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TOKYO, April 8-- Major Japanese cities including the capital of Tokyo became unusually quiet on Wednesday, with many shops closed and fewer people on streets on the first day after a state of emergency was declared to contain the fast spread of COVID-19 infections across the country. The state of emergency will be in place until May 6 and covers Tokyo and other major prefectures including Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Osaka, Hyogo and Fukuoka. Aside from supermarkets, drugstores and others which provide essential services, many businesses in those areas were closed following the government's request for people to stay at home and limit social contact. Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings Ltd. closed all of its six Mitsukoshi and Isetan department stores in the metropolitan area, while Matsuya Co.'s store in Tokyo's Ginza shopping area was also closed. However, sections selling food continued to open at some other department stores. Meanwhile, movie theaters, bowling alleys and shops inside station buildings were also among closed businesses. Train and bus companies in the Tokyo area said they are operating as usual on Wednesday, adding that they may reduce or suspend services if the government makes a request or if they face a significant decline in users. Airlines in Japan have already reduced their flights drastically before the state of emergency was declared, but they may further slash flights if the number of travelers continues to drop. | 
