Tourist Spots Deserted in Kamakura and Enoshima

On April 26, the Sunday before the start of Japan’s popular Golden Week holiday period, tourist spots around Kamakura and Enoshima in Kanagawa Prefecture enjoyed fine weather, but the usual crowds of visitors were absent. A Jiji Press cameraman living in Kamakura went out to cover the story.

The previous weekend, despite the ongoing state of emergency in Japan and calls to stay at home to prevent the spread of COVID-19, large numbers of visitors descended on the area around the Shōnan coast, causing major traffic congestion. On April 22, Kanagawa Governor Kuroiwa Yūji urged people not to visit from other prefectures at a time when authorities had asked citizens to stay indoors. Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko also appealed to residents of the metropolis on April 24 to refrain from traveling to other prefectures for leisure and to not take unnecessary trips to visit relatives.

Itagaki Tomohiko, a representative of Fujisawa’s tourist division, noted that there were far fewer visitors to the area compared to the previous week. He expressed hope that tourists would continue to show restraint while the state of emergency is in effect, saying, “After the outbreak has been contained, we’ll provide the highest hospitality.”

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]