お盆の帰省ラッシュが本格化

Welcome to Japanese Daily News. I'm Maya. Today is August eighth. Japan's great summer homecoming has begun — this weekend, millions of people are heading back to their hometowns by bullet train, car, and plane for the mid-August holiday. Let's listen.

Now let's break it down, sentence by sentence.

The homecoming rush — people heading to their hometowns and resorts for the holiday — is in full swing this weekend.

It means returning to your hometown.

The holiday is a traditional event for welcoming the spirits of deceased family and ancestors — many people go home and visit the family grave.

It means ancestor.

According to the railway companies, outbound bullet trains peak today, the eighth, and reserved seats are almost sold out, especially in the morning.

It means fully booked — no seats left.

To ease the crush, the fastest trains on the main Tokyo–Osaka bullet-train line are running with all seats reserved from the seventh through the sixteenth.

It means a reserved seat.

In some places, traffic jams of up to about forty-five kilometers are expected.

It means a traffic jam.

Meanwhile, the return rush back to the cities is expected to peak on the fifteenth and sixteenth.

It means meanwhile, or on the other hand.

Highway operators are urging drivers to check traffic information before leaving and to allow plenty of extra time.

It means extra room — time or space to spare.

Let's listen to the whole story one more time.

Time for a short quiz. Listen and try to answer.

The eighth — today, with reserved seats nearly full in the morning.

From the seventh through the sixteenth of this month.

The fifteenth and sixteenth.

That's all for today. If you're traveling this weekend, stay cool, be patient in the crowds, and safe travels home. See you tomorrow.