These are strange times for all of us, but there is a particular surreal quality to it for those of us living in Japan who have another home elsewhere. Here we have been watching Covid-19 wreck havoc on much of the world, while we stand here stunned, largely unscathed. What gives?
Up until very recently, I’d say it was the Japanese showing once again how well they can work for the common good with only a light suggestion from the government. Yes, Japan did close schools 2 weeks early for spring break, and was among the first nations to limit visitors from abroad, but other than these measures, domestically there were only suggestions that people avoid crowds, that large events be cancelled, and it happened. Local events and stadium concerts were canceled immediately. The city I live in, Osaka, was like a ghost town. For two weeks. Just as the news sank in that we had been spared by our restraint, people let their guard down. As my family and I have seen the crowds return to the stores and parks, we’ve retreated more.
It feels like that the same communal thinking that allows Japan to rise to the occasion in moments of crisis also can lead it to return to normal when they see enough people outside having fun. The government, in my opinion, is trying to encourage people to go back to what we had been doing—a kind of self-isolation lite—to avoid panic and to avoid the economy tanking completely, but all to no avail.
As new cases of Covid-19 skyrocket in Tokyo, many think a lock down of that city is imminent, with Osaka soon following. It’s a shame that we couldn’t sustain this without the state stepping in. But now that we need the state their reluctance to act has gone from a steady hand in this crisis to hand-wringing indecision.
