Edited BY
G P Kennedy
Ian and Minako
We are both very well. We now take our walking exercise in the evenings mostly as it's too hot during the daytime.
The number of daily reported cases for Tokyo has continued to rise through this past week reaching 130 recently and the 7 day average moving up to 93 cases. Total deaths in Tokyo however are unchanged at 325 so far. The trend has gone up in other areas of Japan too, worryingly, Osaka, Kyoto, Saitama, Chiba and others are all showing an upward trajectory currently. Nationally there have been over 19,667 cases and 977 deaths.
The increase in confirmed cases may be at least partly due to increased testing which is being undertaken especially in the nightlife areas, hospitals and airports which are prone to clusters.
Tokyo Governor, Yuriko Koike
The election for the Tokyo Governor has been taking place this past week. Electors could vote anytime over the whole week which helps to avoid lines and crowds at polling stations. It has been a very muted campaign with hardly any rallies or other gatherings. The incumbent governor, Ms Yuriko Koike, is still popular and was re-elected on a very low turnout. Tokyo has avoided heavy casualties during the present pandemic so people are unlikely to desire any radical change.
Now the heat of summer is upon us the Health Ministry have revised advice for mask wearing. They still need to be worn, of course, but they may cause heat stroke in the summer so the advice is to only wear them when necessary, that is when within 2 meters (6 feet) of other people and in crowded areas. The rest of the time it's best to keep the mouth and nose clear to help with breathing.
Children's artwork brightens up a local park
It was a delightful surprise to see that the annual “Trolls” have been installed in the park. These are troll shaped figures that are colorfully and joyfully painted by children in the 4th year of the primary school.
They are normally tied to the trees in April but the schools were closed at that time. We thought it wouldn’t happen at all this year which would have been a real shame for the kids and for us park dwellers.
Several big annual events in the towns in our area have been postponed or cancelled but we did manage to get around a small Kokeshi Expo trail which took place in a few venues this past week. Kokeshi is a traditional folk craft wooden doll of the Tohoku region, Northeastern Japan. They are very collectible items and normally people would travel from far away to purchase their preferred style. It was difficult for the organizers to avoid crowding the small shops but it all seemed to go well and was overall successful.
Kokeshi - a traditional craft
We certainly enjoyed chatting to the proprietors and learning a lot about this interesting, quaint craft and it's great that these arts and the artisans are supported by businesses and Kokeshi enthusiasts in our neighborhood in these difficult times.
As the number of confirmed virus cases in Tokyo is now uncomfortably high, the Governor has again decreed that Tokyo people should not travel to other parts of Japan. Sadly we have read of some people from Tokyo being made to feel quite unwelcome when they have, for instance, visited their hometown. Cars with Tokyo number plates have had nasty messages stuck on their windscreens by “jishuku police”(means self-restraint police = citizen virus vigilantes) even if they themselves are not actually from Tokyo.
It’s disheartening so soon after travel restrictions had been relaxed and we were starting to think of maybe planning a trip somewhere to be told again that we have to stay in Tokyo for the foreseeable future.
Wear masks whenever possible and stay safe!
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