Tokyo Times

Much debate has surrounded Japan’s post-Diamond Princess avoidance of the coronavirus pandemic — at least on the scale seen elsewhere, anyway. Has it been due to the general lack of physical contact in public? The pretty much standard habit of mask wearing perhaps? Or, has it always been a mere matter of time before the country succumbed?

Despite the possible merits of those cultural traits, the latter now appears to be the case, with Tokyo’s governor requesting a soft lockdown at a press conference on Wednesday. Of course how many people adhere to it remains to be seen, especially as the message was confused somewhat by a mention of only the weekend. The same goes for the timing, and ultimately its effectiveness — we’ve just got to wait and see. In the meantime, like in so many other parts of the world, it’s now simply a case of sitting tight and hoping for the best.

In the current climate, a quiet stroll along the nearby canal seemed like a good idea. A decision that in the end turned out to be doubly good, as along with a nice walk, I also had the pleasure of bumping into the lovely old lady below.

We only had a brief chat. Basically just the time it took to take a couple of frames from a suitably safe distance. But having the chance to meet somebody who has experienced the destruction — then recovery — of their country, and indeed the wider world from wars, natural disasters, nuclear meltdowns, political upheavals and now, towards the end of her life, a pandemic, was really something.

With seemingly the whole world now implementing social distancing, self isolation and even full-on lockdowns, life in Japan inexplicably continues as normal, with no real measures in place whatsoever. Of course school closures were announced at the end of last month, with museums, concerts etc. quickly following suit. Sporting events have also been cancelled, or played behind closed doors, with one notable example being sumo, which now approaching the end of its spring tournament, has provided a rather surreal, and also completely joyless daily dose of the world as it currently is.

The big question, of course, is how effective such early closures have been. The number of those with the virus is (officially at least) still low, but so are the number of conducted tests, so it feels like a waiting game — a game with no shortage of risks. Things might be OK, but then again, come tomorrow they might not be. And with the likes of trains, restaurants, and shopping areas almost as busy as usual, the odds of it being the latter are a distinct possibility.

But in dark times there are thankfully still lighter moments, and seeing these two fellas taking social distancing to a whole new level last week was definitely one of them.

On a slightly different note, I’d like to take this opportunity to say a very big thank you indeed for the lovely response to my recent addition of a buy-me-a-coffee page. Despite my considerable apprehension, it has been an incredibly positive experience, and one that without a doubt has made these troubling times a lot more bearable.