Can we avoid crowding a little by shifting something? In general, regardless of the new Corona, it is expected that avoiding places or timing where people are likely to gather, in other words, “shifting” things around, will help avoid congestion. Avoiding crowds is an issue that cannot be ignored during busy periods such as Bon Festival, New Year’s, and Golden Week. However, it is nonsense to choose destinations that one does not want to visit. However, if you can find a way to avoid the three major factors that cause congestion when traveling during the peak season, namely “destination,” “round-trip transportation,” and “place to stay,” it may be worth a try, even if only one part of the trip is off-peak. On a personal note, my personal rule is to “avoid the first day of operation and the first and last day of operation” for both train lines and trains. Of course, I try to avoid timing when people tend to gather. If I am going there for business, however, it is a different story. However, there are exceptions. The other day, when the last run of Series 183 diesel trains was held in Hokkaido, I went out knowing that it was likely to be crowded. I had planned to pass up on the last run if it was the same as usual, but I was lured by the “special composition with three green cars in between”. However, I thought about where to take pictures. If I went to a place where many people were likely to gather, I was sure it would be a big problem. So, I chose a location that was not well known and that would suit my tastes. Even so, I was surprised that about five or six people showed up in the end. If you are self-employed like the author, you have a lot of flexibility in setting the date (sometimes), but if you have a company or school relationship, it is not so easy. Also, if the purpose of the event is some kind of event, the date cannot be moved. So, I guess the date is positioned as “if it can be moved, it’s better than nothing”.
What to shift? First, the “destination. I guess we can talk about “avoiding places that are likely to be crowded and going to places that are usually overlooked or put off during peak season,” or else we can try to devise a way to shift the time of day. Although not a very common destination, I once went to a Maritime Self-Defense Force open house event a little later in the day, off first thing in the morning, and found that the line waiting to get in was shorter. What about the “return leg?” Generally speaking, “leave in the morning, sightsee and play during the day, and pitch in in the evening. On the last day, return in the evening or at night” is the basic pattern. Then, by moving up or down the departure and return times, the congestion level may be reduced somewhat. If you think about it, this is the same as the “peak shift” during commuting hours. This reminds me of a scene in which I go skiing by car for a day trip. You get up early, go out, ski first thing in the morning, leave at noon, and return home. In this way, I was often able to avoid traffic jams reasonably well because I was able to return home earlier. Local transportation is also worth considering if there are options outside the popular means of transportation. I hear that buses get very crowded in Kyoto City during peak season, so I asked, “Then what other options are there besides buses?” And. That’s the kind of thing I’m talking about. So what about “where to stay”? If you are going to an event or near a famous sightseeing spot, it is natural that you may not be able to make reservations for accommodations during the peak season, or even if you can, they will be crowded. So, what about places a little off the beaten path? When I was in Kyoto for a research assignment, I expanded my search not only to Kyoto City, but also to the neighboring city of Otsu. Also, when I visited the Avalon Airshow in Australia, I could not find a reasonably priced place to stay in Geelong, the closest town to the show site, so I found accommodation in Wellaby, halfway between Avalon and Melbourne. I was traveling by car, so I had a lot of flexibility.
Transportation Try to Avoid Trains and Routes that Tend to be Popular Let’s continue talking a little more about “round-trip legs. On the Shinkansen, people tend to flock to fast trains such as “Nozomi” and “Hayabusa,” so it is possible to avoid them. On the Tokaido Shinkansen, in particular, there are a fair number of “Kodama” trains, and they are fast for the time that they have to wait for a long time. Early morning and late night “Kodama” trains, which have fewer stops, are even faster. And if the train stops at each station, there will be fewer long-distance passengers. This means that there will be a lot of turnover. Then, even if the train is crowded at the time of boarding, the possibility of finding an empty seat on the way may increase. One of the characteristics of Golden Week is the availability of the “Seishun 18 Ticket. While spring, summer, and winter vacation tickets are available, they are not available during Golden Week. This may have some impact on passenger flow on regular trains on major trunk lines. Airplane fares are more dynamic than rail fares. Of course, fares usually jump on routes where there is no competition and on routes and periods of high demand. However, even for the same destination at the same time of year, there can be surprising price differences between routes. It may be worthwhile to check for cheaper or available flights not directly to the destination or nearby area, but to a slightly more remote location. Personally, I have had some success in the Hokkaido area. However, in the case of Hokkaido, you will have a hard time if you think of overland travel as the same distance as in Japan.
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