Many Japanese defy appeals to stay home to curb virus

No vaccine = no choice.

I am staying in and social distancing, but it can’t go on forever.

Perhaps the elderly and sick should be protected very well, and others go back to regular life.

I think that for a very very crowded country of 120 mill, Japan has done pretty good.

Most people are being more careful and thats the most you can do.

Coincidentally, the average lifespan for Japanese males is 81. At least he has the sense (courage?) to enjoy as many of his last days in the sun and fresh air as possible. 

He was interviewed in a bar.

“Why can’t school start”!? - Parents out playing in parks with their entire family.

One thing leading to defying this ban is the inconsistent and lopsided implementation of all this.

Large open outdoor areas, especially out here in the countryside, have all their parking lots, trails, riversides blocked off.

Everyone is herding to just the few places they can actually find to get some exercise. If they didn't do this, people would have so many more choices of getting some fresh air and recreation away from others.

Not a single pachinko parlor in my prefecture has shut down. The city office's lunch room has people sitting a foot apart from each other without masks on so they can eat and talk.j Stores are crowded.

But yet, we're all banned from going to places away from other people - up in the mountains to camp with our families away from others. The miles and miles of beach coastline is off limits even though it's the ideal place to get away for awhile from our houses.

People are starting to see a lot of hypocrisy and things that just don't make much sense and are starting to rebel.

Most people have been stuck at home for about two months now and need to have some reasonable outlet. They should do like Sweden and keep most outdoor places open so people don't have to cluster together.

Yup, could have told you! Once again, bad stuff only happens to other people! It's NEVER their fault!

Japan is truly showing it's true colors to the world during this pandemic!

The photo for the article has several men telling people to stay at home and practice social distancing, yet none of them are at home or social distancing at all.

That’s Japan, one big contradiction.

Someone please provide a fact, should be easy to find?

How many people in the whole world have caught the corona virus while

1) running outdoors

2) hiking on the mountains

3) playing in the park

4) playing any outdoor sports like soccer etc?

So requesting people to stay home makes no sense. Why home only on weekends? Why 8pm close? How it helps compared to 9pm or 6pm?

We live next to a little beach, there is a car park with an access road to our houses. The entrance to our access has large yellow hatched lines and keep clear for access. Cars parked across our entrance road as there are so many people at the beach.

it is bad enough if we cannot get in or out, but it also stops and ambulance and fire engine getting in.

Normally you just get dog walkers and a couple of fisherman. I just cannot get my head around the fact that in our little town, it is like business as usual.

Daily counts are giving false-sense of security to people, you can't call them to "stay at home" while only testing small amount of group and announcing small numbers in ratio to the test amount.

The purpose of testing, is tracing and isolating as much as possible infected patients from the public, while diminishing the circulation with your lockdown measures, and then returning back to "normal life" cautiously.

Today, we have only 46 infected patients, yesterday was same, in GW there will be less because of the hospital closures and less testing.

I'm personally confused, we had the same daily numbers at the beginning of march, and everything was normal for the government, we were having fun at the bars.

So, why government is that much alarmist now? Considering to extend SoE? People can't feel the reason by looking the graphs/stats. Do they know something different than us?

Japan didn't understand the mentality of testing and lockdown, we are doing both wrong.

There are four different approaches in the world right now:

1) Mass testing / Mass Lockdown - prioritize public health, and aim to contain the virus completely.

2) Mass testing / Partial Lockdown - containing the virus and creating limited / viable environment for the economy as much as possible

3) Mass testing / No Lockdown - containing the virus without hurting economy

4) No testing / No Lockdown - prioritizing economy, going for herd immunity.

We are the only one, having no testing / partial lockdown, no effort to contain the virus but hurting the economy? Isn't it madness? The virus will last more than the other countries in here with these half measures, and are we adding economical damage? What we are waiting, vaccine from the sky in a month?

I can only reason that we are doing to protect existed health system to not to change anything, they need to reduce the amount of patients.

However, instead of hurting the economy, and later compensating the potential results, you could spend money right away to your health system, take the control of private institute during the pandemic, take more temporary staff as Turkey or Italy, ask volunteers to help as UK and answer to the needs.

However, nothing is going on to ameloriate existed health system.

What is it with these media reports? The vast majority of people are following the social distancing recommendations. Of course there will not be full compliance. But just because a minority is not following the recommendations, it doesn't validate a headline like "Many Japanese defy...". The correct headline would be more like "Most Japanese comply with stay at home appeal". But positive (and more accurate) news is less exciting to report.

There is no danger at all outside. You folk are completely dumb. If you want to stay home, stay home; let people who do not want to get depressed and immunodeficient let go outside, where there is no virus at all.

For the most part I agree with about everything you say except for the virus is not outside, that’s actually false, the virus is outside and on surfaces of plastic, metal, glass, it depends on how long it has been on those surfaces, but it’s present and if you’re not careful there is a chance of catching the virus. If you go out it should be always done in a very responsible manner. I go out, but I don’t go anywhere near people, Of course the fresh air is good for you and it does help a lot, but everyone of us still need to remain vigilant because the virus is still working and will continue to look until we actually find a cure for it.

“It's ridiculous," said an 80-year-old man drinking Wednesday at a downtown bar. “What am I supposed to do at home? I'd only be watching TV."

RIP old timer!

For a country so paranoid about passing on things like the cold and wearing masks it's strange that people are not following instructions to stay at home and keep safe.

I've been in lockdown since the middle of March (we were sent home and instructed to take our work laptops with us so we could work from home) and it's not a lot of fun. Working from home is tedious and frustrating, but as we're always being told: it saves lives and helps the NHS.

Come on Japan... you know the right thing to do.

Stay in for 3 weeks....then go out and infections jump up, then what? Go back in again? Ridiculous

There is a huge difference between a law and a request. Under normal circumstances the Japanese constitution does not allow the government to fine people for disobeying a suggestion. However, under a state of emergency the prefectural governments can introduce fines for people who disregard directives. Japan will never get on top of this virus until they get tough on these foolish people. Australia started with a suggestion, which lasted a week and people ignored it. They then introduced $1,000 fines for individuals and $5,000 for companies and people took notice and stayed home. However, there were still those who ignored it and were fined without remorse. Japan really has to get its act together and stop the spread of this virus. .

The largest chunk of responsibility and blame lies with the businesses in Japan that continue to compel their employees to come to the office to work, failing which, they will either lose their pay or their jobs. A business culture steeped in archaic practices and tunnel-visioned bosses will always opt for the easiest and most risk-free option. Why invest in the health and well-being of employees all of a sudden when these borderline brutal work practices have delivered wealth and success for decades? Don't blame the workers who are forced to ignore the "stay at home" calls - they have their own battles to fight and stomachs to feed. Blame the corrupt and disconnected bosses who refuse to change their ways for the greater good. And unless that changes, innocent people will pay the price, at times, even with their very lives...

I usually cycle along the Edogawa River during Golden Week.The solitude is awesome due to everyone returning to their hometowns.However,so far it is mind-blowing.......it is full of people who I imagine normally go to shopping malls in their free time.You have kids wandering all over the cycle paths while their parents are deeply engrossed on what their phones are trending.Many overweight people walking and working out for the first time in a a really long time who just wander wherever they want.....It is dangerous not just because of the virus but because of the sheer number of people who have suddenly deemed going to the riverside must be safe even though they have no idea of etiquette.

Say, 70% of people stay home, but after days and days of seeing the 30% enjoying life as before, the 70% would little-by-little just flip the table and go out. The age-old dilemma of "why should I sacrifice when the others won't ?".

It seems like the vast majority of people are social distancing. Unfortunately, photos like these send a message that it's OK to go out.

YubaruToday  04:14 pm JST

Yup, could have told you! Once again, bad stuff only happens to other people! It's NEVER their fault!

Japan is truly showing it's true colors to the world during this pandemic!

No, "Japan" is not. Just those people who are either too selfish and/or stupid to abide by 自粛 request. And there are such people in every country. It's not like there are demonstrations demanding freedom from lockdown like in the U.S. The vast majority are abiding by the "self lock down" request, the bullet trains are 90% empty, domestic flights vacant, tourist spots empty...all during Golden Week. So please, get a grip on yourself with your exclamation marks.

My flat overlooks a local park. It was busy with gangs of kids, joggers and the occasional tent. Below my room, a group of old women were standing together, chatting while their dogs yapped.

No, social distancing is NOT being followed, at least in my neighborhood, by a very ignorant and selfish minority.

It seems like the vast majority of people are social distancing. Unfortunately, photos like these send a message that it's OK to go out.

How easy to make such a comment "vast majority" ........

I actually expected many people would come out.

If every day for many months now you read and hear the hysterics shout there will be a catastrophe next week and it didn't come, It's easy to become complacent.

What we need to do is try to explain the situation objectively and convince people that even if the situation doesn't seem that bad it could make a turn for the worse very quickly.

Fear mongering will get them desensitized. Having a sober grasp of the situation can make them more cooperative.

70% of companies in Japan are open for business. So, I'm not sure why we are blaming individuals. Why are 70% of companies still open during the Japanese style Lock-ish Down, Kind of ishly?

63 days. I've been sequestered at home for 63 bloody days while this selfish old man drinks freely and bemoans having to spend any time at all at home for the safety of others.

I've long lost my patience with these people. Unfortunately I will be coming out of this pandemic a much less kind and forgiving person.

Whatever happens to him because of his egocentric actions is well deserved.

i totally agree! But I believe that a lot of these elderly people are on a cognitive decline and have issues understanding the seriousness of this virus and how it can affect them especially. They are like children. If you tell them not to do something, they get defiant and do it anyway.

I am also getting increasingly frustrated with the people who don't cooperate. They'll stand close to you, or rub right up against you. I've had an old guy sit right next me on the train when it was practically empty. They don't get it. Their brains can't absorb the seriousness of the situation around them.

Stupid signs... held by stupid people - they're not practising what they're preaching!

How do you teach people it is dangerous to go out at the weekend or during holidays when they are being told to get on crowded trains to go to work on working days?

Many good comments here. I also think tight indoor locations should close, pachinko, small bars, etc. Also supermarkets could easily enforce the number of customers inside to block the crowding seen everywhere.

But if there is a park/beach/rec area outside where you can walk or drive to in your own car, taking your family there poses zero risk. Just keep your distance to the other families. UV is said to be effective in killing the virus, so isn’t it good to go out on a sunny day?

So this bashing of people who go out is crazy, bash the companies who still insist 9am sitting on your desk. Shame them on public TV

Yubaru

How easy to make such a comment "vast majority" ........

The opposite is true, as well. We all only have anecdotal evidence.

My experience is in support of the "vast majority". Unfortunately, even if that's true (and I really have no idea as far as the general populace), it's only going to take a sizable minority to screw this up entirely.

the crude mortality ratio (the number of reported deaths divided by the reported cases) is between 3-4%,

That number is no longer valid. I suspect it's around 0.1%...

The number of reported deaths is too high, it represents the number of people who died with Covid-19, which is much higher than the number of people who died from Covid-19.

The number of reported cases is too low. Several studies (antibody studies) in US and Europe have shown that real number of infections is much higher (up to 100x ?) than what is reported as the vast majority show only minor or no symptoms.

Good points @Speed

Large open spaces blocked off = checked

People are herding in clusters = checked

Pachinko parlors open = checked

= lack of common sense by the government.

"In this country driven by conformity and consensus.."

Not in Osaka. The governor has had to stuff around trying to get pachinko halls to close for the past week.

It's ridiculous," said an 80-year-old man drinking Wednesday at a downtown bar. “What am I supposed to do at home? I'd only be watching TV.

63 days. I've been sequestered at home for 63 bloody days while this selfish old man drinks freely and bemoans having to spend any time at all at home for the safety of others.

I've long lost my patience with these people. Unfortunately I will be coming out of this pandemic a much less kind and forgiving person.

Whatever happens to him because of his egocentric actions is well deserved.

"Stay home" is bad advice. People should be in the sun, to boost their vitamin D, which is essential for strong immunity.

Go outside and enjoy the sun, while taking all necessary precautions...

Stefan, if you live in the city center, sure. If you just go a little out of Tokyo city center (outside the Yamanote line), the parks etc. were packed last weekend.

I understand that the state emergency was made like a contract between people and the state. Abe said it would end on May 6. Unless there are valid, evidence-based reasons or unexpected (bad) developments during the period, the Japanese government shouldn't breach the original contract. I demand the government be more accountable for decision making process.

@ savethegaijinApr. 30 04:26 pm JST

63 days. I've been sequestered at home for 63 bloody days while this selfish old man drinks freely and bemoans having to spend any time at all at home for the safety of others

Do you have any particular reasons or health issues to recluse yourself ?

I live in Chiba, 80km from Tokyo.

I do not stay home, just do my life I usual, keeping cycling and doing long rides. Numbers are have been too low for a population of 130 miilion to really worry. Just taking the usual precautions, especially washing hands. The situation is not catastrophic as some JT readers do suggest. This emergency status do aim at protecting the hospitals first, and the whole medical system.

I do not go anyway to crowded places, so nothing has changed much for me, except I will not move during this Golden Week.

The advantage of this period is that I can do some telework, gaining 4 hours a day on commuting, but still having to go to Tokyo for work 1-2 days per week.

"Stay home" is bad advice. People should be in the sun, to boost their vitamin D, which is essential for strong immunity.

Go outside and enjoy the sun, while taking all necessary precautions...

So true!

In this April 24 photo, staff of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government urge people to go home from the Kabukicho entertainment district in Shinjuku.  

Guess these folks dont take their own advice either! Not to mention it's already a week old picture!

Clearly there has been a massive reduction in outings, and JT is being quite selective in the locations they are taking as representative of Japanese behaviour. However, it is likely people are not yet convinced that a lockdown will do anything. Having seen the peak of reported infections only four days (April 11) after the state of emergency was called and a decline ever since, there is little evidence that social distancing has had any effect, and that the peak number of actual infections and thus the beginning of herd immunity was reached about 10 days prior, i.e. around April 1st. When we have seen this year's influenza A season far outpeak the SARS-CoV-2 peaks in terms of hospitalisation, the so called expert and governmental advice on this matter is day by day appearing to lack credibility. Many people won't be convinced (and will resist with some vehemence alternative opinions as if they were mad) until the end of the summer or this year, when we can step back and see all the data in perspective, and at that time we are going to have a very serious blow dealt to the public trust in health and governmental officials, except for those who looked at things realistically.

Not a single pachinko parlor in my prefecture has shut down. 

And which prefecture are you talking about? According to NATIONAL news pachinko parlors in all 47 prefectures have had closures.

So...

Selfish old fool !

Shut down planes, shinkansens and entertainment/tourist spots and people may stay away.

Sad to say but wait till the next wave starts next autumn/winter. Attitudes will change. Does studying the Spanish flu one hundred years ago help sober people up?

The largest chunk of responsibility and blame lies with the businesses in Japan that continue to compel their employees to come to the office to work, failing which, they will either lose their pay or their jobs. A business culture steeped in archaic practices and tunnel-visioned bosses will always opt for the easiest and most risk-free option. Why invest in the health and well-being of employees all of a sudden when these borderline brutal work practices have delivered wealth and success for decades?

Yup, absolute madness. If your job function can be done remote, it should be. Thankfully I work for an American company that was on board with remote work long before covid-19.

easy to say :  poker-faced people must have house,

Ironic, many people do not have home! their rooms are depressing :,

no internet cafe to sleep in ,the government helps other people by giving them housing & work,

but ignore their own :( !

Do you have any particular reasons or health issues to recluse yourself ?

I live in Chiba, 80km from Tokyo.

I do not stay home, just do my life I usual, keeping cycling and doing long rides. Numbers are have been too low for a population of 130 miilion to really worry. Just taking the usual precautions, especially washing hands. The situation is not catastrophic as some JT readers do suggest. This emergency status do aim at protecting the hospitals first, and the whole medical system.

I do not go anyway to crowded places, so nothing has changed much for me, except I will not move during this Golden Week.

The advantage of this period is that I can do some telework, gaining 4 hours a day on commuting, but still having to go to Tokyo for work 1-2 days per week.

Yes! A sensible reply!

The fear-mongering is ludicrous. Go about living your life. This is a hyped up pseudo-emergency.

At 80, he won’t be around much longer.

Coincidentally, the average lifespan for Japanese males is 81. At least he has the sense (courage?) to enjoy as many of his last days in the sun and fresh air as possible.

Ad I commend him for wanting to get away from the TV. I suggest that a lot more people in these forums should do the same...

""In this country driven by conformity and consensus, the pandemic is pitting those willing to follow the rules against a sizable minority who are resisting the calls to stay home"".

It happened in Italy, France, Spain, England, and the United States, and the price was and still being paid painfully.

Japan should NOT allow the Minority to rule. The safety of the Majority is at risk, and stricter rules must be applied before this nation becomes another statistic.

AgentXToday 04:30 pm JST

death toll soaring

OK.. where is this massive spike in deaths in Japan?

If the populace in Japan hasn't been observing the lockdown, as everyone continually points out on this forum, why haven't we reached the massive spike in deaths that was forecasted a few months ago? How many were they talking again?

Actually it is working most places, Of the 167 reported new cases, 112 were in Tokyo Prefecture. Tokyo has over two and half times as many reported infections as Osaka. In other prefectures, the numbers have been 3 to 5 infections over a period of several weeks with no changes. However, more testing is needed so Japan can know where the problems are and people can get back to work.

I think the mask has been one of the mitigating factors in the slower rise of the virus in Japan, especially when it is transmitted in aerosol form. Most people in our area in the U.S. in our area are wearing mask and we are observing stay at home orders. In some places, wearing mask will become mandatory if you are in a situation where you cannot observe social distancing.

Typical Japan. Three people walking close together holding small signs when one person with the megaphone would adequately do the job. Social distancing will never be understood here.

Stupid and selfish Yong peoples. They think, they are immune from the Covid-19. They should know there are many young and healthy people die too because of this deadly disease.

I'm looking at that picture and in disbelief.

Section Chief: "Lets go out in force! With signs telling people not to go out in force!"

That photo shows 6 people that didn't need to be on the street.

Lack of legislation and worse still lack of willingness by the government to create new stricter laws that the police can legally enforce. Show me “sand the floor!” or Japan is getting into the top 10 ranking of the table that no-one wants to win.

And we realise that the idea that Japanese people are community minded and society focused is just a myth.

@carpslidy

And what if he passes it to someone you love? Or his grandchildren? Or his immunocompromised neighbor? The bartender just trying to make ends meet?

It's all well and good not to care about your own well being, but he is actively putting others at risk and so he is a selfish old git at best.

kyushubil:

Ditto. Japan deserves credit for not going overboard with authoritarian measures.

And what is this stupid "stay at home" slogan about? I understand the concept of social distancing. Yes, pachinko parlours and karaoke bars should be avoided. But the heck is wrong with being in the open in the sunshine in a park, getting some fresh air and not being too close to others? Do people really suggest that being locked inside in a stuffy room is better?

What is it with these media reports? The vast majority of people are following the social distancing recommendations. Of course there will not be full compliance. But just because a minority is not following the recommendations, it doesn't validate a headline like "Many Japanese defy...". The correct headline would be more like "Most Japanese comply with stay at home appeal". But positive (and more accurate) news is less exciting to report.

Absolutely, and looking at the photos you can tell they cherry picked a few photos and for most of them it actually seems to reinforce that plenty of Japanese in fact ARE abiding by the orders. The author of this article shows this bias by inferring in the second sentence that "many" (Japanese) are not. How is this even quantified?

Japan is not China. As long as they are staying 6 ft apart and wearing masks/gloves i dont see a problem. they have rights.

Perhaps the elderly and sick should be protected very well, and others go back to regular life.

Great idea. This is what has been done with low-threat pandemics since the dawn of time. 99%, people... NINETY NINE PERCENT!

First time in the history of history the healthy are being forced to quarantine.

Japan is doing a great job. Civil rights and liberties first. The elderly, those woth auto-immune illnesses, and those who choose to can quarantine til kingdom come. Others should go about their lives.

"Stay home"

When this is over can you find me a job that pays the same as the one I'm going to lose if I stay home?

There are 10,000,000 people over the age of 80 in Japan.

Even if the 400,000 deaths forcast was true and only people over 80 died.

That man still has a 96% chance of not dying.

He's not doubt experienced far worse times so

Let the man enjoy his beer.

Japan will never get on top of this virus until they get tough on these foolish people.

I'm much prefer for Japan to stay away from such totalitarian strategies. It just makes a bad situation worse.

@mark

I hope you can see the irony of u are calling for communism

Japan should NOT allow the Minority to rule. The safety of the Majority is at risk, and stricter rules must be applied

"On Wednesday, the first day of the Golden Week holidays that run through May 5, Tokyo's leafy Shiba Park was packed with families with small children, day camping in tents."

And yet, many people I speak to say Japan does not need strict laws because everyone is law abiding and has stayed home of their own volitions during this whole thing and being gall stoic... well, except pachinko parlors, ummm... banks, drug stores, supermarkets, convenience stores, parks, hanami events, juku schools, and everything else.

oldman_13: "Absolutely, and looking at the photos you can tell they cherry picked a few photos and for most of them it actually seems to reinforce that plenty of Japanese in fact ARE abiding by the orders."

And plenty aren't, and that's all it takes. One person can spread it to exponentially larger numbers, so even those staying at home can be infected by them. You cannot say people here abide by the laws when, first of all they are NOT law, many do not, and in fact, pretty much all do not in some cases (like commuting on a rush hour train to work). And so long as that is the case, Japan will not get through this, and we'll be hearing "Japan to extend state of emergency for about a month" again, and again, and again. These selfish fools who go and basically camp at the park are no different from the youths in Florida saying "Corona can't take away our spring break!" In fact, they are quite a bit worse, because they drag their entire families with them to be infected. Shame on them.

when people see , actually see or on TV, bodies after bodies in a meat carrying trucks in their own country including Japan, they will understand .

before that you will have people like here in the comment section talking all , writing a book, reason after reason, your words don't mean sh.t,

death toll soaring

OK.. where is this massive spike in deaths in Japan?

If the populace in Japan hasn't been observing the lockdown, as everyone continually points out on this forum, why haven't we reached the massive spike in deaths that was forecasted a few months ago? How many were they talking again?

I wonder if those same people are truly considering the massive economic damage this is causing, or just looking to confirm their own bias...

Time to change your tune, people.

Until the government takes the appropriate action, Covid-19 will continue to spread.

COVID19 will inevitably spread no matter how strict the lockdowns are. People are going to have to grow a pair and accept the world we live in.

Go live your life.

Stay Home - なにそれ、英語読めない

ステイホーム - ウ~ンだけどちょっと家にいても退屈だ

Remember the researcher at Hokkaido University said there would be 400,000 deaths in Japan. So obviously the 2nd wave is coming soon!!!

@savethegaijin

Day centres are open so he probably has as much chance catching it there.

If he stays home along he may have a heart attack with no to help him.

True, if (and thats a big if)he has it he may pass it

But, according to government guidelines close contact is being within one meter without masks for more than 15 minutes.

So if his neighbor doesn't stop to talk they are fine.

And if his grandkids are worried they can skype.

At 80, If he is still driving I would be far more worried.

RickyC: "I'm personally confused, we had the same daily numbers at the beginning of march, and everything was normal for the government, we were having fun at the bars."

And how were the numbers two weeks after that? Not rocket science, Ricky. A child could figure it out, and as such, why they don't want the numbers to go up again mid-May because they decided to lift the SOE for Golden Week revelry, like these selfish louts in the parks are doing.

savethegaijin

Bad luck you had to stay at home for 63 bloody days.

At 80, he won’t be around much longer. Studies show that senior citizens are far more likely to contract the virus than younger people. Life is short, you know. Let him enjoy it while he can.