DISCLAIMER!

Neither I nor anyone who might write for GaijinDirectory have any political affiliation to any particular party and anything that is shared here are facts with maybe a slight opinion slipped in here in there. I and anyone who might write for GaijinDirectory will always try our best to add a disclaimer prior to any opinion piece or opinions in our articles and blogs.

OPENING

Japan is on lockdown once again. The reason for this lockdown is the increase in Omicron cases. What does this mean for those in living and Japan and those who want to visit Japan in 2022? This article will briefly go over my thoughts as well as give my opinion on the upcoming situation

1: IS JAPAN TRULY ON LOCKDOWN?

Japan under its current constitution can declare a lockdown but it truly cannot enforce it nor force any entity to follow it. The terminology that is being coined in other media is a “quasi lockdown.” When I have walked around I have seen stores open but what amazes me is the lack of shoppers. By in large most people follow the rules of the lockdown but of course there are some that still go out here and there as to be expected. I have found that the individuals who do not go out to the entertainment districts somehow have shifted to moving into the grocery stores. The last grocery store that I went to was flooded with people buying up groceries and a I cannot tell if this is due to boredom or because they were worried about food shortages

2: WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR VISITORS

Coming directly from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs “As emergency precautionary measure from a preventive perspective, new entry of foreign nationals is suspended. This measure will remain in effect at least until the end of February.” In laymen’s terms it looks as though the individuals who were expecting to visit here will be unable to do so until the end of February but to be fairly honest due to the rising case count I can see that being extended. I will state that if you think you will be drinking Sake and dining on udon in Japan in the near future I would maybe hold my breath a bit. I would start looking into other countries for your vacation destination

3. WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR THOSE WHO LIVE HERE (OPINION)

For those of us who live here I think it will be business as usual. I do believe that Omicron cases will peak out sometime in March and then slowly trickle down but this is an assumption. Due to the quasi lockdown I fear that businesses will be hurting financially and a lot of them will close. I am unsure if schools will switch to any style of online education as many did not do so during the last lockdown however due to the overwhelming transmissibility of this variant I wonder what changes will be made.

4. WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP?

Something that you can do to help out is simply to buy products that come out of Japan. This will assist in the global development of Japanese companies as well as there economy. You can donate to any NPO’s that are in Japan and for those who do not have any money to spare it is as simple as looking for stores and organizations through social media and liking there pages. Any support that you give will help make Japan a better place for everyone.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwnTcWRFkhY

As always if you liked what you read please like comment, share or subscribe.

GaijinDirectory

Advertisement