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August 24, 2020

Daily news stories from Mr. Kobchai

Hello, from hot and humid Tokyo!

Daily news stories may portray quite difficult situations in Tokyo under the epidemic siege. But here is a story from a person at the ground has been adjusting the daily life.

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In the beginning, I think people were quite scared about the c-19 virus. Around mid-February, when cases were announced, masks, toilet papers, alcohol sanitizers, and instant noodles disappeared from the shelves. The price of these products in online shops skyrocketed so that no one would be able to buy. Other Thai students told me that a drug store nearby was selling masks, but we had to line up before the store opened. Several attempts I made to get up early and run to the shop, but I never succeeded in getting the masks.

In April, the university announced that all the courses offered in the spring term would go online. Not only could we not attend physical classes, but gatherings also were not allowed. It was quite a lonely moment with which every one of us had to deal. We even held a farewell party for our Thai fellow student via Zoom! What a new normal, right?


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Even though the number of new cases has sharply increased since last month, I think the people here have become familiar with this new normal. Masks have been back on the shelves and become a required item to enter shops. Food takeaways have become another normal practice. Compared to Thailand, a few restaurants before Covid-19 had takeaway service. Now almost everyone, including ramen noodle shops, has such a service. Social distancing had been adopted as another Japanese term, and we can see lines in queuing areas in supermarkets, banks, and other public places.

Summer is here now. Although Tokyo may seem a more dangerous place than Bangkok in terms of daily new cases, we are not awed by the coronavirus! People are altering their routines, protecting themselves, and keeping distance as much as they can.


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Let's keep calm and wash your hands!

Kobchai is a doctoral student at the National Graduate Institute of Policy Studies (GRIPS) under JICA's SDGs Global Leadership Program. Before joining the program, Kobchai was a national staff member at JICA Thailand Office.

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