-pandemic figures by 21 percent. 

A record number of JR seat reservations made per day since record-keeping began in fiscal 1996 has already been set. 

The JR companies noted that holidays have aligned this year to allow people to take longer vacations than usual and make a variety of travel plans.

Crowding will peak on trains leaving major cities on Dec. 28, and on trains inbound toward major cities on Jan. 4. However, the companies also expect congestion to continue from Dec. 28 to Dec. 30, and from Jan. 2 to Jan. 4.

The number of reserved seats on Shinkansen during the holiday period is 3.64 million this fiscal year, up 16 percent from the last fiscal year.

By direction, the number of seat reservations on Shinkansen heading toward the Tohoku region has increased by 22 percent, with the Hayabusa and Komachi trains departing from Tokyo Station on Dec. 28 and Dec. 29 almost fully booked throughout both days.

Reservations on the Tokaido route have increased by 13 percent, with the Nozomi trains departing from Tokyo Station on the morning of Dec. 28 almost fully booked.

Within the region managed by West Japan Railway Co. (JR West), seat reservations on Hokuriku Shinkansen trains, which extended their route from Kanazawa to Tsuruga in March this year, have increased by 36 percent from the last fiscal year.

Reservations on Sanyo Shinkansen trains have increased by 14 percent.

Within the Kyushu Railway Co. (JR Kyushu) region, reservations on Kyushu and Nishikyushu Shinkansen trains are up 19 percent and 25 percent, respectively. There are still seats available on both train lines, including on peak days.

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