Traffic was thin at major transportation hubs and highways throughout Japan at the start of the country's week-long spring holiday on Wednesday. This comes amid a government request for people to refrain from traveling due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Japan Railway group companies say less than 10 percent of non-reserved seats on Shinkansen bullet trains were occupied.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is calling on people to stay at home from Saturday through May 6 to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

The authorities designated the 12-day period, which includes Japan's "Golden Week" spring holidays, as "stay-home week."