In Japan, They Don’t Mess Around With Their Reopenings

1.8K

Japan appears to be winning its fight against COVID-19. They have a documented 16,696 cases and 869 deaths in a country with 126.5 million people, many who live in densely packed cities. Although a state of emergency was declared early on, few restrictions were placed on its citizens.

There are several hypotheses as to why Japan’s numbers were so low. They range from the possibilities of their very early (January) contact tracing to the country’s culture of mask wearing to their low obesity rate. Some have suggested undertesting led to lower numbers, and that  might be true. But it appears that even if this was the case, Japan still had a significantly less percentage of probable cases than, say, the United States, which has also had ongoing problems with its “numbers.”

As Japan begins to reopen some attractions and prepares to reopen others, their caution shines through. And for some of those reopenings, well, I just don’t see them ever happening here; they’re just too hard core for us. 😉

Tokyo Tower

Built in the late 1950s and still the world’s tallest (333 meters) self-supported steel tower in the world, Tokyo Tower looks a whole lot like the Eiffel Tower. Except it’s 13 meters taller than the Eiffel Tower ;-).

Tokyo Tower serves as a broadcast antenna but its main purpose is a tourist attraction. There’s an observation tower about 150 meters up and it gives a nice view of Tokyo. You usually have a choice of taking the elevator up, or you climb the 600 (outdoor) steps to the top. I say “usually” because although Tokyo Tower is now reopened, in the interest of social distancing, you can currently only take the steps at this time. Through June 14, the only people who can take the elevator are the elderly and people with disabilities.

Yeah, that would go over just great in the U.S. LOL! Out of shape people would be pulling the “discrimination” card in a heartbeat.

Theme Parks

Theme parks in Japan have been closed since February. They’ve been looking at how they’re going to reopen and what they’ll have to do to keep them safe. A lot of what they’re considering is what we’ve seen in other theme parks around the world that are open or partially opened; capping admissions, temperature checks, cashless payment, frequent handwashing, social distancing and use of facial coverings. But in Japan they’re going to add one more guideline…

Like anywhere else, some people in Japan scream on rollercoasters. Some also excitedly squeal, “KAWAII!” (cute!) when they see a costumed mascot or character. And Joe and I have a rather good-looking friend who sometimes works at stage shows in Tokyo Disneyland and I can tell you that Japanese girls scream in his shows quite a bit ;-). But coronavirus is an airborne malady and there’s a chance of spreading it with breath, saliva and other mouth-sourced particles, particularly when expelling after the deep breath you’d use for yelling.

So in Japan? No more screaming or shouting on rides or when you see characters, kudasai and arigatogozaimasu (please and thank-you).

Because in Japan, they don’t mess around.

#stayhealthy #staysafe #washyourhands

Like this post? Please share it! We have plenty more just like it and would love it if you decided to hang around and get emailed notifications of when we post. Or maybe you’d like to join our Facebook group – we have 13,000+ members and we talk and ask questions about travel (including Disney parks), creative ways to earn frequent flyer miles and hotel points, how to save money on or for your trips, get access to travel articles you may not see otherwise, etc. Whether you’ve read our posts before or this is the first time you’re stopping by, we’re really glad you’re here and hope you come back to visit again!

This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary