A busy Week 30 for Ian and Minako

Edited BY

G P Kennedy

Ian & Minako – Tokyo

Hello again from Tokyo, we are both well. We're enjoying proper October weather now, still quite warm, highest of 20 degrees with plenty of sunshine. Great for walking around the parks and streets. The daily average for new coronavirus cases is still level, this week at 152 in Tokyo, there have been 30,033 in total and 447 deaths. Nationally the daily average is up a bit to 572 with 97,106 in total and 1716 deaths. The largest group of new cases continues to be people in their 20s and 30s. Clusters include 17 members of a university soccer team, a group of foreign nationals at a vocational school, and 9 students who had taken part in a drinking and karaoke party a week earlier.

Things are still stable and quiet here corona-wise and the authorities are always looking for ways to keep it that way or make improvements. Christmas is not a holiday in Japan but New Year is a big thing with businesses closing for 3 days, families gather together and feast. Traditionally many people visit shrines and temples, several million visit Tokyo's Meiji Shrine over the period.

Many schools still held their annual sports days but vastly different from normal. Some were spread over a few days with limited numbers, parents could still attend to watch but their temperatures were checked and they had to keep a distance. New games were invented to avoid any touching, the relay race still took place but the baton was 1.5 meters long and the runners had to sanitize it after receiving it! Cheering and shouting were not allowed, spectators used flags and clappers instead.

We haven't traveled out of our area much the past couple of weeks. A couple of doctor's appointments downtown gives us the opportunity, making the most of a train day pass, to go onto lunch at our favorite vegan restaurants. We still don't feel entirely safe eating in restaurants, people are very careful and conscientious keeping their masks on but once the food arrives and they unmask they forget and continue to talk and laugh whilst eating. It's understandable but, ideally, people should eat quietly and put their masks back on.

We also had a long stroll around Naka Meguro, which is a pleasant area with a canal lined with cherry trees and lots of small trendy shops and cafes. We discovered a lovely rooftop sky garden with a thousand trees, many other interesting plants, and a small allotment there too.

The kingfishers in the park have been entertaining us this week. There are 3 or 4 of this year's young ones flying at great speed together around one area. We were wondering if they were playing or courting but expert opinion is they're more likely fighting as they're very territorial and that corner of the lake is a prime location.

Ian had his first haircut for 8 months! We go to a punk hairdresser in Koenji, which is a real rock-n-roll music town; he also plays drums in a punk band. Music by the Clash was blasting out, all precautions are taken, well ventilated, everything sterilized, masks worn, etc. but it's impossible to keep a mask on when your hair is being cut so that was rather unnerving. So short hair this winter after being long through the summer - should be the other way round surely!