Corona Fear: How Japan is Coping

Posted on 09/29/2020 Last updated on 11/06/2020

CONTENTS

2020 will be defined by any number of things, but no doubt the COVID-19 pandemic will be at the top of the list. For the better part the year, the entire world has been in the grip of an invisible menace that medical workers around the globe have worked tirelessly to combat.

Japan was one of the first countries hit by the coronavirus, and while the danger is nowhere near over, it has been comparatively fortunate in how it has managed as of Fall 2020. There are a number of reasons for this, but here are a few that we feel contributed:

Unified Caution

Once the State of Emergency was announced, nearly all of the Japanese public put in masks when exiting their homes. Photo Credit: (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)

From the first day that the threat of the coronavirus became truly serious, the majority of the country took the threat seriously and took precautionary steps to prevent the spread. People who didn’t need to go out stayed home, wore masks, used hand sanitizer, didn’t gather in large groups, practiced proper social distancing, etc. There were very few, if any, voices of dissent in this protocol. While some have emerged over time, the general attitude was one of unity. Why is this?

Cultural Predisposition

Japan’s is a culture that values cleanliness, be it the washing of hands and mouth when entering the grounds of a shrine or temple, or the custom of a dip in the onsen. While Japan isn’t alone in this, the wearing of masks to prevent the spread of germs is such a common sight year-round that it feels more like an expectation than an aberration. It was seen as no burden by most people to do so for a longer period of time, especially with the mutual benefits of self-protection.

Likewise, when the government asked that citizens put their weekend plans on hold and avoid mass gatherings, the majority of the populous was more than happy to comply. Some may view this passive approach critically, but at the end of the day, the fact is people stayed or worked from home when they needed to, to the point where the ‘restrictions’ have begun to ease across the country.

Sensible Independence

A café enforces social distancing while still operating. Photo Credit: Twitter user @chacha0rca

For those from overseas, of the most challenging things about this pandemic has been hearing about friends and loved ones suffering back home with their jobs. It’s been difficult to hear about how people were forced to close their businesses that they operate to provide for themselves and their families, even when they could easily run their businesses safely by taking the proper steps to prevent the spread of the virus.

That’s why many of us have been incredibly impressed and proud of how Japan largely refrained from forcing closures, instead relying on an ‘honor system’ of strong requests. This allowed for business owners to take precautions to prevent the spread of the virus while also maintaining their livelihoods.

In Conclusion (for now…)

Of course, it is up for debate just how successful overall Japan’s management of COVID-19 has been, especially with the situation still ongoing. We can only speak from our own personal experience, and the unfortunate reality is that not everyone’s has been positive during these difficult times. We do not mean to trivialize the experiences of those less fortunate; only to offer our thoughts on our own.

For all those looking to one day travel to Japan, we hope that not only will that time be sooner rather than later, but that you’ll also be able to see how the people’s handling of this crisis has allowed Japan to continue on with life changed perhaps, but not irrevocably damaged. For now, the only true certainty is that we have hope that life for people all over the planet will improve as we enter into a new year.

Additional research and photos for this article were provided by Connor Steck. Cover photo provided by Daniel Bichler via pixabay.com.

Photo Credits:

Top Image: danielbichler on Pixabay

Additional research and photos for this article were provided by Connor Steck. Images courtesy of (1) Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review and (2) Twitter user @chacha0rca