As frontiers remain closed, GO TO campaign is to enhance summer vacation, Japanese government aiming to protect tourism industry, more in public opinion and as an Olympic political view than an economic priority(1,8% of GNP).
After several turnovers, Tokyo citizens were not allowed to apply to this financial aid and were “recommended” not to leave Tokyo, putting each and one self toward a personal dilemma. A majority of Japanese postponed their trips, many didn’t visit elderly parents in what could be one of their few remaining summer.
Still, sanitary’s disrespectful behaviors are making headlines, showing the limits of obedience when national and local governments have dissenting messages. Soon, rural areas depending more than others on tourism economy but lacking of medical infrastructures, showed the impossible arrangement between economic and sanitary reasons. By mid-August several Japanese local governments are ”closing the frontiers”, asking the population from other regions not to come.
The forgotten question seems, how to reboot an economical activity in these areas without depending on tourism as it is now ? How to create new business models for rural areas in a ”new normal” environment ?
THE JAPAN EXCEPTION ? (July 2020)
(de tatsuya oka 岡達也)
Je suis rouillée !
Dès les beaux jours, le rituel du strech matinal a lieu sur la terrasse…tatsuya s’éveille au son de »AieAieAieeeee! » »OuilleOuilleouille! ».
La crainte de se voir inviter à se joindre aux exercices le fait prudemment rester au lit…au moins jusqu’à la phase des mouvements de Taichi.
de Tatsuya OKA
La fin tant attendue de la mousson est le signal du départ pour l’exploration des terrasses tokyoïtes…dument chapeautée afin de me soustraire aux ardents rayons du soleil, dont je guette chaque apparition tel un graal mais qui me transforme rapidement en tomate si je n‘y prends garde.
Libérée des bottes et parapluies des ballades sous la pluie, chaque fleur est une rencontre et une occasion de découverte odorante.
Je laisse pour quelques temps le rouge sur les cintres et ordonne les couleurs de la fraîcheur.
Le graphiste Tatsuya OKA a entamé une série de dessins initiés, inspirés, par mon leitmotiv matinal qui navigue entre “je n’ai rien à me mettre” et “qui suis-je aujourd’hui”.
L’expression vestimentaire est une charade éphémère, un rébus momentané, élaborée(designée) chaque matin et offerte à nos rencontres de la journée.
series Maïa du jour / mercredi-001 augure la fin de la mousson.
De l’observation de Tatsuya, nous français, ficelons nos parapluies “à la marie poppins”, là où les japonais les replient tels des papillons retournant dans leurs chrysalides.
As unfortunate it is, in general, personal comfort comes before changing reality’s issues.
In a world where servicing comes before environmental issues, in July 2020, Japan‘s first move to ban plastic bags from shoppers’ habits was to have them charged a symbolic amount, shifting the change to be the buyers’ choice.
Unfortunately and as unexpected it is, corona pandemic boosted single-use plastic needs.
As there is no curative treatment, for corona as for plastic, “new normal” is about elaborating clever and designing innovative symptoms’ treatments by enhancing consciousness arose through choices over obligations.
What do we choose to change or choose not to change ?
Toward every day as toward game changers, there is no such thing as no choice.
(graphic by Tatsuya OKA) (July 2020)
Mr. Aso’s (actual finance minister) choice of “Japaneseness” to resume and explain the “mysterious” comparatively low corona mortality rate of Japan (together with other countries) is certainly not exempt of nationalism.
To open the door for Japanese to take pride in their efforts and sacrifices to win that results might not be a very “samurai way“ but is a swift political move. As security issues pop up in the region, the awareness of national identity is a necessary ground but it is, and certainly not only in Japan, sometime leading to the dangerous path of nationalism.
Let us give to Caesar what is Caesar’s : we all did our best, our best is just sometimes not enough to save all, but it is certainly worth trying … and it ain’t over yet !
I still do wonder what kind of foreign government official call the deputy Prime Minister of Japan to ask him if Japan had its ”own special medicine or something”…
THE JAPAN EXCEPTION ? (15/06/2020)
