As Japan gears up for the annual Bon Festival, traffic authorities predict a maximum traffic jam of 45 kilometers on the Central Expressway. Such congestion would mark a record for Japan during the commemorative event. It depicts a massive volume of vehicles, likely due to travelers returning to their ancestry homes as is tradition during the Bon Festival.

In Japan, the Bon Festival (also known as Obon), a Buddhist custom lasting for three days in mid-August, holds significance as an occasion where Japanese people return to their ancestral homes to honor deceased relatives. It leads to significant human mobility across Japan and subsequently enormous road congestion. People in Japan are vested in such news as it helps plan their journeys and make alternative travel arrangements, if necessary.

In contrast, in the United States and the European Union, the most considerable traffic congestion occurs during Christmas and Thanksgiving. Similar to Japan during Bon Festival, people in these regions also tend to travel across states and countries to be with their family and loved ones these significant moments.