Unless you’ve been under a rock or blissfully enjoying a Luddite world, in which case you wouldn’t be reading this, you will be aware of the global crisis known as COVID-19 or the Coronavirus.
Now, I’m not a prepper, panicker, conformist, or doomsday believer. In fact, in a state of emergency I have always said that I will be found as far away from the masses as possible because it’s people we have to worry about.
This is no different and, in fact, requires isolation and distance from others.
In many ways, this pandemic has numerous positives.
First, an introverts dream is to be considered ‘normal’ for hiding away from others. For most of the world, this is being required! I mean, “OH, I can’t go out and I can’t attend any social functions? Gee, that’s a real shame!” NOT! 
- more like HAPPY DANCE! 
Second, if we have a massive population decrease, the Earth will surely be able to deeply sigh in relief from the burden of overpopulation. Sure, the loss of loved ones old, young, ill, healthy, etc. is sad and all that, but c’mon, can we really begrudge nature’s attempt to balance out the scales? I surely do not. 
Also, for the first time in ages, people are actually spending time with their children away from the TV and devices. More parents are talking about playing with their kids and families seem to be interacting with each other. OMG, what is that?! 
It’s also a great time to start any online businesses or promote technology in a positive way – i.e. online learning, remote working, etc. Stay tuned for my own activity in this area. 
There are obviously a number of downsides for those who are in serious ‘lockdown’. Being confined and forced to limit any usual activity is no picnic. Imprisonment is used as a form of punishment for a reason, after all.
Without focusing on the negatives too much or celebrating the joys of self-isolation and social distancing, I am interested in the panic mechanism.
Now, I get ALL of my news from limited sources: in person from people around me, Facebook, The Daily podcast (NY Times), and once in the morning from Google’s morning information as I get ready. On rare occasions, I might open a news app or watch the news. Usually, this happens passively – I see it on someone else’s device, on the train, etc. Therefore, if I actually self-isolated, I would be forced to get my news from mass media.
It’s no wonder then that people panic. In Japan, almost everyone has Japanese TV on when at home. People read newspapers and stay well connected to mass media via Line (like WhatsApp) or to some extent Facebook. Therefore, if there are reports that toilet paper 
supply might run out, everyone (and I mean EVERYONE) sprints out to grab as much toilet paper as they can. The “Great TP Scare of 2020” will go down in history and Japanese people will have the cleanest bums for years to come!
However, looking at images from around the world, we see that this panic has spread – irrationally! It’s not just that countries are unprepared to cope with a health crisis, it’s also that people are unprepared to cope with any crisis.
My father is a prepper and always has been. I never thought it odd to have a freezer full of meat until people began to tease me about it. I never thought it odd to make enough food in a meal for days of leftovers until I met others who somehow just made enough food for one meal. How is that a thing?! So, my cupboards are always full. Even if I have limited space, I will make room for cans of beans or rice or whatever can be used over a long period of time. It never occurred to me that it was a prepping behavior. 
As things seem to worsen around the world, the opposite seems to be happening in Japan. It never really shutdown when things got ‘serious’ in February. Schools were let out early as it was the end of the academic year anyway, and there was an increase in encouraging remote work for many companies. However, overall, it’s a little as if we are in a bubble of either denial or amazing immunity.
In any case, my theory is that there is no need to panic. I am not sure if Japan has it right or not, but staying away from Western news helps. My question for those who are panicking is: Do you actually know anyone who has the virus? If so, how ill are they and have they died? If not… chill the F*&k out, then!!!
Anyway, stay healthy out there and if you don’t like people anyway – like me – then enjoy this crazy time to the fullest!!! 
~T 
Overall, I really liked it, but I didn’t love it. One thing that struck me, and I should probably do some research about it, was the fact that much of the architecture seemed very modern. I appreciated the fact that old churches had been renovated to apartments or pubs, but the buildings were mostly contemporary in lot of spaces. This made the place/country feel a little bit sterile or lacking in culture, which is definitely not the case. However, aside from a lot of art museums – which in another phase of my life would have been a massive draw – there wasn’t a lot to show for a country that expanded around the globe, but now only remains on a small land mass. 
! 
