Tourist attractions come to life on 1st weekend after travel is allowed across Japan’s prefectural borders

Visitors watch a goat eating hay on a bridge from their car, at Mother Farm in Futtsu, Chiba Prefecture, on Saturday. The Japan News/Asia News Network

TOKYO — The start of the first weekend after the government lifted its request for people to refrain from traveling across prefectural borders and holding events saw increases in visitors at tourist attractions across the nation. The travel restrictions, lifted by the government on Friday, had been implemented to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus outbreak.

At Mother Farm in Futtsu, Chiba Prefecture, cars bearing license plates from other prefectures, such as Tokyo and Kanagawa Prefecture, were seen lined up at the entrance before the park opened at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday.

Visitors could enjoy watching goats walking over and eating hay on a bridge and viewing beautiful petunia fields from inside their cars on a 5-kilometer-long driving course that the farm has opened until July 17.

“I went out for the first time in 2½ months. As the weather is nice and the view is beautiful, I enjoyed sharing this with my child,” said a male company employee, 43, who came from Katsushika Ward, Tokyo, with his family.

“Although the number of visitors is still small, we look forward to seeing customers from other prefectures in the future,” an official of Mother Farm said.

The government request to avoid travel to and from Hokkaido as well as Tokyo and three prefectures in the greater metropolitan area was lifted on Friday. It had kept the request in place even after it lifted the state of emergency on May 25.

The resumption of public transportation services is accelerating and social and economic activities have begun to recover, with operators taking steps to reduce the risks of infections.