Let me tell a little bit about life in Tokyo now.

The second state of emergency has been declared since the beginning of January this year and we are requested self-restraint by the government. As restaurants and cafes are restricted to work until 20:00, it is difficult to eat and drink outside. But many people still go to their office. For example, I work in home only twice a week. We can see usual rush hour in the morning, and in holidays, there are a lot of people in the daytime. Although the number of cases of Covid-19 in Tokyo per day is around 300 and it seems that current statement is effective, we do not feel “emergency”.

Last spring, under the first statement, the situation was different. It was almost like a lockdown. There was no crowed in the train and people were really refrained from going out. We had feared the virus and little knowledge about them.

According to today’s broadcasts, this second declaration will be lifted on March 21^st.

Then, the restaurant’s business hours would be free, and we can restart drinking freely. The period from March to April is called the season of “come and go” in Japan. The fiscal year of many Japanese companies is from April to March, and the end of the year there are often personnel changes. And the new school year also starts in April. In addition, at the same time, Sakura will be at their best. We have a wonderful culture of drinking under cherry blossoms, which is called “Hanami”.

Eating and drinking in large numbers is pointed out as the main cause of infection. It would be necessary to be careful.

Of course, remove of the statement has a positive effect to economic. However, I think there are still a lot of unstable factors at the time when the vaccines have not arrived yet.