From the early morning, heavy traffic stagnations on express ways going down from Tokyo were informed almost every thirty minutes by TV and radio news. The great move of people from Metropolitan Tokyo has begun. Many people from local areas come to Tokyo to get jobs. The most of the students who entered universities in Tokyo from local areas and were graduated from them stay in Metropole taking jobs as government officials or as business men in big corporations in Tokyo. It is said that about 80 per cent of business men in Tokyo come from local areas. Almost all of workers who are@engaged in subway construction come from rural towns and villages. Many owners, managers or employees of smaller enterprises such as restaurants or hair dressers come from countrysides. Many actors and actresses, singers and musicians, or TV announcers come from urban areas. It is a traditional custom that those who come from local areas go back to their old homes to meet their families and to have memorial services for the ancestors at the front of their tombs at Obon festivals. Some of them take airplanes or super express trains for the trips. But these transportation cost you high. The cars are the most convenient transportation for them carrying many gifts to their relatives and bringing whole family together. This resulted in hard traffic stagnations on highways during the holidays.
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When I drove up to Hakone on August 4, I was given free copies of forecasts on traffic stagnations on express ways during Obon holidays at Gotemba Toll Gate. There were two editions. one for covering east half of Japan and another covering west. Each of them carries a stagnation map for two weeks from August 5th through 18th. |
They forecasted the stagnations of today as follows:
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Red lines on the map shows the parts where more than thirty minutes stagnations are expected. A circle near a red line is a 24 hour clock showing time of stagnations. The darker the red is, the harder the traffic stagnation is. The thinner the green is, the lighter the stagnation is.
The stagnations from early morning reported by TV and Radio were almost the same as forecasted by the map. In the afternoon, the stagnations diminished as the map showed.
I attach here the maps of August 13 (down from Tokyo) and August 15 (up for Tokyo) for your reference.B
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The traffic stagnation forecast maps by Japan Highway Agency are very useful for holiday driving. They are distributing their copies free at service areas. parking areas and toll gates.
You can also use Highway Fax 0570-00-1625 to get information about stagnations.
Or open the following web sight.
http://www.japan-highway.go.jp/