NEXCO East Japan, NEXCO Central Japan, NEXCO West Japan, JB Honshu-Shikoku Expressway, and the Japan Road Traffic Information Center have announced their traffic congestion forecasts for the Silver Week period (September 19–23).
Traffic congestion is expected to be most frequent on the southbound lanes from the 19th to the 20th and on the northbound lanes from the 21st to the 22nd. Compared to actual figures from the 2026 Golden Week period, the number of traffic jams exceeding 10 km is projected to increase to 125 on the southbound lanes (+29) and 154 on the northbound lanes (+25). Of these, particularly long traffic jams of 30 km or more are forecast to occur 5 times in the southbound direction (–4 times) and 5 times in the northbound direction (–5 times).
Traffic congestion peaked at up to 45 km at the Sagamiko IC (southbound) on the Chuo Expressway, up to 40 km at the Sakado-Nishi Smart IC (northbound) on the Kan-Etsu Expressway, and up to 35 km near the Hanyu PA (southbound) on the Tohoku Expressway, among other locations.
As an example of how to avoid traffic congestion, the release notes that if a driver travels the upbound section of the Kan-Etsu Expressway between the Fujioka Junction and Tsurugashima Interchange during peak traffic hours—from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on September 22—the estimated travel time will be approximately three times longer than usual, at 1 hour and 30 minutes. The release urges drivers to spread out their travel times by adjusting their departure times. The press release also includes a separate document outlining ways to avoid traffic congestion.
© Source travel watch