A week ago last Wednesday when we had dinner at our son’s we asked for updates about the current coronavirus situation in Japan. We had read a few articles online but have relied more on M & M for current news and updates. Nothing they said that evening alarmed us, and the strongest warning they gave us was to avoid bringing the kids through crowded train stations, like Shibuya, and use buses if possible. However, there was no recommendation for us to wear masks, or avoiding the big stations. Neither seemed to have any concerns about our plans, including trips to Tokyo Station or Shinjuku (the world’s busiest train station), so we went ahead with our (successful) Tokyo Station KitKat hunt at the end of last week.
But by Sunday, the day of our family outing to Chichibu, things had changed. There were more reported cases of the virus in Japan, and two more deaths (one from someone who had been quarantined on the cruise ship). Face masks had completely disappeared from the shelves in Tokyo and were continuing to disappear as fast as they were stocked. We’ve been unable to find any hand sanitizer anywhere. We bought the last two refill pouches of disinfecting soap in a neighborhood drugstore, but otherwise, shelves in Tokyo are bare of anything disinfectant as well as face masks and sanitizer. The government advised that no one do any unnecessary travel in Tokyo; that is, if you didn’t need to go somewhere (like work, child pick-up, medical appointments, food shopping, etc.) you should stay home or at least stay close to home unless traveling by personal car.
More recommendations came out today and our son will begin working from home next week; his company has recommended that all who can do so. Our DIL has to ride the train to and from work, but she has a good supply of masks and sanitizer. Because he’ll be home, M will be picking up both kids as he’ll have the car, so Brett and I are now out of a job for the time being, and we’ll probably only see them on weekends.
One interesting thing both of us noticed today though was that fewer people appeared to be wearing masks than had been previously. We’re not sure if that’s because they’ve run out of masks, are not as worried as might have initially been, or they’re rationing their masks to have some if things get worse. Supposedly the government has ordered mass production of face masks, but that hasn’t happened yet.
Our son was more than a little surprised to learn that we had gone to Tokyo Station last Friday, especially after the government warning (which we had to remind him we had not heard at that point). We had noticed that the trains we took that day were almost empty, although when we arrived in Tokyo it seemed the station was as crowded as ever. We still went on our trip up to Chichibu on Sunday but in a rented minivan, and we spent a good deal of time outside and ate our meals in uncrowded (and lovely) restaurants away from the tourist areas.
It was disappointing to have to cancel our outing to Shinjuku that we had planned for this week. We were going to visit a store called Bingoya, with five floors filled with traditional Japanese crafts, from pottery to fabric/clothing to baskets to toys and beyond. Getting to look at all of that would have been my idea of heaven, and I was hoping to find an affordable, hand-woven bamboo shopping basket while we were there. I gave away my previous one when we left Hawaii and have missed it greatly.
Sometimes things have a way of working out though. After we had eaten lunch on Sunday, we walked down an old-style shopping street as we headed back to our car. And there, sitting in the back of one store, were handmade woven bamboo shopping baskets! They came in two colors, natural and stained, and with strong support on the bottom and reinforced corners. Brett and I looked them over and picked out the one in the picture above. My new basket is also the right size to slide under the seat in front of us on the plane and will most likely leave Japan full of KitKats. Getting the basket almost made up for not being able to visit Bingoya, but truthfully, I’m glad we didn’t have to navigate through the immense Shibuya and Shinjuku stations.
For now, we are in a holding pattern as far as outings and such and will be sticking closer to home. Brett has found bus routes to get us places so we can avoid train stations, and we see lots of walking in our future. At this point, we are only slightly worried about our flights in April, and any possible precautions we may have to make then. We will continue to ask for and follow updates, but for now, we will stay cautious, continue to try and find hand sanitizer and masks, use good handwashing techniques, and be ready to change or update what we’re doing as the situation demands.
The Occasional Nomads 
They also say that, you need to sip some water every 15-20 minutes to keep your throat from drying. Especially warm drinks are recommended over here. Mom and I have to go to the hospital on Friday. We are armed with masks and hand sanitizers. These days we are avoiding malls and any other crowded places like the plague. So far, no cases have been confirmed over here but, you never know.
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I wish we could find masks and sanitizers here, but they are all sold out. We go out but avoid crowded places. Neither of us has any symptoms, but as you say, you never know. I think the U.S. is going to be in for a rude shock because they haven’t been testing that many people. I’m afraid it’s going to erupt and spread like wildfire there.
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Yikes. Well, I’m glad your son and DIL are giving you updates, and that you were able to get out a bit anyway. My DD made it back to England without incident, and I’m about to buy a ticket to visit when the baby is born, but I do realize things could change on a dime. It appears our CDC still has the ability to give us updates, and I really hope the science denier in the White House doesn’t start to fire them for telling the truth, as he has with others who speak out. Crazy times.
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No news is good news here these days. We are keeping our fingers crossed at this point that we can leave here on time and get to our next destination, but we know things can change quickly. We were not heartened by the news that the VP will be handling the coronavirus situation in the U.S. Good grief.
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I went to Florida last week and brought Influenza A back with me, so I am avoiding all travel and crowded places for the foreseeable future. I’m finally feelng better, but I am someone who rarely gets sick and hadn’t had the flu in at least 20 years, so it was a wake-up call.
As far as masks, the blue cloth-like ones only keep sick people from spreading germs. I had to wear one at the doctor’s office when I was in the waiting room. From what I’ve read, the N95 mask is for that, but they are hard to find now.
There is a worrisome outbreak in Italy I was just reading about. Stay safe. At least in Japan you know people will follow directives so you might be in the best possible place for now.
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I hope you are completely over the flu at this point and feeling well now. I have never had the flu, and never had a flu shot either, but I got it this year. I’m just not going to take any more chances.
Japanese people wear masks to keep from spreading a cold or cough, but the masks are ineffective for keeping germs out. Still, every little bit helps, I suppose, especially if you”re on a crowded train and or have to transit through a crowded station at rush hour.
Italy and South Korea both had fast spreading outbreaks. Things seem to be more in check here. Japanese people love to follow rules (seriously!) so if the government puts out a warning, it is followed. We’re hoping that helps keep the spread of the virus to a minimum. Fingers crossed.
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Two friends here have just cancelled their March trip to Japan. One has a sister living in Tokyo, which would have been their base. They decided the restrictions and worry would take the fun out of the trip. They will reschedule once the virus has passed.
We’re still planning our end of March trip to France but will watch and see what develops,
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The current restrictions have put a damper on things here; your friends are probably smart to have cancelled their trip as it’s not a good idea to be out visiting crowded tourist sites (although I have no idea if they’re crowded or not at this point). We’re here until mid-April and hope things are OK enough then that we can leave on and move on to our next location. We’re hoping things do not get worse here, but lots of precautions have been put into place and hopefully those will help.
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I am scheduled for a long plane flight to see my grandchild, in April, but it is not international. However, IF the virus is rampant in the U.S. by then, because she is so young, I will not go. I am playing the waiting game and hoping it does not appear in the U.S. on any large scale.
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I think more than anything our son and DIL are worried about the kids catching the virus. We are going to miss seeing them as much as we have been, but understand that right now it’s just too risky to have them out, even on a bus. I so understand your concerns about traveling to see a young child, especially if the virus is raging or even ramping up in April. I am really scared for the U.S. – people seem to have been very complacent about it for too long, and I’m afraid it’s going to erupt and spread like wildfire. We shall see.
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Yeah, I don’t want to give her the virus if I am exposed on the plane/airport, since she is under a year old. I could never forgive myself if that happened.
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Passing on the virus to our grandkids worries us as well. We have no symptoms, but we’re worried we could still have it and pass it along. We couldn’t forgive ourselves either if that happened. We are concerned about what air travel is going to be like going back, and what precautions will be taken by both passengers and crew.
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Northern Italy is like the leper colony of Europe these days, so I feel your concern. We live in a rural area in the mountains so I’m not too concerned…for now.
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Boy, the outbreak in northern Italy was a shock. It’s like it came out of nowhere and spread quickly. Same in South Korea. Fingers crossed that you and yours stay well!
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Thanks for the update! I was thinking of you, as I read the news about how the coronavirus spreading in Japan and elsewhere. Here in Vancouver, Canada, almost half the population is from Asia so it’s definitely a concern. You might want to stock up on toilet paper and basic pantry items, in case circumstances change and everyone has to stay in their homes. It’s amazing how quickly it got to that stage in those areas in Italy that have been affected this week.
Stay safe 🙂
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PS You might also pre-emptively get refills on your prescriptions. Most medications in the US are actually sourced from China (or India, which gets most of the ingredients from China); I don’t know if that’s also the case with Japan, but you might want to err on the side of caution.
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We got additional refills on our prescriptions before we left the U.S. so we’re in good shape. I need to pick up another bottle of Tylenol, but otherwise we are well stocked for the time being.
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We are beginning to stockpile a few things, like toilet paper, and will probably buy a few extras at the store this week, although we don’t have much storage space.
It seems over the past couple of days though that fewer people are wearing masks, at least outside. It kind of surprises us, but then again you can’t find masks any more in Tokyo. I personally think they should be rationed and give to the elderly (not us as we’re only visiting).
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You both have been on my mind due to this virus concern. It seems interesting to see a change in attitudes and behaviors there in Japan in a very short period of time! I know you’ll take precautions. So far no change here. A few tourists not sure to make a long plane trip from the mainland but so far no real changes.
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I wondered how things were going in Hawaii, and whether there had been a drop in tourism. The Japanese love to follow rules, and can change very quickly when they are given new ones to follow. We’re hoping this is what’s keeping the number of cases here from skyrocketing.
Think of you often and hope you are continuing to heal!
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I’d doing well and looking forward to the right hip replacement on April 17. I’m back in the pool for an hour to 30 minutes per day. Still in my wetsuit but expect the water to warm up soon. Miss you!
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Will be thinking good thoughts for you again – your surgery is just a few days before we leave Japan. Miss you too!
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Our tour guides are dispensing hand sanitiser every time we get on and off the bus and before eating. (My hands are so dry and rough now.) We have to wear masks when visiting schools and are wearing them when out and about. Except at schools we are not really talking with anyone outside our group so we are unlikely to breathe in droplets from others.
I think it is a good time to visit as there are few people around. No queues! But I know others have increased the risk.
An Aussie friend works for a large Japanese company. They have suspended flights to Japan and my friend will be working from home.
Shame it will impact on you seeing your little ones.
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I have wondered how you were doing here. Sounds like everyone is taking the right precautions.
It is so weird going out now – streets near us are empty or nearly empty when they’re usually full of people. So far flights to and from the U.S. are still happening, but the other day a flight attendent on a RT Korean Air flight between Seoul and Los Angeles tested positive, so not sure what affect that on future flights from Asia.
We are so sad that we’ll only be seeing the grands on the weekends for the time being. We’ll make the most of it.
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Love the basket.
I have a friend in Hong Kong and a friend of a friend in that hospital in Japan. She is tired of masks. He has been taken off the ventilator and seems to Finally be on the mend.
We sheltered in place for a week after Christmas because of the second round of the flu. I spent three days cleaning toys at my grand’s preschool. The first round put us in bed for a week. Hopefully we won’t have a repeat performance.
Get a few supplies and stay safe.
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I wonder if it seems fewer people are wearing masks here is because they are tired of them! Actually, I think it’s just because they’ve run out of masks.
I have never had the flu and my fingers are crossed that I get through another year OK. And, that we don’t pick up this virus! We are being double vigilant about hand washing, etc. I usually need to hold a railing going down into stations but these days I am taking my chances and holding onto Brett instead!
We’re going over to Hardy Barracks tomorrow and will see if they have hand sanitizer. They were sold out at the New Sanno. We’ve stopped in every drugstore we’ve passed to see if we could find any, but no luck.
I was so happy to find that basket the other day. They are so useful, and beautifully made too – a perfect souvenir from Japan.
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Not a fun situation, for sure! We’re also avoiding crowded places and try to reduce our outings to the minimum.It seems like things may get more complicated as the spread continues.Stay safe!
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Both of the changes you’ve made are good ones, and will probably do the most toward helping you avoid the virus. I am really scared for how things are going to go in the U.S.
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Why would you bring KitKats back from Japan to the US?
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The KitKats from here are all flavors we cannot get in the U.S. (we currently have bought 23 different flavors). Last year when we were here we ate them here, but we had more fun bringing them back to the U.S. and sharing them. We plan to put them all into a big bowl and then try a different one every evening after dinner. We’re also going to make bags of mixed flavors to give to our daughters – they love Japanese KitKats!
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Thanks. I was not aware of different flavors. I rarely eat KitKats, but they are always chocolate.
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Chocolate is pretty much all you can buy in the U.S. It’s the only flavor we won’t buy here!
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Just FYI- https://www.military.com/daily-news/2020/02/25/us-military-braces-base-lockdowns-germany-coronavirus-cases-rise.html?fbclid=IwAR15LtNS2oiMYbG9SL5-Vm-cFFyYpWaA0eisUjugIfEGpFy2FfMj0HdHl8o
The first set of testing kits were produced poorly- with many false negatives. The new ones are on the way. It will take some time to get them out there- sadly. Since they could not use them on the people in China, they did not know until the first outside cases were found.
The key seems to be the pneumonia it brings on- because it is in the small sacs. With all of your walking, your lungs should be strong.
My kids are way more worried about us then their kids. This does not seem to be bad in children or people under 50. Men over 50 in poor health and men over 60 in general—at least here. I am not an alarmist- just giving you what we are festering out as reality here. Stay safe.
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Thinking of you. I know you’ll stay safe.
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Thanks, Joy. We’re being very careful.
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People were very surprised here when they closed all the schools because the virus doesn’t seem to affect kids like it does older adults. But, it gets kids who might be contagious off the buses and trains that the elderly use, so that may have been part of the thought behind it. We continue to be cautious, get as much exercise as we can, and hope for the best. I’m glad we’re here versus some other places – the government is being very pro-active to stop the spread.
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