Theme parks and shopping districts were bustling on a sunny Saturday morning, a day after a strong typhoon swept through Tokyo and nearby areas yesterday.
Fun-seekers lined up outside Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea, both of which yesterday raised the limit on visitors from 5,000 people a day to 10,000.
The parks said they will also begin selling alcoholic beverages at restaurants again. But they are still operating on short hours, from 10am to 7pm, “for the time being”, Oriental Land, operator of the theme parks, said in a news release.
Tickets to both parks are sold out through early November, according to the company’s website.
Universal Studios Japan in Osaka has also decided to gradually raise the daily limit on visitors from 5,000 people to 10,000 people. It will also start selling alcohol at some restaurants.
The easing of restrictions has brought out travellers as well. People with suitcases in tow were seen boarding trains at Tokyo Station today.
“It has been a long time since I have travelled, and I feel like daily life is coming back a little,” said a 29-year-old office worker who was setting out on a previously postponed trip to Toyama Prefecture with a friend.
During the state of emergency the government asked people to refrain from travelling between prefectures.
Restaurants and izakaya pubs, some of which were closed during the state of emergency because they could not serve alcohol, are preparing to reopen.
The number of reservations made at some 5,300 restaurants nationwide on Sept 30 was 68,000, 30% higher than on Sept 27, according to TableCheck, an online reservation service.
Today marks the first weekend since April that a state of emergency is not in effect anywhere in the country. Tokyo was placed under the latest state of emergency on July 12.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga decided to lift the restrictions on Friday, as the number of new infections has declined and more people are vaccinated against Covid-19. Tokyo reported 200 new cases yesterday, down from a peak of more than 5,500 in August.
The focus will be on whether Japan can restart its economy without triggering a rebound in infections.
The government will continue asking restaurants and other dining establishments to close by 8pm for about another month, but those that have taken sufficient infection prevention measures can stay open until 9pm.
Municipalities will decide whether restaurants can serve alcohol. In Tokyo, establishments will be allowed to serve alcohol until 8pm after receiving certification for their anti-Covid measures.
Analysts are assessing whether consumer demand will bounce back as workers return to their offices. Yasutoshi Nishimura, state minister in charge of economic and fiscal policy and economic revitalisation, has called on companies to continue remote work.
“A big (wave of) infection in winter can be expected, so we need to be prepared,” he said in a video conference with representatives of business associations earlier this week.