I LOVE NAKAME💖ナカメから日本の今を伝えたい！Olympic Athletes Already Bringing COVID to Japan

While it shouldn’t surprise anyone, two athletes from Uganda who have just arrived in Japan for the Olympics have tested positive for COVID. The first one was denied entry at the airport, but the second one, since he didn’t immediately test positive for the virus, was allowed to enter the country. After that, he tested positive, meaning that he has exposed an untold number of Japanese residents to the virus.

Despite repeated promises of a “safe” Olympics from the powers that be, the situation with the Ugandan athletes only highlights how the authorities simply do not have a grasp of the situation. It also goes to show how quickly and easily things can spiral out of control. If athletes are already testing positive and even slipping through the cracks, how much worse will things get when more athletes and their various hangers-on begin to arrive?

The Ugandan athletes had been vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine prior to their arrival, but the vaccine doesn’t prevent those vaccinated from spreading the virus to others, and of course Japan has been notoriously slow in vaccinating its population. So, while the athlete himself may not get very sick and is unlikely to develop severe symptoms, those unfortunate souls who have been in close contact with him may very well fall victim to the virus.

At this rate, the Olympics could become an untenable situation, and this is leaving aside the Paralympic Games scheduled to start a month after the Olympics. There are just too many people coming into Japan who may be spreading a deadly disease that the Japanese public is still vulnerable to and unprotected from, thanks to the slow-motion actions of its government. This is simply unacceptable.

Brett

I LOVE NAKAME💖ナカメから日本の今を伝えたい！One million vaccinates a day, but…

Well, in a very unusual turn of events, the Japanese government received a bit of good news. Prime Minister Suga’s goal of a million vaccinations a day has been met. This is quite surprising, given the sluggish rollout of the vaccines has been plaguing Japan for months. While any good news is welcome, it should be considered in its larger context.

No matter how you look at it, Japan’s handling of the vaccine rollout has been an utter disaster, compounded by the coming Tokyo Olympics next month. One could make the case that Japan is the country in most need of such a vaccine due to the Olympics, but, for some strange reason, Japan lags the rest of the developed world in terms of getting shots in arms. No matter what happens going forward, this total failure must never be viewed as anything other than what it is.

This news was boosted by the introduction of workplace vaccination sites, which is doing its part to increase the number of jabs. However, in its typical fashion, the government has put a stop to such applications because it doesn’t believe it can keep up with such requests. This is flat-out ridiculous coming from a country that plans to host the Olympics in a month. The fact that there still aren’t enough vaccines after all this time is a scandal that ought to cause some of these career politicians their jobs.

It remains to be seen whether this pace will be kept up, but given that the government is already throwing in the towel on setting up vaccination sites at workplaces, it seems unlikely. The lack of vaccines would seem to indicate that the problem will only get worse in the future. Just how bad the Olympics will be remains to be seen, but we shouldn’t forget the politicians who put us in this predicament. 

Brett

I LOVE NAKAME💖ナカメから日本の今を伝えたい！Does President Biden really support the Tokyo Olympics?

During the recent G7 summit, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga seemingly secured a high-profile endorsement of the Tokyo Olympics: that of U.S. President Joe Biden.

President Biden announced his support for a “safe” Tokyo Olympics, which was immediately touted by Suga and the Japanese press. It doesn’t take a background in political science to figure out that there is a lot of diplomacy at work here. Also, it’s important to look at the context and realize the hidden meaning of President Biden’s words.

President Biden emphasized a “safe” Olympics, but it’s increasingly clear that the Tokyo Olympics will be anything but. Too few precautions are in place, and the Tokyo population has barely begun to get vaccinated. How on earth could this spectacle be considered “safe”?

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson was another G7 leader who lent his endorsement to the Games. However, with Brexit proving itself to be its own mess, Prime Minister Johnson needs all the diplomatic relations he can get, and Japan remains one of the world’s top economies.

So let’s not get fooled by all the political rhetoric and posturing. The Japanese government wants us to believe that the Games have the endorsement of the world’s top leaders, but if we look at it more closely, the truth will begin to reveal itself.

Brett

I LOVE NAKAME💖ナカメから日本の今を伝えたい！English in Japan

There are plenty of examples of interesting and even funny misuses of English in Japan. Despite English being a compulsory subject that students start studying in elementary school, it seems that the Japanese by and large can never quite get a firm grasp on how to use English the proper way.

I remember seeing one example in the Japanese countryside. When I would walk to the train station, I would routinely see a shop that offered “coffee and paste.” I’d really like to believe that this particular establishment was actually selling pasta instead of glue. In either case, I’m sure it was a meal that could stick to your ribs.

In Tokyo, it seems that these are a bit less often than in the sparsely populated rural areas, but they are out there if you look for them. In a trendy area of Tokyo, I recall seeing a place called Hair Salon Slug. That hardly seems like a fashionable name.

Sometimes pointing this out can be seen as offensive, especially in these politically correct times. So I think it’s important not to go overboard with generalizations and assumptions. It’s hard to get things 100% right in a second language. But you’d think that Japan would have a better idea of how to use English by now.

Brett