Coronavirus State of Emergency in Japan

Japan entered a second state of emergency due to the coronavirus in January with the Tokyo region declaring a state of emergency to curb a surge in coronaviruses cases. Ten other prefectures soon followed suit with the current state of emergency set to end on February 7^th.

The eleven prefectures are Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba, Saitama, Tochigi, Aichi, Gifu, Osaka, Kyoto, Hyogo, and Fukuoka.

The restrictions include asking restaurants and bars to close by 8 p.m., requesting that businesses ask their employees to work remotely where possible, and urging people to refrain from nonessential outings at all times, but especially after 8 p.m.

The spread of infections in Japan rapidly increased just after the oshogatsu New Year period. A holiday period where people traditionally return to their hometowns to spend time with their family.

The Japanese government is currently discussing the state of emergency and may extend it for up to another month in Tokyo and other areas that continue to see a high number of infections. The areas which look like extending the state of emergency are Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba, Saitama, Osaka, Kyoto, Hyogo and Fukuoka.  

Okinawa Prefecture may also be added to the list. The remote islands of Okinawa have seen a spread of the virus in recent times.

Daily infections have begun to fall across Japan, but the medical system remains under intense strain.

The Japanese government plans to make a decision about whether to lift the state of emergency next week.

Inbound travel to Japan remains off limits for now. The Japanese government is putting a road plan in place for the return of international tourism to Japan. This could possibly happen in April 2021, with limited small group tours allowed into the country.

The Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games are still planned to go ahead, but could be held without spectators. It is difficult to see regular tourism returning to Japan before autumn 2021 at the earliest. 

Image: NHK World

 

MUJI Hotel to Open in Ginza in 2019

MUJI one of Japan’s most popular brands will open its first hotel in Tokyo’s posh Ginza district in spring 2019 ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

MUJI is a Japanese retail company which sells a wide variety of household and consumer goods. Its natural and simple design has made its products popular with not only the Japanese but with people from all over the world. MUJI designs are distinguished by their minimalism with emphasis placed on recycling and the avoidance of waste in production and packaging. It maintains this minimalist approach with a no-logo, or no-brand policy.

The new hotel will be located in a beautiful tree-lined street just a short two-minute walk from the Tokyo Metro Ginza Station. The 10-story building will be home to MUJI’s new global flagship store with the store to occupy one basement floor up to part of the sixth floor. The rest of the building space will be dedicated to a hotel overseen by the company.

Source: The Yomiuri Shimbun

The tentatively named Muji Hotel will be the first of its kind in Japan and will be decked out with all that MUJI furniture and amenities we just love. There are also plans to open two hotels in China in the near future.

The building will be constructed by publisher The Yomiuri Shimbun and real estate developer Mitsui Fudosan Co., MUJI hopes the hotel will become “a place where customers can thoroughly experience MUJI product lineups.”

Official Website 

 

Tokyo 2020 Olympics Emblem Revealed

The new Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games emblems were revealed on Friday, July 24th, exactly five years to the day before the opening ceremony of the games.

The new emblems were unveiled in front of officials and athletes at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in Shinjuku on Friday night.

The emblem was designed by Japanese artist Kenjiro Sano. The design is very modern looking and based on the letter “T” which stands for Tokyo, Tomorrow, and Team. Tokyo is of course the first letter of the host city, Tomorrow stands for “a better world and a brighter future”, and Team “Japan will unite as one team when the world comes together for Tokyo 2020”.

Kenjiro Sano, a graphics designer was chosen from an open call for submissions in which a total of 104 designers submitted proposals.

It is an interesting design and very modern looking compared to the original logo used during the bidding process. I like the colours of the emblem. The black of the central column represents diversity, the circle represents an inclusive world where everyone accepts each other. The red of the circle represents the power of every beating heart.

The IOC Vice President, John Coates said, “The emblem reflects the vibrant nature of Tokyo and the welcoming spirit of its citizens.”

What do you think of the new Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games emblems?