Japan Again Extends State of Emergency to 4 New Prefectures, Expands COVID-19 Measures
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With infection rates skyrocketing, the government is again moving to expand the state of emergency.
With daily infection numbers hitting over 10,000 a day in Japan, hitting new records in areas like Tokyo, the Japanese government is again taking steps to expand the state of emergency and other anti-infection measures. Before the sudden explosion in COVID-19 cases at the end of July, the official state of emergency was limited to just two Japanese prefectures, Tokyo and Okinawa. With the new rise in infections, the government moved to expand the state of emergency on August 2nd, extending it to include Saitama, Chiba, and Kanagawa (the prefectures surrounding Tokyo), plus the western prefecture of Osaka. In addition, semi-emergency coronavirus measures will be enforced in five more prefectures: Hokkaido, Ishikawa, Kyoto, Hyogo, and Fukuoka.
Japan's state of emergency continues to affect mostly businesses, however, as the government refrains from imposing strict measures on the general public. Restaurants and bars will go on with restricted business hours and alcohol sales, and see fines of up to 300,000 yen for ignoring those measures. With no concrete restrictions set out for the general public, however, authorities have been concerned at the seeming lack of concern seen among Japan's residents. Even as infection rates rise, everyday life has seen little change for most in Japan.
With the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games still in full swing all over Tokyo and the metropolitan area, and pandemic fatigue becoming an obvious issue as the state of emergency drags on, there are undoubtedly a number of sources contributing to Japan's current "fourth wave." The new state of emergency, and semi-emergency measures, are set to continue until August 31st. We can only hope that the final days of summer will mellow the rise in infections enough to avoid any state of emergency extensions.
For more info and updates from Japan, check Japankuru for new articles, and don't forget to follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook!
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NAME:State of Emergency
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Hokkaido (北海道) is the northernmost of the four main islands that make up Japan. The area is famous for Sapporo Beer, plus brewing and distilling in general, along with fantastic snow festivals and breathtaking national parks. Foodies should look for Hokkaido's famous potatoes, cantaloupe, dairy products, soup curry, and miso ramen!
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Aichi Prefecture sits in the center of the Japanese islands, and its capital city, Nagoya, is a center of politics, commerce, and culture. While Aichi is home to major industry, and is even the birthplace of Toyota cars, it's proximity to the sea and the mountains means it's also a place with beautiful natural scenery, like Saku Island, Koijigahama Beach, Mt. Horaiji. Often used a stage for major battles in Japanese history, Sengoku era commanders like Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu left their own footprints on Aichi, and historic buildings like Nagoya Castle, Inuyama Castle, and those in Meiji Mura are still around to tell the tale.
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Kyoto flourished as the capital of Japan between the years 794 and 1100, becoming a center for poilitics and culture, and to this day it's a great place for close encounters with Japanese history. The cobbled streets of Gion, the atmospheric road to Kiyomizudera Temple, Kinkakuji's golden walls and countless historic attractions, even Arashiyama's Togetsukyo Bridge―Kyoto is a place of many attractions. With new charms to experience throughout the seasons, travelers can't stop themselves from returning again and again.
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Osaka is known for friendly (and funny) people, but its history is nothing to laugh at, playing a major part in Toyotomi Hideyoshi's 16th century unification of Japan. Thanks to long years of economic activity, it's one of Japan's biggest cities, and Osaka's popular food culture earned it the nickname "The Kitchen of the Nation." To this day Osaka is the model of western Japan, and alongside historic structures like Osaka Castle, it also has major shopping malls like Umeda's Grand Front Osaka and Tennoji's Abeno Harukas. Osaka is a place to eat, eat, eat, with local specialties like takoyaki, okonomiyaki, and kushi-katsu, and for extra fun, it's home to Universal Studios Japan.
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SHIKOKU
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On the other side of the Seto Inland Sea opposite Japan’s main island, Shikoku (四国) is a region made up of four prefectures: Ehime, Kagawa, Kochi, and Tokushima. The area is famous for its udon (in Kagawa), and the beautiful Dogo Onsen hot springs (in Ehime).
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KAGAWA
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Kagawa Prefecture is on the northern part of the island of Shikoku, facing Japan's main island and the Seto Inland Sea. It's known for being the smallest prefecture in Japan, by area, but at the same time Kagawa is called the "Udon Prefecture" thanks to its famous sanuki udon. Aside from Kotohiragu Shrine and Ritsurin Garden, the prefecture's small islands are popular, and Kagawa is full of unique destinations, like Angel Road. They say that if you lay eyes on Zenigata Sunae, a huge Kagawa sand painting, you'll never have money troubles ever again.
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KYUSHU
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OKINAWA
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The island chain of Okinawa (沖縄) makes up the southernmost tip of Japan, which is why it's also the most tropical area in the country. Thanks to a history of independence and totally distinct political and cultural events, Okinawa has a unique culture, and remnants of the Ryukyu Kingdom are still visible all over the islands. Food, language, traditional dress, it's all a little different! It's also said to be the birthplace of karate.
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