Corona in Japan -is there a pandemic going on?

 I've been in Japan, Osaka to be more specific, for almost 3 weeks now and although it's different from the other times I've been here, it is nowhere as different as Europe is at the moment. TV still promotes going out to eat and there seems to be no social distancing. I went to the supermarket the other day and one lady even cut the line because she didn't seem to get that I was keeping distance to the person in front of me.

I went to Umeda the other day to meet a friend and was kind of shocked by the amount of people going out shopping. I know I also contributed by going there but in my poor defence I haven't seen my friend in over 1 year and he's not from Osaka so I don't know when or if I'll be able to go see him in Tokyo. I also made sure I didn't go during the rush hours.

Back in Sweden though I felt much more aware of the virus and all the safety precautions, people would stare their eyes out if someone sat next to them on the train and here people don't seem to care how close you are. I guess many think they're safe because basically everyone uses a mask, but maybe half of everyone in a mask as a high quality one and wear it properly. The thin polyester masks seems very popular and those don't even filtrate.

I work part-time at an eikaiwa and the first child arriving on my shift shows up with her mask half way down her face, coughing and sneezing. But she didn't have a fever and it seems that it's the most important thing here. No wonder the virus is spreading like crazy I thought.

Then the other day it is announced that Tokyo has declared state of emergency, but everything remains open and the limit of people who can assemble is 5000. Not sure what they think this will result in. I really hope the numbers will go down soon and that we can all go back to a more normal life.

Nabe every evening

Getting a Working Holiday Visa in Japan During Covid-19

 When Japan announced last year that Sweden was going to be added to their Working Holiday Visa scheme I was so happy. I’ve been wishing for this for ages and it would be my last chance as I am close to 30. I also just graduated so the timing was perfect.

Then came covid and to summerize, turned my life upside down. All my plans were ruined and I lost my part time job later. When I was at my lowest in October I heard that the Japanese embassy in Germany had opened the application for Working Holiday Visas, if you had a company which could sign a Residence track (a paper stating that they take responsibility for you during the first 2 weeks when you ought to be in quarantine). To my surprise the Japanese embassy in Sweden also accepted applications, so I immediately began working on my application. Fortunatley I had contact with a small company who agreed to sign my residence track so I submitted my application during the second week in November. On December 8 they finally called and told me the visa was ready. *YAY*

At first I was so nervous being denied the visa that I didn’t really consider all the other extra stuff which had to be taken care of because of covid.

The restrictions change all the time so keep in mind that this is my experience of entering Japan on the 20 of December 2020.

 

PCR test?

The most important thing that I had to prepare was the PCR test. Japan has their own form which is recomended to use but as long as all the information is stated in the document issued at the clinic of your choice it’s ok. However, paranoid as I am I thought it would be best to try and find a clinic which agreed to use the Japanese one. Another issue I had was to find a time, many of the clinics were fully booked for weeks! I worried a lot about the PCR test as many clinics stated it could take between 24-48h, I don’t have a printer at home so I need to be able to print at my local library, meaning I need an extra day. Therefore I began looking at the form and realized that there were 3 test methods stated and one of them is the antigen test which gives an instant result. I tried to research this but to be honest, in the forest of PCR tests not even the clinics themselves wanted to give me a straight answer. I sent the Japanese form in an e-mail asking if they could sign it and also if their test methods was equal to the ones stated in that very form and I don’t think one single clinic said yes. All emphasized that I need check this out myself so that I know that I’m ordering the right test, which I find weird. Shouldn’t the doctors know this? Since no one gave me an approval of the antigen test I finally decided to go for the PCR at a clinic which claimed to give a result within 24h and fortunately I also found a timeslot which matched a flight on Saturday the 19th.

 

Finding a flight

I never would’ve thought finding a flight would be this difficult. Quite a lot of flights go to Tokyo, but other cities- not so much. I began looking into this by going to KIX webpage to see which flights were arriving there and realised only KLM/Air France did from Europe. So I didn’t have that much of an option. I then spent hours looking at restrictions in the Netherlands and France, even though I would just be passing through I did not want to take any chances of being denied entry. I checked the embassies webpages and also contacted KLM’s customer support which was not very helpful. Again, they could not give me an answer which I found weird. I finally managed to get a coherent trip where I would get the PCR test on time, a plane ticket which was not too expensive and get a pick up from the airport when arriving. That last point is crucial as you are not allowed to use public transport during the first 2 weeks. The options are to be picked up by someone you know who will drive you to your quarantine location or to use a covid taxi (I don’t think that’s the official name but whatever, there are taxi’s just for driving people from the airport to the place they are staying).

 

Starting my journey

My trip began in Stockholm and from Arlanda Airport I took a flight to Paris. I always check in online at home but this time I decided not to because they required me to leave information about my visa and I rather have someone more experienced do that so I thought I could wait until I got to the airport. Air France also had a link to this very convenient webpage called travel doc where you can input the country you are traveling to and which documents you have and it will say if you need anything extra or if you are not able to enter at all. Anyway, at that webpage I was informed that Japan requires everyone entering to fill out a form and then by the end you will get a QR code which you should bring to the immigration control.

With me to the Airport (besides my passport and visa) I had the QR code, a printed ticket, my negative covid test both the Japanese version and the standard version offered by the clinic I went to, a copy of my Residence track and also a questionnaire from Air France (it was not necessary to bring but I did just in case).

 

At the airport I realised that they’ve gone back to manualy handle all check in’s to destinations which requires a PCR test, so I didn’t have to worry about not having checked in at home. The sad part about this was that people seemed to have forgotten about all the rules in regards to coid. No social distance and many did not have their masks on. They checked my PCR test and also asked if I had the QR code. I have to admit that I was so nervous there would be something from and that they would deny me entry, but everything went fine (until I was about to pay cash for a bottle of water and was told off by the staff because he now touched my money…).

 

I had never been to Charles de Gaulle Airport before so I was kind of anxious about my transfer which was only 2h. I did manage on time but I was stressed and sweating when I finally had found my gate. Before entering the flight to Osaka they checked my temperature and my PCR test as well as my visa. I had read others experiences on going to Japan and everyone mentioned almost empty planes, so I was quite surprised to realize that my flight was half full, mostly Japanese people. Makes me wonder, are they traveling now?... Besides the regular paperwork they also handed out a form regarding your health.

 

The flight went well (have to say Air France had the best food ever offered by an airline company) and once we arrived in Japan someone from the airport would board and check our documents. I was amazed that people immediately went up and wanted to get their luggage the minute the plane was parked, no thought of social distancing… Once off the Airport there was a lot of waiting but they had prepared chaires and those who had not already filled out the questionnaire to get the QR code had to do so now. The first 90 minutes was basically just a lot of waiting, but then everything went pretty smooth. The testing went fine (at least besides the fact that I had some issues to produce saliva and massaged the s** out of my neck as explained at the Airport until my throat hurt) and while waiting for the result they had reserved a gate so that we could sit down comfortably.

I have to admit I normally think the staff working at the passport control are, well not so service minded but this time I met the nicest man ever, he was so kind and funny to talk to!

I got my residence card and left the building, and to be honest I could not believe how smooth everything went! Weird thing was that no one checked my PCR test in Japan, even though they put emphasis on using their form…

So far I have been outside once, to buy some things to eat. I’m looking forward to getting  back to normal though, my jet lag is getting worse by being bored.

Sanrio Character Gudetama Restaurant

I'm trying to catch up on entries I began writing when I acctually visited all these places, very unfortunate that I was lazy and did not write them then -.-' Because of the corona crisis I am stuck at home with less to do and therefore I decided I should start writing again. There are so many things I never wrote about which I have experienced in Japan! So while I wait to return I will revisit all of the places in writing :)

If reading my earlier entries from Osaka it's pretty clear I did not like it that much. I don't want to blame the city itself but more my circumstances. I never did get any friends at the uni and I was living far away from the actual city. But most I think I just missed my life in Tokyo where I have friends and could even spend wonderful evenings all alone. I was determined though to not have my exchange semester spent alone in my dorm up the Mountains and I did try to make the best out of it. One of the things on my must-visit-list was the Gudetama restaurant in Umeda!

All the Sanrio character cafés are all very similar and reading the reviews online it seems to be a hit or miss. I personally enjoy them, it's a unique experience for us living in dull countries with "normal" cafés :P However, the menu can be good and sometimes not so much. For example the Cinnamoroll café in Shinjuku had a disapointing menu in my opinion, whereas the pompompurin café in Harajuku had an awesome pudding!

The Gudetama café ended up somewhere in the middle for me, entertaining as always (it also feels better to sit alone in these kinds of cafés hehe) but the menu was just ok.

I ordered the curry and a coke float. As I do not eat pork I undressed Gudetama. (Normally I try to avoid ordering pork as I dislike throwing away food, but if I remember correctly they only had pork in the main dishes and this was my dinner)

On screens around the restaurant Gudetama episodes were playing on repeat and all around were Gudetama plushies so you won't feel alone :) By the cashier different smaller goods are sold, from pens to lipbalm. I think this cost me around 2000-2500 yen, worth the price because of the unique experience.

I'm still wondering why there's no permenant Little Twin Stars café... (unless one opened in the past year)

Going to a doctor in Japan?

I've been to Japan many times and never had to visit a doctor until 2 years ago during my exchange semester at Osaka University. I had a cold which never seemed to heal and when I noticed headaches which lasted for several days, especially when bending forward, I thought it would probably be best to go see a doctor.

First try

I first turned to the campus doctor, I got to fill out some paper work and then he basically just checked my throat and noes, gave me some pills and then the nurse gave me the addresses to some off campus clinics in case I wasn't feeling well after the treatment.

I began taking the pills, which I was told were to help with my blocked nose and cough. I felt better but as soon as my medication was over (it lasted 5 days) I felt sick again. So I checked out which the closest clinic to my dorm was and headed out one afternoon right before new years.

Second try

I want to stress that I do not have any great experience with doctors in Japan so this is only my own and my own opinion. First of all I was only told to visit private ear/nose/throat clinics, in Sweden I would never go to a private clinic. My impression is that it's pretty standard in Japan. So I went to this clinic in Minoo, same thing, I filled out some paper work I told the doctor who only checked my throat and nose that the meds I got from the university helped so he gave me the same but for 7 days. I was then put by a machine I was supposed to breathe in for a couple of minutes before leaving. They told me the fume were to open up the nose and make it less stuffed (not sure it helped but what ever).
Guess what, I felt great for 7 days and then it got back to "normal"!

Third try

By this time I didn't have so many classes so I spent most of my days at my boyfriends work and decided to try a clinic close by. Same thing, I explained what the issue was and this time the doctor acctually acknowledge that the meds didn't work and this is where my visit got a bit creepy and to be honest old fashioned (I imagen my grandmother probably got this treatment when she was young). They put me in a tiny room, more like a closet, and told me to place my head on a tiny "table" and that's when I realised they did a tiny x-ray of the front of my head! I was taken back to the doctor who showed me the image and said he could see that I was about to have sinusitis (like I had told all the other doctors I expected as well) but since the meds didn't work he was gonna wash my sinus for me and this was creepy. He went up my nose and to be honest I don't know exactly what he did, only that it felt highly uncomfortable and acctually hurt a bit (just by the feeling I was sure I was gonna have a nosebleed). Because he went far up my nose I automatically began to cry and my nose was running with snot and whatever it was he was cleaning with, the embarrassment....
when all this was done I was put by one of those fuming machines while whiping my tears and nose and then I got some pills to minimize the production of snot. He told me to come back in 2 weeks for another cleaning session. (I said I would but on the inside I was like f* no)

When you go to a new clinic in Japan you need to sign in and for that you pay a fee. So by this time I had paid 2 of those since I changed clinic and then the fee to see a doctor and the medication. I felt better after the last visit and I then began to check what kind of medication I had been given and found out that the University doctor and the first private clinic I went to had given me antibiotics! This scared me a lot. In sweden you are not given antibiotics unless a blood sample can prove you have a bacteria infection which needs antibiotics to get well. These two doctors had only checked my throat and on top of that not even given me a full 10 days which is mandatory in Sweden as the chances of bacteria surviving and getting resistant being higher if under 10 days (of course only if you acctually NEED antibiotics). By this time I had spent a lot of money on visits and medication I didn't really need. The pills from my last visit was enough, but I never made a new appointment and after 2 weeks I felt bad again.

Fourth try

I really have no idea why this cold wouldn't just let me go XD I've never been sick for months before, maybe it was the stress or something I have no idea but by this time I was sick of cashing up. I had a 100% coverage insurance from my university in Sweden, which I previously had been told I most likely could not use because it is in English and the likelyhood of the staff understanding English is small (this was said to me by a person at the city office the first time I studied in Japan). But I had asked the person who issued the insurance in Sweden how I could use this when in Japan considering what I had been told before and she said I could contact the Insurance Company before visiting a doctor and they would help me book a free appointment. So I did. it took a couple of days (I e-mailed and then a nurse from the insurance company called me up and she then put me in contact with their Japanese bransch office and they made an appointment with the last clinic I went to). So I went there, didn't have to pay for the visit and the doctor commented on me not coming in 2 weeks time (sorry!). He performed the same nose torture and then I acctually went back to Sweden 2 weeks after and was back to normal.

My honest opinion is that seeking medical care (for smaller issues) is too complicated and I did not like having to go to private clinics. It felt like when you chose a restaurant, which has the highest rating score? I don't think medical care should be like that, that depending on your choice of doctor you will get different treatments, some which might not even be useful. Also that shit with my nose felt medieval, I'm sorry but just put me on drugs XD

Expocity and park area in Osaka

When I had arrived in Osaka (and before things acctually turned) I was rather depressed. I had no friends and my weekdays were passed going to class and then spend the evening in my room. So on my weekends I really wanted to get out and do stuff. Osaka University is close the the Expocity and the Bampaku-kinen park, an area built during the 70s for the Japan World Exposition. The Expocity is obviously built later, and is a big mall including various shops from 100yen Daiso to Ghibli and Uniqlo.
I spent, easily, a whole day in this area. I started off with the Japanese Garden. The entrance to the whole garden area is accessible through any entrance, and the fee is as low as 250yen, which is fairly low considering the huge area.
Perhaps it's because I'm not used to Osaka, but my impression is that Tokyo has a lot more gardens so I missed that alot and was very happy to find this Japanese garden!

Unfortunately my Pictures doesn't make the garden justice. I really need to get a better camera... 

The garden is very big, and I just really wanted to have a seat and enjoy the view as well so plan your visit carefully so that you will have enough time!

I went in late October and by that time there aren't much blossoming unfortunately. Outside of the Japanese garden are enormous areas made for various flowers, and I did get a glimpse of the roses, but much of the autumn plants had began withering. 

Even so I did have a nice walk around the different areas, ending with the famous Tower of the Sun, a 70 meter tall building made for the 70 expo by Japanese artist Okamoto Taro. I saw the tower every day on my way to school and I have to admit, I hate it. The first thing which came to mind was the angels from Neon Genesis Evangelion. It looks creepy, sorry.

I was about done by the time the park closed so I then went for the Expo City to see what kind of shops were available. And like mentioned before, most things could be found. I'm not much of a shopper so didn't spend that much time there, but went to my final stop; the biggest ferris Wheel in Japan with a height of 123 meters!

I love ferris wheels, and I ride most I can find, so I've also been on the Tempozan which is 112 meters also located in Osaka (my favorite one has to be the Daikanransha on Odaiba, Tokyo though). One of the charms with riding a ferris Wheel to me is the night view, I just love seeing the city lit up, so I waited until it was all dark and then I bought my ticket! The line was pretty long, and the worst part was when I realised I was the only one riding alone. All around me were couples and some families, the worst part came when I had to pass the photographer. Yes, they have one of those memory photographies, where you can have your picture taken and buy it later. The staff looked like young university students, and I kindly rejected his offer, then he tells me something in the line of "it can be a nice memory :)" I felt like shaking him, bursting into tears "the memory of being f** alone?!!", fortunate for him I did not...

Anyway, the biggest disapointment was not that I could see all the couples sitting in their carts, but the view! There was almost nothing! The park is in a kind of isolated area, so not many buildings surrounding as in Yokohama, Odaiba etc. the only thing you got to see was the cars on the streets below and that damn Tower of the Sun, now with lit up eyes to really add to the creepyness.

It would probably have been better to go during the afternoon, I bet the view over the park is really nice.

Visiting the Bampaku-kinen kouen and expocity is highly recomended for those visiting Osaka, you can easily spend a whole day here. Plus, you get to experience the monorail, the view is amazing!

Buck-Tick karaoke at Round1

Since April Buck-Tick has been collaborating with the Japanese entertainment center Round1, to be more specific, the karaoke part of Round1. This means that they have a Buck-Tick themed room as well as original Buck-Tick cocktails.

When I visited Osaka in May I obviously went there! I was mostly curous about the cocktails and the promise of costers for every cocktail bought. The cocktails we tried out was both non alcohol  BISHU LOVE and BARAIROJUJIDAN - ROSEN KREUZER -, as well as MOON -Sayonara oshiete-.

I have to say the non-alcoholic ones were tastier than Moon -Sayonara oshiete, basically it tasted like a gin and tonic. The other two had layers wit syrap I guess and felt more interesting. After they came with our drinks the staff brought a box from which I got to draw costers from. I could not see which ones I drew so it's fully possible to get more than 1 of the same coster unfortunately. Since I had 3 chances I felt like I should be able to get Atsushi, but unfortunately not. (I ended up drawing Yagami, Yutaka and Hide) The cocktails was a bit expensive (800-650) but I'm a sucker for stuff like this so...

The Buck-Tick room was fully covered in Buck-Tick images on the walls and a trailer for their live DVD was playing on the screen. Even the table had their image.
Unfortunately I could not use the Buck-Tick room as that required a minimum of 4 guests, and we were only 2. On my way out I noticed it was vacant though, so I went inside for some photos. My disapointment of not being able to sit in this gloryfull room made me pass out on the table! (hohoho)

This collaboration lasts until 15th of July, and they also changed the costers on May 28th. So the ones I got are no longer available but a new set. There 1 week left so everyone who can should go! >_<

Schwarz Stein Immortal Verses Tour Encore Final -Daywalker-

Okey, this is odd. Never ever have I written a live report over 6 MONTHS after it acctually took place :P I considered not Writing anything, but as a huge fan of Schwarz Stein (and other smaller Visual kei bands) I know the available material is limited and therefore decided to write this...based on what I remember.

I wasn't even sure I'd be able to attend this live due to some issues with my uni in Osaka (one of my courses was going on a fieldtrip that very weekend and I was told it was mandatory). In the end I obviously decided to go anyway...because it's Schwarz Stein :P but it was stressfull because it wasn't very planned out from my part and I ended up leaving Saturday night from Osaka arriving on Sunday morning in Tokyo. With barely any sleep I headed for Shibuya where the live would be and spent a couple of hours at the infamous Starbucks (I tried waiting for as long as I could but I never got to see the crazy amount of people crossing unfortunately), then went to Donki to change into my live clothes and back to Hachiko to meet up with my friend. I've mentioned Before how I didn't really like it in Osaka, so I was so happy to be back in Tokyo, seeing my favorite band and meeting up people that I know (in contrast to my life up the mountains alone in Osaka:P).

This live was during daytime, like the title hints, and I have to say it was a bit disapointing. For me it was rather convenient as I could return to Osaka the same evening but I do prefer going to lives at night.

Kaya had mentioned on Twitter (I think) that there would be announcment during the live so I was hyped thinking there might be a new single or something, I'll get back to the disapointing news later...

Shibuya Rex was not so crowded, I bought my ticket late due to the issue with uni and assumed I'd get a high ticket number, but I ended up on the second third row from stage (and during the heavier songs I even managed to get to second row) so I wasn't too disapointed. I don't remember the exact order of the songs, but I do remember morgue and Apocalypse being in the begining and I really like those songs so it really got me in the Schwarz Stein mood. Kaya told us that people had been a bit jealous of the setlist from Hokkaido so they would basically do that, except for Beautiful the Virgin! The moment he said that I wanted to cry a bit (Beautiful the Virgin is one of my favorite songs and I still haven't been able to hear it live yet). Obviously they played all the songs from Immortal Verses and they were all good live, especially Immortal Light and Lotus. I'm not saying that just because Hora does vocals for them, but I've realised that the songs in which Hora acctually do have vocals Kaya tend to improvice more to be part of the performance if that makes sense. Everyone who hasn't been able to see them live, perhaps you've seen their live dvd from 2011? During Creeper and Syphilis and Disorder for example, Kaya will add stuff (might it be the arm movement during Creeper or the shouts in Syphilis and Disorder) so that he still is a big part of the song, and that I really like. They also played Release Me, one of my all time favorites so I was pleased. 

So what was the announcment? Before the live I noticed a woman to my right holding a paper or something with an image of Kaya and Hora, and my mind went wild imagening what it might be. Ticket for soemthing perhaps? ...oh no. The announcment was that added to the merch was a sticker set... 1000yen for 3 tiny stickers. sorry, but that was not what I expected (didn't stop me from buying it though...) Funny thing was they had a new photoset of Hora which was not announced and I think that was a lot more of value...

Like they seem to do most of the time nowadays, an after event was held as well as a 3person cheki. Unfortunately they're charging 2000yen for a cheki now, used to be 1000yen, so with the after event ticket, sticker and regular cheki I couldn't afford 2 but got 1 cheki with them. I'm not gonna post my cheki, because I fucked that one up bad :P let's just say it turned out to be the most funny cheki I've ever taken but also a really big failure. (I will be so disapointed if that will be my last cheki ever with Schwarz Stein XD)

Truthfully I don't have much memory from the after event, I don't think any special questions were raised and they didn't do any extra performance if I remember correctly. I do remember thinking it was way too short, I seriously think it was shorter than their previous after events I've attended which is a shame considering the price.

After the live, me and my friend went to a Hawaiian restaurant, in Hora's honour. Warning, if ever ordering pancakes, make sure you're REALLY hungry. The restaurant is called Moke's Hawaii and is located in Meguro, highly recomended. Very nice restaurant, the macadamia milk cocktail was really nice :3