Tokyo Times

Photographs from a small group of islands

Current Affairs

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Times are hard due to Tokyo’s lack of foreign tourists

The major repercussions of Tohoku’s massive earthquake and tsunami are extremely well documented, but while the visible devastation is restricted to the north, its far-reaching effects can still be felt over 200 kilometres south in Tokyo — and indeed throughout the rest of the country. Power consumption has to be kept in check, manufacturing output is still down, and now it has just been announced that tourism has plummeted to its lowest levels since the SARS outbreak in 2003. A whopping 62.5% decline from April last year.

This latest bit of bad news, like the other problems, undoubtedly affects the country as a whole, but at the same time, it’s very easy to see the damage it does to individual traders; people who rely almost solely on foreign visitors for sales.

Yes, it may well be tat that some of them sell, but it’s tat that the tourists like to take back, and without them, times are clearly very tough.

tourism decline in Tokyo

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If only every day was like Sunday

Not long after the post-earthquake blackouts started playing havoc with Tokyo’s transportation system and businesses, there was some brief talk of a shift in working practices as well as attitude. Gone would be the likes of unnecessary overtime, plus, perhaps more realistically, the system of set holidays which sees the whole nation supposedly relax by congregating en masse on a myriad of motorways. And instead, sensible working hours along with staggered time off would see people working less, but at the same time, more efficiently. A move that as well as increasing workers quality of life, would also conserve electricity.

Not much more than a month later, however, such moves seem moot. The postponement of power cuts, and the gradual return of something not far from normal, appear to have quickly put paid to any possible changes.

Changes that could have improved peoples lives in so many ways; even at the very simple level of sights like this on a weekday rather than exclusively at the weekend. Something that would almost certainly make the fella in the photograph happy, along with anybody fortunate enough to see him.

Tokyo on a sunday

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Cherry blossom choices and Ishihara hypocrisy

Tokyo’s cherry blossoms are now well on their way to full bloom beauty, but, after everything that the country has been through, celebrations this year will, in many instances, be very subdued. In fact, some of the city’s popular hanami spots have curtailed activities, while others have asked people to simply not participate, or at the very least, do so quietly. A move that manages to strike a balance between those who feel that some kind of fun would allow people the much needed chance to blow off some steam, along with the equally valid point that exuberant celebrations could be deemed disrespectful.

Such a sensitive, common sense approach, however, is one Tokyo’s happily racist governor, Shintaro Ishihara, is clearly incapable of; the bespectacled bigot instead proclaiming, “This is not an era in which people at this time of year may drink viewing cherry blossoms, even during daytime.”

Comments that, although a little extreme and unnecessarily dictatorial, can still be viewed as the wishes of someone who just wants the capital’s citizens to be aware of those who, whether directly or indirectly, are still suffering from the devastating earthquake and tsunami. The trouble is though, only four days after the catastrophe, Ishihara declared the events of March 11 to be “divine punishment”. Then elaborating further by adding, “Taking advantage of the tsunami, Japanese people should wash away their selfish greed. I think that the tsunami is a punishment from Heaven.”

Contrasting comments that display a level of hypocrisy that’s rare even amongst politicians, and a degree of insensitivity that is simply staggering. Actually, insensitivity really isn’t the right word, although I’m not at all sure what is.

But of course, people don’t need to be told what to do. Similarly, they are more than capable of deciding what is appropriate. And when. For some that’s a few drinks with friends and family, whereas for others, it’s the equally relaxing practice of painting some pictures.

Tokyo cherry blossom

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A poignant reminder of the earthquake and tsunami

It’s now two weeks since the earthquake and tsunami devastated Japan; a disaster that continues to inflict untold misery upon those people directly affected, and is never far from the minds of those who weren’t.

News from elsewhere, however, along with media outlets seemingly all out of sensationalist stories, means that coverage is very quickly dwindling, yet reminders of that horrible day, and its ongoing repercussions, are everywhere — even in long-closed bars down little side streets.

A poignant tsunami reminder

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The earthquake and its aftermath followed in digital form

From the moment the earthquake struck on March 11, smart phones, along with their intellectually challenged cousins, have been worth their weight in gold — probably even more really. Yes, the networks may have faltered initially, rendering calls and SMS redundant, but email, along with access to the web and the likes of Twitter, allowed immediate contact with friends and loved ones, plus updates about what had, and was, happening.

Now, almost two weeks later, they are still invaluable, allowing easy access wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, to news, social media sites and the ongoing problems at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

The only downside being that, wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, they allow easy access to news, social media sites and the ongoing problems at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

Japanese mobile phone user