Should You Cancel Your Trip to Japan? | Vote for This Month's Exclusive Episode (Patreon)

Hey guys,
I’d like to say “hope you had a great week” but somehow I suspect few of you have, given the ongoing situation.

As of today Japan has announced that from March 21st to the end of April, pretty much all European tourists won’t be able to visit the country.
https://www.mofa.go.jp/ca/fna/page6e_000199.html

As recently as last week all of my friends planning to visit in April, still intended to come. Now that number is at 0.

I can no longer advise anyone to visit the country in April unfortunately, and while I still have a good friend visiting in May, I suspect there’s a good chance that trip will end up being cancelled as well (especially as British Airways will probably be bankrupt by then). Travellers coming in May face a more uncertain fate at this time, and I'd advise watching the news closely and following government travel advice. 

It’s an extraordinary time, though strangely, here in Japan it’s very much business as usual (with the exceptions of schools and attractions being closed). Japan’s cases are low - too low to be honest. It’s well known the government hasn’t done a good job testing people, which is undoubtedly the main reason the figures remain amongst the lowest in the affected countries.

Some say it’s also due to the country being a “low contact” culture (no handshakes/hugging etc), extensive hygiene and use of face-masks. At this stage though, I don’t know what to believe anymore. I’m just grateful I can buy bread and toilet roll, unlike friends in the UK.

The statistics are out though and there’s been a 60% drop in tourism compared to last year; a number that’ll undoubtedly plunge further over the coming weeks, along with the chances of Japan hosting the 2020 Olympics.

At this point, the idea of hosting the Olympics seems slightly absurd - particularly given the Deputy overseeing the Olympics himself has caught the Coronavirus.

As a content creator I find myself in the awkward position where making a video about anything other than the Coronavirus feels somewhat trivial, yet making any videos about the Coronavirus end up being instantly demonetised by Youtube.

Nevertheless, I’m preparing a follow up video on the situation next week, given so much has changed since the last one. And I’m considering a visit to Kyoto in the coming weeks to see firsthand what the city feels like being almost devoid of tourists for the first time in modern history.

Coronavirus and economic collapse aside, I’ve not had a great week either. Last week, I excitedly reported I was going to visit Natsuki and while I did get to see him, just hours after we hung out I was struck down with food poisoning and spent 2 fun days in bed shivering and cursing the day I ate the questionable looking pork at the bar.

Luckily I’ve recovered now, though I never got the much needed haircut I so badly craved. - Maybe it’s an excuse to return again soon.

On a slightly more positive ending, it’s time to vote for this month’s Patreon exclusive episode from TC Learn. The one which receives the most votes will be out next Wednesday 25th! The two choices are:

1) Amateur Vlogger Mistakes | Youtube 101
Vloggers typically make the same common mistakes when starting a channel; this episode covers what they are and how to get around them. Ideal if you're looking to start a Youtube channel some day and quickly grow a brand.

 2) Teaching English in Japan | Getting the Job
Teaching jobs in Japan are plentiful, but the best ones can be hard to get. This episodes gives an overview on how to find a job teaching in Japan and how to boost your chances of being accepted on to one of the programmes.

And in case you missed the long awaited Sapporo Snow Festival episode featuring Natsuki, Sharla, Pete and Chiaki, be sure to give it a watch. Hopefully at the very least it might be able to cheer you up at this difficult time.
► Watch: https://youtu.be/jCOYKS4dogw

I’m currently planning a video to release this weekend to keep up this amazing weekly streak of videos we’ve had for almost two months now, and given that my April has suddenly become incredibly empty it means I'll be able to focus more on producing new videos and potentially running some live streams on Abroad Perspective.

My thoughts go out to those of you worst affected by the situation. If you're willing to talk about your situation and how it's impacted your life or travels, I'd be interested to hear in the comments below. We're all scattered around the world so I'm sure there are many different perspectives and experiences.

But for now folks, above all please take care and stay safe.
Chris