We are halfway through 2020, but the COVID-19 global pandemic is still ongoing. Medics and other professionals play a vital role in the handling of infected patients. So do researchers of a cure, and those putting efforts into the prevention of the spread of the virus. Every individual plays a role in the struggle against the pandemic. We would like to thank all the people who work to keep factories going to ensure product supply as well as the ones who keep on distributing and selling those materials that are necessary for our daily life. We send my heartfelt appreciation to everyone, in any place, who is putting every strength together to prevent the contagious disease from spreading. A lot of people are doing so by withholding from numerous daily activities, including commuting to school and the workplace.

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed people’s way of life in every corner of the world. Gargling, handwashing, having to wear a mask and social distancing… Rules and situations differ from country to country, from region to region and ultimately from culture to culture, but everyone had come to grips with manners and practices that they were not accustomed to. Some people might keep up with this new lifestyle that has formed, but a lot are growing weary of it, and they would prefer it to be for a limited amount of time only. You would not want to be wearing your mask the whole year round, would you?

Due to the coronavirus global pandemic, anxiety and a discouraging atmosphere have also become prevalent. In this emergency, a lot of people have been jumping at shadows for each other’s actions and even become aggressive at times. Sadly, a number of manifestations of turmoil and violence have come to the surface during the pandemic. For once, this has also provided the opportunity to think more about each other and to stand up together. Once the COVID-19 pandemic is over, we will hopefully get back to our normal daily life. However, to be able to do that, we now need to come to terms with the temporary lifestyle which is required, and we need to join strengths to overcome this period.

In the specific case of Japan and in particular in the winter, with the cold weather and flu season, handwashing and gargling have long been indicated as suggested preventive measures. Wearing a mask is also a good habit to prevent hay fever in the same season. Due to such pre-existing practices, it was not that troublesome in Japan for many people to adjust to new lifestyle in the wake of the pandemic, especially during the winter (we had not as much experience of wearing masks in the summer…). Nonetheless, it proved to be quite tricky to respect social distancing rules. As we touched upon in other sections, in Japanese culture, non-contact greetings such as “bowing” are the norm, whereas there is no such culture of hugging people and handshake is also not common. That made it possible for the most commonly widespread type of greeting (bowing) to be also continued during the pandemic. The real problem is different: in particular in urban areas, that host a vast population, it is exceptionally challenging to practise social distancing, above all on public transportation. However, the word “social distancing” quickly spread, and people started grasping its significance and importance. Now, in several areas of the city, marks to designate the position that people should occupy when lining up have been drawn. Also thanks to the fact that non-essential movement is still controlled and people who do not need to go out are urged to stay and work from home, the measures of social distancing put in place have been most respected. Still, it will be interesting to see what will happen shortly…

On the next occasion, we would like to tell more of how the situation develops and what we experience. In any case, measures to cope with the situation are constantly being found, in every part of the world. We genuinely hope that life will turn back to normal soon.