Into the World:
The Random Thoughts in My Mind

COVID-19 has reiterated the importance of selling products online. As the fear of contracting the disease compels people to minimize time outside the home for as long as possible for many people, online shopping has become the primary method for many people to secure both their daily necessities as well as simply indulging in the pre-COVID habit of window shopping on the high streets, but only online. As materialism grips Asian societies , consumers increasingly find themselves unable to get away from the urge to browse what to buy next, even if it can only be done in front of a smartphone or a computer screen.

A few days ago, a few hundred Japanese and (mostly) foreigners in Tokyo and Osaka marched through downtown streets to show solidarity with those protesting racism in the US and around the world. The protestors were triggered by news of a Kurdish long-time resident of Tokyo being brutally handled the Tokyo police, for no other reason than arguing back about a suspected traffic violation. No doubt protesting for a noble cause, the few hundred that marchers created little ripple in Japan aside from a few short news articles in the country's few English-language media.

At first sight, the program seemed like just another travel-themed variety how all too common on Japanese TV in recent years. A group of entertainers, actors, and comedians alike, watched and commented on a video that showed a Japanese chef traveling around the world, checking out local restaurants, and going through the menus. As it is so often the case, the guests at the TV studio bantered about foreign stereotypes and politely but superficially discussed the exotic nature of countries that they frankly have no wishes to ever step onto in their lifetimes.

In the past few days, the charts for new infections and deaths from the Covid-19 epidemic has made for some grim reading. Even as the number of new cases tapers off in mainland China, the number of new cases and deaths has jumped manyfold in Italy and across western Europe. The list of countries with infections is continuing to grow, with cases now being uncovered in countries that have less institutional and medical capacity to stem future spikes in new infections. As the World Health Organization declares a pandemic, countries are quickly shutting down borders to save themselves.

As the coronavirus continues to strike fear into the heart of the general public across the world, the most urgent task is to find enough medical supplies to handle surging demands for those seeking them just to soothe their concerns. Masks, hand sanitizers, and soap are flying off the shelves, leading to massive shortages and waiting lists for manufacturers not set up to increase production to unprecedented volumes even as they face their own difficulties from lack of raw materials, logistical bottlenecks, and staff members who are too afraid or simply cannot make it to the assembly lines.

It has been several weeks since the coronavirus epidemic broke out of the central Chinese city of Wuhan. As China went into crisis mode, with the government struggling to stop a virus that has now infected tens of thousands and killed hundreds, Japan, as the next-door neighbor, inadvertently faces the pressure of how to prevent similar mass infection. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the number of people who travel between China and Japan, Japan has now become the country with the largest number of confirmed coronavirus cases outside China.

Global media outlets and government institutions are going into overdrive to spread information about a new strain of coronavirus originating in a seafood market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan. With more than 800 people infested, dozens dead, and cases already spreading to eight countries, there is clear urgency for significant measures to be taken globally to ensure that necessary precautions and medical resources are in place to prevent it from becoming a global-scale epidemic in the coming weeks and months. The Chinese government, for one, has taken dramatic measures to lock down entire cities to prevent the disease from spreading.

The sudden escape of former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn from house arrest in Tokyo has captured the attention of the world, however briefly, of how the Japanese justice system works. Unfortunately, the attention has been a largely negative one, seen from the Japanese perspective. In so many words, the international news outlet has expressed mild sympathy for Ghosn, who they see as destined for a lengthy legal battle that he cannot possibly win fair and square, given Japan's 99% conviction rate and a prosecution system that can repeatedly arrest released suspects whenever new charges emerge.

The announcement from the police department is as idiosyncratically Japanese as any announcement can be. In a short message relayed by multiple TV stations and across social media, Japanese authorities warn the country's seniors to be careful when eating the traditional rice cakes for new years, as the sticky substance has led to more than one instance of the elderly choking and then die from suffocation as the stuff gets stuck in the throat. In all seriousness, the police advised that seniors ought to make sure they cut their rice cakes into small pieces and chew many times before attempting to swallow.

On paper, 2019 was a turning point for Japanese women in terms of their place in Japanese society. After years of relative neglect, the economic policies of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe emphasized the importance of female labor participation for the future growth of the Japanese economy. The so-called "womanomics" policies of the Japanese government aimed to draw more housewives to work by providing comparatively generous grants for sending kids to and creating more open spots in kindergartens, and mandated companies to support women through formalized maternity leave policies.

Recently, the world has the reputation of Aung San Suu Kyi, the de facto popularly elected leader of Myanmar, hit another low at the Hague the past week with her highly anticipated hearing on the country's treatment of its Muslim refugee issue. Aung San Suu Kyi likely lost the last of her supporters in the West by refusing to apologize for the state's role in systematically driving the Rohingya out of the country through rape and murder, instead only recognizing the excess of some soldiers and that the overall situation is "complex." She made no mention of the Rohingya by name and refuse to recognize them as legal citizens of the country.

A term that is frequently used when Japan talks about foreign countries and individuals is 親日, roughly translatable to "friendly to the Japanese/Japan" or more directly, "pro-Japanese." Often, the usage of the term crops up in discussions concerning international exchange at a grassroots level. A "pro-Japanese" country, the narrative goes, is much more likely to be friendly and helpful to Japanese individuals traveling or living in the country. Local citizens, additionally, would be much more receptive toward learning about Japanese culture and adopting at least some aspects of it in their daily lives.

At first, the show seems to be just another Japanese TV show that features a bunch of well-known comedians and other celebrities sampling good food around the country. For this episode of the typical "variety show," the group headed to Yokohama Chinatown to find the best-tasting and best-valued Chinese buffets in the area. The hour-long show featured the group going to four different restaurants to try out shrimp, shark fin, spicy stir-frys, and gourmet fried rice. There were plenty of mouth-watering close-up shots of the food and plenty of celebrities talking about how good the food is. So far so good.

In recent years, major train stations in Tokyo have been increasingly home to a new type of poster. Amidst ubiquitous ads for commercial products and services are government-issued notices encouraging citizens to look out for terrorist activities. Frequently highlighting scared citizens at the front and center, these posters call upon citizens to report to the local police on any sort of suspicious persons and activities, under various slogans that state that "preventing terrorism is the responsibility of all citizens." Highly trafficked train stations, as the posters imply, ought to be the focus of vigilant citizens.

Older Japanese men are not the most politically correct when it comes to expressing their opinions. After decades of managing younger people as top-level salarymen and getting what they want both during and after work , many become highly intolerant of situations in which things do not go the way they are supposed to based on social conventions and commonly understood protocols. Even as powerless retirees, they somehow continue to believe in their responsibility and necessity to help defend "the way things are," just as they have as career salarymen maintaining a stable corporate culture in major Japanese firms.

"Variety shows" are one of the mainstays of Japanese television. Entertainers put on skits and funny talks about exaggerated versions of everyday events, getting laughs from the viewers by making fun of just how absurd even the most mundane situations can be if pushed to the logical conclusion. With thousands of funnymen trying to make living doing their own skits, only the most memorable few make it to the big stages of national television, become household names, and earn a decent living by regularly performing and hosting their shows.

The founding and first president of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, died today, two years after being toppled in a coup. Mugabe, who ruled over the country for a whole three decades from 1987, leaves behind a country plagued by economic mismanagement and squandered potential. Years of hyperinflation and shortage of basic services like power generation have turned what was once one of the wealthiest countries in Africa into one of the most problematic, with emigrants leaving in droves for South Africa just to make ends meet. Mugabe, without a doubt, should be blamed for the downward spiral that sank Zimbabwe into poverty.

Nostalgia is a big marketing ploy in contemporary Japan. The nation's media spend lengths glorifying the heady days of the Showa era (lasting until 1989, marked by high economic growth, increasing materialism, and then the wealth of the stock market bubble), as a time of national optimism not seen today. Shops, restaurants, and even amusement parks play up the nostalgia factor with old-fashioned indoor decorations and menu items, attracting both the old seeking to revisit a slice of their youths and the youths seeking out an idealized version of the past.

When a restaurant receives one or more stars from the Michelin guide (or even just an honorary mention), it is justifiably proud. The restaurant has just earned worldwide recognition from one of the most famous guides for gourmets, giving it the ability to attract a large number of customers from around the world. The status of being listed in the Michelin is not only a sign that the food made in the restaurant is delicious at a world-beating level, but that the uniquely culturally bound service and atmosphere the restaurant provides can be considered universally positive.

Today marks the 75th anniversary of the Normandy landings that marked the beginning of the end for the Axis powers in World War II. As one of the Allied powers, China undoubtedly celebrates this occasion in its own muted ways. The sacrifice of more than 150,000 soldiers who landed on the murderous beaches of northern France was the first step in ending the more than a decade of warfare China was fighting, largely by itself, against Japan on the other side of the world. D-Day, for China, is the necessary precursor to the end of the war celebrations, of which is certainly goes all out for every year.