It was fine in the morning. I took the Tomei Highway for Hakone, leaving Tokyo about nine o'clock. In spite of Sunday morning, the traffic was very smooth without any congestion. When I passed through Ayase bus stop, I saw a big banner warning that the up traffic on December 12 from two o'clock in afternoon through nine o'clock has heavy congestions.
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As down traffic has little vehicles today, there must be a big event like a motor race, I thought. Otherwise there would be no congestion on up traffic in afternoon. Meanwhile I arrived at Gotemba exit a bit earlier than usual. When I asked whether the returning traffic in afternoon would be jammed, an old official at the toll gate replied there would be no congestion due to little down traffic and handed me a brochure shown on the left.。 |
Although I commented the traffic jam forecasts of the last summer was good and useful, today's forecast was disapointedly wrong. As the traffic of the Trans-Tokyo-Bay-Highway was less than a half of the forecasts by Japan Highway Public Corporation, they met big financial troubles, the newspapers reported. The early sold out of new year greeting cards for ink-jet printing was criticized by TV reporters. It was caused by the failure of market research by Ministry of Communication. The government officials seem to be not good researchers of demand forecasting.
I took a lunch at Taigen of Sengoku. The restaurant was full of guests when few people could be seen on the outside streets. The food was good, rich and less expensive as before. When I came out from Taigen, I saw dark clouds were growing over the field. I could find my lost pocket notes for which I came over here today. I could not see Mt. Fuji at all today.
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Dark clouds over Sengoku. A white wall building is the Star Prince Museum recently opened by an Italian. |