Happy Birthday, Minako

Edited BY


G P Kennedy


Ian & Minako – not Tokyo, this week



 Hello again but not from Tokyo, we're spending a couple of days in Karuizawa, a lovely place up in the hills just over an hour's bullet train ride to the west of Tokyo. It's a bit colder especially at night; many people come here for a cooling summer getaway or to ski in the winter.

We took advantage of the discounts and offers on train fares and accommodation which the government is promoting to help the domestic tourist industry. We haven't been here before and Minako's birthday seems as good a reason as any to enjoy a break from home. You can read all about our little holiday next week.



 The daily average for new coronavirus cases is still level, this week at 171 in Tokyo, there have been 31,096 in total and 455 deaths. Nationally the total cases have reached over 100, 000 and are now 101,327 in total; with 1769 deaths and daily average new cases 656. There was a cluster of 38 people in an elderly care center in Saitama and a big increase in Hokkaido prefecture, mostly in Sapporo. Cruise ships are sailing to and from Japan again for the first time since February.


 A Japanese company plans to start clinical trials of a COVID-19 vaccine in December.

The government has agreed that when a vaccine does become available they will cover the cost and the aim is to have vaccines for everyone in the country in the first half of 2021. There's no sign of complacency, mask-wearing still 100% even on the streets, hand sanitizers at the entrance to all buildings, and many places still check your temperature before allowing entry.



Our walks are getting longer and as the mosquito season is over we've enjoyed a lunch (bento box) at one of the picnic tables in the park. It's so nice to eat outside for a change and we can de-mask without worry for a while. We also visited a bigger park in the area; it's greener and hilly, more like the countryside unlike Tokyo parks, which tend to be ultra-tidy and formal.

It was quite a trek but we enjoyed a rest by the lake whilst eating our lunch and it's always fun to discover new paths.



On Saturday, we visited Minako’s folks for the first time since the Covid-19 epidemic began. They had been very careful and suggested that we shouldn't risk the long train journey to see them but at last, they gave us the green light. We went to see them and had a good chat over many cups of tea and a vegan gluten-free cake (Happiness Always cake no.2!). Good to see them keeping healthier than ever, they do more exercises than us! They have been very cautious, staying local, eating out only occasionally at safe places choosing the right table with good ventilation, and avoiding crowds, which is good to know.

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