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Well, April is not quite over yet, but let’s just call the top ten box office right here. #1 zippo, #2 nada, #3 zilch, #4-#10 are likewise. Greetings from around the world, BOP readers. I may have stepped back from writing up monthly box office recaps, partially because of moving to the land of the rising sun for a few years, but perhaps I can recap how things are faring outside of the United States, in some small way.

Konnichiwa! You may think this Covid-19 virus has been around for a lifetime, but we actually first started hearing about it in earnest in January. Japan is where the Diamond Princess cruise ship was docked February 4th, which quickly became the largest outbreak outside of China. But for Japan as a whole, life has been surprisingly normal, at least up until recently. A few cases developed besides the ones on the cruise ship, no doubt due to our close proximity to China, but various factors have kept the virus at bay while it spread across the entire planet. First of all, the Japanese wear face covers as a general rule when they are sick, as do most people in Asian countries. Therefore they were popping those suckers on their face way back in January and have had them on ever since. Second, the Japanese tend to be less touchy-feely when they interact in their daily lives. Bowing instead of shaking hands, forming nice queue lines instead of packed crowds, placing cash in a dish rather than handing it directly to a clerk. Little things that somehow may have worked in tandem with some limited testing and preventive measures to keep Japan mostly virus free up until recently.

Schools did close, and the northern prefecture of Hokkaido had a minor breakout due to their annual Snow Festival (quick fact: Japan had their warmest and least snowy winter on record, adding to their tourism woes this year), but life was mostly normal up until about April 1. Then cases began creeping up again, and a gradual shutdown has taken place ever since. What took a weekend in the United States (or at least that’s what it felt like reading the news online and talking to family) is taking a month in Japan. Gradually more and more stores and shops are closing, or limiting customers, and fewer people are going out. Japan does have a bit of a liability, in that many workplaces are not set up for teleworking, so when cases do accelerate upwards it may be harder for the economy to shut down. Although many westerners view Japan as a very modern country, and in some ways it is, there is a deep connection to the past here, as if the 1980s never left. Cash is still king (some places do not even accept credit), fax machines and laserdisc are still in use, and a physical stamp is required to approve many business transactions.

My family lives on a U.S. Air Force base, where restrictions have generally been following what Japan is doing. The only exception is travel, whether for military purpose or leisure, which has essentially been halted completely. But we can still travel around our prefecture, get some take-out, go to the beach, go on a hike, anything that does not entail crowds or large gatherings. The bowling alley and dining facilities are still open on base, and there is plenty to do. The schools are closed, again echoing Japanese measures, so kids are running around playing all day. Just recently face masks first became recommended, then expected and now mandatory in many places. Slowly but surely, our preventive measures are ramping up as Covid-19 begins spreading through Japan.

What about movies? Those are also pretty much a no-go in Japan as well, but everyone here has streaming services and faster than you can say Tiger King, most people on base have watched the latest craze. I have been catching up on some of last year’s Oscar fare, while also introducing our 18-month daughter to everything Disney+ and Ghibli related. My wife and I have also become hooked on Stardew Valley, so even if we were quarantined in our house at some point we should do just fine. Now that The Lighthouse has popped up on Amazon Prime, you can be sure I will watch that right away. Can I plug any more streaming services here?

Cherry blossom season has just arrived here, and the weather is warming up. It is a strange world right now, and because the situation is gradual and continuous here, things change every day. We still do not know how bad it will get in Japan, or how many waves there might be. Many are hoping it will be over soon, although some have doubts that anything can really go back to normal before a vaccine is widely available. Luckily for us, life has not been altered too drastically yet, and we know from looking back at the United States that we should enjoy it while we can. Stay safe, eat some yummy food and get comfortable. This may last a bit.

Easy Japanese!

O-hai-yo go-za-ee-mas: good morning
ko-nee-chee-wa: good afternoon
kon-bahn-wa: good evening
soo-me-mah-sen: excuse me
ee-chi, nee, san: one, two, three
rah-men: most delicious food ever
mee-zoo: water
mee-so: common Japanese soup
ha-jee-meh mah-shee-ta: nice to meet you