By TAKUYA ASAKURA/ Staff Writer
January 3, 2026 at 18:18 JST
Snow covers the landscape in Kami, Hyogo Prefecture, western Japan, on Jan. 3. Heavy snowfall affected the northern Kinki region during the New Year's holiday return rush. (Masanori Sako)
The annual "u-turn" rush of travelers returning from their New Year’s holidays in hometowns and resort areas peaked on Jan. 3, as heavy snowfall along the Sea of Japan coast and in mountainous regions disrupted transportation.
The Japan Meteorological Agency reported significant snow accumulations over the 24-hour period ending at 3 p.m. on Jan. 3.
Shirakawa village in Gifu Prefecture recorded 46 centimeters of snow, Minakami in Gunma Prefecture received 40 cm, Hakusan in Ishikawa Prefecture had 33 cm and Chizu in Tottori Prefecture reported 26 cm.
Road travel in western Japan was significantly impacted. According to West Nippon Expressway Co., a section of the inbound Sanyo Expressway and the Hiroshima-Iwakuni Road was closed between the Kumage Interchange in Yamaguchi Prefecture and the Hatsukaichi Interchange in Hiroshima Prefecture until around 2 p.m. on Jan. 3.
The closure was triggered on the evening of Jan. 2 when a line of vehicles without snow tires became stranded on the roadway. The incident led to traffic congestion stretching up to 23 kilometers at one point, causing heavy gridlock on the parallel National Route 2.
Rail travel was also operating at capacity. Central Japan Railway Co. (JR Tokai) reported that nearly all Tokyo-bound trains on the Tokaido Shinkansen line departing from Shin-Osaka Station were fully booked.
During the holiday period, the high-speed Nozomi bullet trains ran with reserved seating only. Crowded conditions on inbound bullet trains and local lines were expected to continue through Jan. 4.
Air travel remained heavy as well.
Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways said bookings for domestic flights heading to Tokyo’s Haneda Airport and other hubs peaked between Jan. 3 and Jan. 4. The peak for travelers returning from overseas destinations is expected to be Jan. 4.
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