Patricia Yarrow comments

Dismantled Tsukiji Wholesale market, tearing into two that wonderful wholesale/retail area, and supports killing all the venerable 100-year old ginko trees in a sorely needed park in central Tokyo. All for more of the same old, same old condos, shopping malls. Cannot buy, rebuild, or replant what she has agreed to destroy. No fan of Koike.

bear...it is.

One can only dream....

Would have appreciated an address, nearest train stations. Hope there are also the needed trash bins throughout the complex.

Why "apparently"?

What is it going to take to reverse the absence of trash cans. They even recently removed the much needed bins at my own JR Ryogoku station. I wrote a polite letter of protest to the station. Kind of depressing.

Abolishing mandatory retirement age rules would help. Keep people who want to continue to work and pay taxes. Changes need to be made, but is the current government even capable of them? So far, it looks like sheer chaos in going to rule.

I've enjoyed quite a range of ryokans and hotels in Japan. Only real annoyance is finding ones that do not permit people to blow cancer clouds in all directions. I think the Hotel Otani's complete renovation was partly driven by decades of smoker's stench embedded in all the walls. Yikes. Anyway, some good comments above.

When staff stop wearing paper face covers, thus signalling true acceptance by upper management that normal life has returned, then bonnenkai and such would be encouraged to return. Rest of the world gets this.

"TwitterX" is the best name I have run across. Thank you Alex Christoforou,

*Sanjin...That is what I am saying. Down voters are just virtue signalling..

Take off the masks. Show your faces to the people.

Well written and researched article. However, the photo captains are impossible to read because they are the lightest grey. JT editors, please fix this ongoing problem. Darker font, please.

Please define "full face masks". Paper? Medical grade? Cute patterns and material? Worn below the nose, as usual, because they are uncomfortable?

What time JST is the game?

The parks have no trash cans, so trash everywhere. Come ON, Japan, spend that money on bins. It is the civic responsibility of cities around the world, and somehow Japan cannot return to civility with them? More benches would be very nice, too.

I will agree that the plethora of masks looks pretty pathetic. Has zero to do with radioactivity.

BRING BACK THE TRASH BINS THAT HAVE DISAPPEARED. That will help with the trash problem-and for locals and tourists alike. Sheesh!!!!

At first glance, I thought this was a flying sanma (saury fish) in the sky, not swimming in the ocean. Awesome disguise.

Mr Kipling can send his matcha treats my way. Matcha is my number one preference.

In all my time here in Tokyo, I have never seen anyone push someone aside to walk up the escalator. Seems like a bogus "claim".

Excellent photo!

This is a great article. I often go to Asakusa, and have seen a few women rickshaw pullers, to my complete surprise and respect. Appreciate the details in this article. Had no idea a million yen a month was possible. Go you gals! This is what happens when true equality takes place. It is inspirational!

Oh, great. So now masks (mostly worn below the nose) and plastic sheeting are the preventative against the flu, and whatever comes next. Ridiculous. BTW, long covid affects a small number, and it is not worth losing the faces of society in general to prevent that. Sure, fear struck oldsters and others with mitigating conditions (again, a relatively small percentage of the population), and anyone with a cold or sore throat, hide your face. Take down the plastic, asap, though, as it is a useless measure. Someone please wake up the oyaji managers to get this done. Anyway, that's it from me, I just had to push back a bit.

I really wish articles on Covid would mention that getting it is not life-threatening, as with Delta, long ago. It's more like catching the flu. A few uncomfortable days, and that is it. Masks and plastic drapery are useless. Please let staff be free of these no longer needed measures. Most customers are free-faced, so it is getting weird.

Of course he masked. Today I saw a "wanted poster" and the man was in full white mask. Useless. They will never find him.

DDT is the best. They do not take themselves too seriously, yet are heavy trainers in their profession. Well done!

Fully mature exotic dancers are still called "girls".

Leave the iPhone at home when I go to the gym.

Is everyone waiting for the coronavirus to reach zero? Not going to happen. Neither is influenza nor the common cold. Isn't it time to ditch the masks and magic plastic curtaining? I think so.