My reply would be something along the lines of, “I have intention of being in solidarity with the insane.”
Reasons for masks in Japan are to prevent viral spread of flu and the like. Allergies. I used to wear masks for this purpose. Carried three or more with me each day and changed them often. The only that shocked me turns out to be a reason for many. The woman wearing the mask was running behind and did not have time to pit make up on before leaving home, so she grabbed a mask. Japanese women, as a rule, will not leave home, nor even answer the door without makeup. Others wear them due to various psychological reasons. Now just about everyone wears them outside even while exercising. Many wear them in their own homes as suggested.
Doggone it! I have long been troubled by the following two words somehow evading my postings, “no” and “not”. And here again “No” has escaped. My reply would be “I have NO intention of being in solidarity with the insane.”
Yes. The governor of Tokyo suggested that and at least some do. I know some who do. While many of the coeds are probably wearing them for zoom lessons at home because they do not want to put make up on just for a zoom class and would rather die than be seen without make up (not a joke for many), why are some of my male med. students wearing a mask for zoom lesson when they live alone? I had a fight with one employer that demanded I wear a mask at home for their online classes.
Hi TS, what is the status of vax uptake/mandates in Japan? I have two close friends there (one Japanese, one American longtime resident) and both begrudgingly got jabbed ... mostly due to work pressure and social pressure (the American is in management in a small/medium size company whereas the Japanese friend runs his own small company and said he got tired of people asking). Each friend seemed disappointed in their own decision (one in email expressly said this, the other I could hear in his voice that he just "got tired of people asking"). Last question - is ivermectin readily available in Japan?
*btw, I'm a Japanese "lifer" myself - 15 yrs on the ground there, then back and forth from US to Japan the past 10 yrs (well minus the 2 covid years where I've been stationary in the US). Thanks for any on the ground info you can provide.
Here are a couple of headlines from The Japan Times. This about all I know about these topics, that is official anyway.
Japan OKs use of 'antibody cocktail' to prevent COVID-19
Japan’s vaccination rate hits G7 milestone but may top out at 80%
We have been living under lockdown light since Feb. 2020. My wife has been in to the office just twice, to get her Covid shots and has otherwise been in the house almost constantly since early 2020. I have been working exclusively from home since Spring this year. Between Feb. 2020 and this Spring I went in to a school or office once, twice or three times a week, depending on the week. So we are quite isolated and know very little other than what is reported in the news. With that said, here is what I have experienced or learned through my employers and students.
All full time employees at the medical and nursing schools and all their students were among the first vaccinated. As a part timer, I was offered the shot form 3 institutions and turned each offer down. One medical school sent out an email AFTER the completion of their vaccination campaign stating that as the vaccine was new and using new technology, it’s efficacy and adverse effects were not well known, they would like to request their employees and students to submit their experiences to the medical school as part of a study to be published in a medical journal. They stressed that they would like to receive not only negative experiences as that would skew the study.
One of my client companies had their own cluster in the Summer of 2020. Only one went to the hospital, the others stayed at home for their isolation. Most only knew they “had it” due to the company testing all employees after the first was diagnosed with covid, they had no symptoms of anything. A few had symptoms of a mild cold. All were back at work after 2 weeks. The same company has had many employees catch it this summer too. One whom I know fairly well was among them. She is in her late 20s and had a high fever, bad headache and temporary loss of smell for 3 days and no more. She said she wanted to catch it again because she enjoyed the full week at home alone watching TV and movies. She explained that for her flu is much worse as with flu she usually experiences difficulty breathing and stomach problems, neither of which did she have with her bout with Covid. She was treated with meds to relieve symptoms only, just as I was for flu in my childhood. A couple of days ago she told me she was wondering if she should get the vaccine. People here are scared shitless just they are everywhere.
Apart from the article mentioned above, I have heard absolutely nothing about treatments for Covid in Japan. That does not mean that they do not exist, nor even that they are not in wide use, only that I have not heard of them.
Japan has had bad experiences with mandated vaccines. A huge portion of their population suffers from hepatitis due to reusing needles in mass vaccination campaigns in the past. There are others but do not know the specifics. According to The Japan Times, half of the country’s parents are against their kids getting the shot. I am dead set against the shot for our kids but my wife is most likely for it. Ugly days in the future.
Pressure to get the shot. Yes and as it often is in Japan, it is insidious. I was repaired to lose jobs over a vaccine mandate if ever one comes about. Recently had a vocational school demand that I return to the classroom, which I want, but that I wear a mask. I said “no” and a fight ensued. I won but doubt I’ll be asked back next year. I am very surprised that my employers, mainly med and nursing schools have neither demanded it nor asked for proof of vaccination. All offered it to me and said nothing when I refused. I am expecting it will be required for next school year starting in April. It is reported that Japan plans to provide booster shots for all residents by year’s end.
Yet, I was forced to get the shot. How when even my employers have not yet required it and I was able to fight of a mask requirement? Through my kids’ school and my wife’s employer. If I get flu, I and I alone have to stay home for a week or 10 days. I don’t know the details as I have had the flu only once as an adult and that was many years ago when you were still expected to come to work even if you the flu. With C-19, if anyone in the household gets it, everyone must stay home for 10 days unless the person who got it is vaxxed, in which case only the vaccinated sick person must remain home. So I took the damned thing under duress and in the hopes that if anyone in my family suffers from it that it is I and that I do before my wife makes our kids get it. Wife got a library book for the kids that is all about the New Type Corona Virus. Ever seen a children’s book on the flu? Might exist but I have never seen nor heard of one. Wife has never thought it important to get for the kids if one does exist.
Masks. Of course everyone wears them everywhere. My kids have to for around 10 hours a day. Delivery people wear them and my wife is angry at me for not donning one when I answer the door. Once a week my Mother-in-law picks up the kids from after school day care. She and the kids are of coursed masked. She keeps her mask on while in the house conversing with my wife who also dons a mask for her mother’s visit. Saturday, the 13th, we went to a horse track in Tokyo for their year end illumination. Think of a massive Christmas Light display without Christmas and you have the idea. Despite the Emergency Declaration being lifted, before we could present our tickets we had to sanitize our hand, before sanitizing our hands, we had to have our temperatures checked, and before they would check out temperatures we had to be masked. They had a laser light and water fountain show that could be viewed from the stands. Despite the occupancy limit being lifted, no more than two seats side by side were opened and there were at least 3 seats tapped off between pairs of open seats. My family as well as many others were forced to sit separately. Yesterday, Sunday the 14th we went on a sponsored hike. Masks were of course requested and besides myself I saw only 2 other participants unmasked.
It is really beginning to look like proof of vaccination with current booster shot and masks will be required to work or attend class nest year. This requirement may not be in the form of an official mandate as the government here has stated that they do not have the legal authority to issue one, but the mandate will be just as real and as inescapable. That, however, remains an “if”.
They keep saying that about the flu in Spain. I have even heard something like "we should use masks always, for solidarity". Crazy, crazy!
My reply would be something along the lines of, “I have intention of being in solidarity with the insane.”
Reasons for masks in Japan are to prevent viral spread of flu and the like. Allergies. I used to wear masks for this purpose. Carried three or more with me each day and changed them often. The only that shocked me turns out to be a reason for many. The woman wearing the mask was running behind and did not have time to pit make up on before leaving home, so she grabbed a mask. Japanese women, as a rule, will not leave home, nor even answer the door without makeup. Others wear them due to various psychological reasons. Now just about everyone wears them outside even while exercising. Many wear them in their own homes as suggested.
Doggone it! I have long been troubled by the following two words somehow evading my postings, “no” and “not”. And here again “No” has escaped. My reply would be “I have NO intention of being in solidarity with the insane.”
At home! Wow
Yes. The governor of Tokyo suggested that and at least some do. I know some who do. While many of the coeds are probably wearing them for zoom lessons at home because they do not want to put make up on just for a zoom class and would rather die than be seen without make up (not a joke for many), why are some of my male med. students wearing a mask for zoom lesson when they live alone? I had a fight with one employer that demanded I wear a mask at home for their online classes.
Hi TS, what is the status of vax uptake/mandates in Japan? I have two close friends there (one Japanese, one American longtime resident) and both begrudgingly got jabbed ... mostly due to work pressure and social pressure (the American is in management in a small/medium size company whereas the Japanese friend runs his own small company and said he got tired of people asking). Each friend seemed disappointed in their own decision (one in email expressly said this, the other I could hear in his voice that he just "got tired of people asking"). Last question - is ivermectin readily available in Japan?
*btw, I'm a Japanese "lifer" myself - 15 yrs on the ground there, then back and forth from US to Japan the past 10 yrs (well minus the 2 covid years where I've been stationary in the US). Thanks for any on the ground info you can provide.
Coach T
Here are a couple of headlines from The Japan Times. This about all I know about these topics, that is official anyway.
Japan OKs use of 'antibody cocktail' to prevent COVID-19
Japan’s vaccination rate hits G7 milestone but may top out at 80%
We have been living under lockdown light since Feb. 2020. My wife has been in to the office just twice, to get her Covid shots and has otherwise been in the house almost constantly since early 2020. I have been working exclusively from home since Spring this year. Between Feb. 2020 and this Spring I went in to a school or office once, twice or three times a week, depending on the week. So we are quite isolated and know very little other than what is reported in the news. With that said, here is what I have experienced or learned through my employers and students.
All full time employees at the medical and nursing schools and all their students were among the first vaccinated. As a part timer, I was offered the shot form 3 institutions and turned each offer down. One medical school sent out an email AFTER the completion of their vaccination campaign stating that as the vaccine was new and using new technology, it’s efficacy and adverse effects were not well known, they would like to request their employees and students to submit their experiences to the medical school as part of a study to be published in a medical journal. They stressed that they would like to receive not only negative experiences as that would skew the study.
One of my client companies had their own cluster in the Summer of 2020. Only one went to the hospital, the others stayed at home for their isolation. Most only knew they “had it” due to the company testing all employees after the first was diagnosed with covid, they had no symptoms of anything. A few had symptoms of a mild cold. All were back at work after 2 weeks. The same company has had many employees catch it this summer too. One whom I know fairly well was among them. She is in her late 20s and had a high fever, bad headache and temporary loss of smell for 3 days and no more. She said she wanted to catch it again because she enjoyed the full week at home alone watching TV and movies. She explained that for her flu is much worse as with flu she usually experiences difficulty breathing and stomach problems, neither of which did she have with her bout with Covid. She was treated with meds to relieve symptoms only, just as I was for flu in my childhood. A couple of days ago she told me she was wondering if she should get the vaccine. People here are scared shitless just they are everywhere.
Apart from the article mentioned above, I have heard absolutely nothing about treatments for Covid in Japan. That does not mean that they do not exist, nor even that they are not in wide use, only that I have not heard of them.
Japan has had bad experiences with mandated vaccines. A huge portion of their population suffers from hepatitis due to reusing needles in mass vaccination campaigns in the past. There are others but do not know the specifics. According to The Japan Times, half of the country’s parents are against their kids getting the shot. I am dead set against the shot for our kids but my wife is most likely for it. Ugly days in the future.
Pressure to get the shot. Yes and as it often is in Japan, it is insidious. I was repaired to lose jobs over a vaccine mandate if ever one comes about. Recently had a vocational school demand that I return to the classroom, which I want, but that I wear a mask. I said “no” and a fight ensued. I won but doubt I’ll be asked back next year. I am very surprised that my employers, mainly med and nursing schools have neither demanded it nor asked for proof of vaccination. All offered it to me and said nothing when I refused. I am expecting it will be required for next school year starting in April. It is reported that Japan plans to provide booster shots for all residents by year’s end.
Yet, I was forced to get the shot. How when even my employers have not yet required it and I was able to fight of a mask requirement? Through my kids’ school and my wife’s employer. If I get flu, I and I alone have to stay home for a week or 10 days. I don’t know the details as I have had the flu only once as an adult and that was many years ago when you were still expected to come to work even if you the flu. With C-19, if anyone in the household gets it, everyone must stay home for 10 days unless the person who got it is vaxxed, in which case only the vaccinated sick person must remain home. So I took the damned thing under duress and in the hopes that if anyone in my family suffers from it that it is I and that I do before my wife makes our kids get it. Wife got a library book for the kids that is all about the New Type Corona Virus. Ever seen a children’s book on the flu? Might exist but I have never seen nor heard of one. Wife has never thought it important to get for the kids if one does exist.
Masks. Of course everyone wears them everywhere. My kids have to for around 10 hours a day. Delivery people wear them and my wife is angry at me for not donning one when I answer the door. Once a week my Mother-in-law picks up the kids from after school day care. She and the kids are of coursed masked. She keeps her mask on while in the house conversing with my wife who also dons a mask for her mother’s visit. Saturday, the 13th, we went to a horse track in Tokyo for their year end illumination. Think of a massive Christmas Light display without Christmas and you have the idea. Despite the Emergency Declaration being lifted, before we could present our tickets we had to sanitize our hand, before sanitizing our hands, we had to have our temperatures checked, and before they would check out temperatures we had to be masked. They had a laser light and water fountain show that could be viewed from the stands. Despite the occupancy limit being lifted, no more than two seats side by side were opened and there were at least 3 seats tapped off between pairs of open seats. My family as well as many others were forced to sit separately. Yesterday, Sunday the 14th we went on a sponsored hike. Masks were of course requested and besides myself I saw only 2 other participants unmasked.
It is really beginning to look like proof of vaccination with current booster shot and masks will be required to work or attend class nest year. This requirement may not be in the form of an official mandate as the government here has stated that they do not have the legal authority to issue one, but the mandate will be just as real and as inescapable. That, however, remains an “if”.
Beyond crazy...