Thousands of Japanese are defying rising prices at home and the pain of the feeble yen to have one final foreign holiday over “golden week” before airlines increase fuel surcharges.

The operator of Narita International Airport anticipates that 1.59 million travellers will pass through the airport on the outskirts of Tokyo between Friday and May 10, an increase of around 2 per cent from last year’s “golden week” holiday season.

Sunday was the peak for departures, with nearly 57,000 people flying...