The Corona Virus in Japan

What do you get when you combine a fast-moving virus that pops up suddenly, hundreds of different news sources reporting on the issue from different points of view, and a general public that is quick to panic in an attempt to sustain themselves? You get the situation that the whole world is currently facing in the wake of the Coronavirus. It's not necessary to go over the virus' characteristics again; we all know them by now. I don't need to be another news source throwing information in people's faces without following up with hopeful news, but I do think that it's important to be informed about the Coronavirus issue and how it's affecting people and their ways of living.

The Covid19 virus hasn't affected my family and me too badly. We're under new restrictions imposed upon us by the state government, but none of us has actually caught the virus. We're staying safe while trying not to panic. While we are paying attention to the news in a effort to stay well-informed and while we are praying for those people who have caught Covid19, we are not overly concerned about this virus. It has had an influence over our lives and we will continue to pay attention to it until it dies down, but we are trusting that it is nothing the world can't handle.

My family has not been affected much, but many people around the world have been, including thousands of people in the country of Japan. With all the news flying over the airwaves from so many different news sources in hundreds of different countries, it can be hard to parse through it all to find news from one specific place. But there are a few news sources that have managed to report well on one or two regions.

So what is Japan doing to fight Covid19? What precautions have the Japanese people taken, and what does their foreseeable future look like?

Japan had more time to prepare for the Coronavirus than most of the world. Not only were the Japanese aware of it early-on because of their proximity to China, they were also responsible for the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship that was anchored in their waters for several weeks. The Japanese government kept a close eye on China and the cruise ship and began planning a "survival" strategy for the likely event that Covid19 made it to Japan.

Nevertheless, when the first cases of the virus did appear in the country, the government's strategy went largely unused for quite a while. Similar to the Untied States response, the first thing the Japanese did when Covid19 made it into the country was almost complete panic-buying. The people were more concerned about having basic necessities than catching the virus so thousands of them swarmed the supermarkets and grocery stores; they bought as much food, hand sanitizer, and toilet paper as they could get their hands on, leaving the stores sadly depleted.

Japan did calm down after a while. After people's material needs were met, most of the population showed little to no concern over the virus. They were aware that there were cases in the country, but everyday life continued as usual. Stores stayed open, large office buildings kept all their employees working, and crowded food courts and malls continued to serve the public. For a while, it looked like Japan would take Covid19 is stride without letting it negatively affect the country or healthy people's lives. Unlike China, Japan encouraged people to live life as if everything was normal.

Unfortunately, that didn't last. After a small minority of citizens complained that the government wasn't taking enough precautions, security in the country tightened up and all the business that had remained open were forced to close their doors. Like the United States, all work has been shut down or moved onto online platforms. This didn't sit well with many large corporations because they feared their employees wouldn't be as productive online has they could be in the office and that the economy would suffer. But these concerns were discounted almost immediately as the government scrambled to pacify the angry minority and fix its "mistake" of not acting fast enough.

As of right now, there is no set date when Japan will open up. Like the United States, Japan is predicting that it will begin to open up section by section once its infection rate begins to decrease, but prefectures like Tokyo and Osaka may not open for a very long time due to their dense population and high rate of infection. This would mean that businesses and schools would be closed indefinitely, which is not an appealing prospect for many Japanese citizens.

Current statistics for Covid19 in Japan can be found in the link below, but the rough numbers are better than anyone expected. As of May 5, just over 15,000 people had been infected, with a total of 566 deaths. But over 4,000 people have recovered and are starting to be discharged from the hospitals. Because Japan is already a very clean nation with health conscious citizens, the virus didn't spread as rapidly or as badly as it did in many other countries.

This is any interesting time for the entire world, including Japan. People are facing uncertainty and even fear; they are looking for something stable in an unstable world, and some are even turning to the gospel. Several small churches have recently reported increased attendance and people inquiring about ways to find peace amidst the Coronavirus pandemic. Pastors have been more than happy to offer seekers encouraging words and have high hopes that a revival will begin during and after Covid19. Prayer for these seekers and the pastors ministering to them is very important right now. Please take it upon yourself to pray for Japan in the next few weeks; by remembering the country in prayer, the Japanese people may be sustained during Covid19 and, perhaps, they could even come out stronger and more willing to hear the gospel afterwards.




Sources Cited:
Reina Scully on Covid 19, Video1, Video2
Inside the Corona Virus Outbreak in Japan
Kyodo News+ 
Statista
The Japan Times
Japan Covid Cases 

Photo Credit: Mainichi.jp

My Mission

So I've started a blog. A blog about Japan. Seems simple enough. You haven't been reading my work for that long, but if you read my welcome post, then you have a basic understanding of my passion for Japan. But I would like to be very open and honest with all of you and, therefore, I want to share with you the whole story, the full reason that I love Japan and want to go to it for missions work.

When I was younger - I don't remember my exact age, but maybe thirteen or fourteen - I wanted to watch a movie. At the time, I had no idea that one simple choice would change my life. Since I was young, I didn't think about being cautious when picking a movie to watch; if it looked interesting and was free, I figured I might as well watch it. It never entered my mind that I might regret picking something or find a movie that would change what I planned to do with my life.

I browsed around. I looked at many different things but none of them jumped out at me. Until that one. Sitting right in front of me was Spirited Away by Studio Ghibli, a Japanese company. I was young and it looked interesting so I plunged right in. The first time I watched it, I thought nothing of it. It was a fun movie that I hadn't seen before, I understood the story but didn't realize all the subtext it carried. I watched it, and then watched it again. I didn't see anything wrong with it.

For those of you who haven't seen Spirited Away or have never even heard of it, here is a short non-spoiler summary:

A young girl named Chihiro, while on a family outing, accidentally falls into the Japanese spirit world. At first, things seem tame and unthreatening. Chihiro makes a few friends and spends some time at a local bathhouse. But, as the day turns to night, the sinister underside of the world is revealed. Previously unseen, spirits and demons roam the streets, horrifying creatures emerge from the shadows, and - worst of all - Chihiro discovers that she can't get back to the world of the living. Without spoiling too much, over the coarse of the movie, Chihiro must learn to trust her friends, outsmart evil forces, and eventually make her way home. Like I said, I didn't think anything of it.

But then it hit me. Many weeks - maybe even a month later - I remembered Spirited Away. All the images, the storyline, and even the characters. After remembering it and thinking for a moment, I was terrified. The whole concept of the movie scared me and for a long time after that I couldn't think of the movie without shivering. I felt horrible that I had subjected myself to that; I even felt a little bit guilty.

But then, just as suddenly as I had begun to feel guilty, God turned on the light. Like a flash, it hit me. I suddenly remembered that God has a purpose for all things, he directs our paths, and he led me to watch Spirited Away. The moment I thought this, I felt better. But why had God led me to watch a movie that he knew would scare me?

Once again, it struck me. If I was that scared just watching a movie based on the beliefs of many, many Japanese people, how much more scared must they be? In the vast majority of Japanese minds, they live in a world filled to bursting with spirits, demons, and gods, all of which have no love for humanity and require constant placation. It struck me to my core. They live in a world of uncertainty and maybe even terror and no one has gone to help them.

Right then and there I knew what I had to do; I saw my mission laid out before me. Japan is an established country; it is the driving force in many industries, has some of the smartest citizens, and has been independent for many years. And, because of all this, the vast majority of missionaries forget that Japan is an unreached nation, spiritually.

I saw it before me; I heard it in my head. I knew that if no one else would go, I would. God knew this would be my mission and, therefore, he guided my actions to the thing that began my journey. I now have plans to go to Japan after I finish college. I would like nothing better than to see the masses of that country reached. If one childhood mistake could bring about the salvation of dozens, well then I think that God's kingdom would be well served.


Please join me in praying for the Japanese people. God can work miracles and he can send his workers, but a hundred voices lifting up the people in question makes it all the more powerful. Prayer is the vehicle that brings people to faith, and you have the power to use it.


Photo Credit: aminoapps.com

Welcome!

Welcome to To See Japan! Take a second to browse around and explore the site. Its purpose is to talk about Japan and the many interesting things in it. I have a passion for Japan and would like to see it myself some day. But until I do, I would like to share my passion with you and anyone else who reads my blog.

Japan is an exotic place full of temples, strange foods, and a people group that has been built on tradition and honor. I first became interested in Japan through anime. While I'm not an avid watcher, I love the art style and some of the stories have really moved me. But if I live to be 100, I will always remember the anime movie that first interested me in Japan. When I was younger, I watched the movie Spirited Away by Studio Ghibli. The movie terrified me, but also sparked a flame deep inside of me. I watched that movie and my heart broke for Japan. It is focused on Japan's spiritual beliefs and the spirit world that the Japanese people fear so much. I couldn't fathom the hopelessness that some Japanese people must live in. I saw what they believe in and knew I wanted to do something.

I am a Christian and, as such, I am called to reach the world with God's message of hope and the coming of his Son. I knew then and there, after watching Spirited Away, that I wanted the Japanese people to know this hope. I want to go to them some day if the Lord will lead me.

And so I've created this blog. Through it, I would like to spread the word of Japan's desperate need for missions, as well as simple facts about the culture. But we can also have some fun. As I mentioned, I think Japan is an amazing place with a culture all its own. I would like to share that culture with you.

With this blog, we will explore the Japanese culture,  the people's beliefs, everyday life, the food, and anything else I can come up with.

I hope you will all enjoy this blog and will share it with other people. Let's explore Japan together. Let's see Japan!


Photo Credit: Tech in Asia