Japan is successfully fighting COVID-19, courtesy its distinctive lifestyle

By Kunna Dash

TOKYO: Pandemic COVID-19 lockdown has been a threat of the millennium towards the survival of mankind. Its rapid growth has galloped half a million people and the death toll has risen more than 50,000 across the globe. And around the world, 100 thousand people have recovered, reported WHO. Let us fight, unite & ignite this cause and promise not to let it repeat again, said adding another line to G-20 nations.

So far as Japan is concerned, for now, PM Shinzo Abe has refrained from declaring a state of emergency that would imbue regional governments with more albeit limited powers. I really admire their discipline and adherence to rules.

The face is the index of mind which is mostly determined how we live our lives and most importantly what we take in our everyday life. Japanese cuisine is mostly boiled, free from hot spices & oil. They love to have a hot dish garnished well having indigenous taste & flavor while served. Their staple food is rice & sea fish which is free from fats.

Along with it, they used to take Misosuru ( Soya soup) which is common like Indian Dal with rice. They use less salt and almost no sugar  & prefer to sip green tea without sugar & milk. Whenever they require little more salt in their served dishes, they prefer to add Soya sauce. They’re having varieties of green tea. Apart from these, they maintain all their foodstuffs in high standards without any form of adulteration.

They love to take vegetables, spinach & a variety of fruits. Perhaps this food habitat makes them live longer being physically fit until the end. Exercise is part of their everyday activity & love playing outdoor games. They mostly prefer to do their works by themselves. They don’t take a bath during the day & prefer to take a bath every day in the evening after they have done with their day’s work.

They prefer to take a shower in hot water & dip them in a bath-tub for 15 minutes to half an hour. They do have their supper 2-3 hours prior to go to bed. And never go to sleep unless they brush their teeth. May be their food habitat along with daily activities & exercises help them enhancing their immune system.

Japanese live a simple tense free life. Normally they speak the truth and are not complicated. They believe in ‘work is worship, duty is God’. They do charity, help others & cleanliness is part of their culture. Cheating, theft, bullying & eve-teasing are not found in Japan. Men & women have equal rights, one of the safest countries in the world. So they used to nurture a high moral standard.

They love to grow up the child in them having a disciplined body & open mind. Always choose to remain simple, polite, enthusiastic & glamorous. They have an incredible lifestyle. It has something for everyone.

It was in my mind when Japan was the first country to be inflicted by COVID-19 as the luxury ship Diamond Princess arrived from Hong Kong you in Japanese waters off the coast of Yokohama on 3rd Feb, with 3711 passengers & crew members on board. Over the advent of next month, more than 700 people on board were infected by the deadly Coronavirus & for weeks the ship was the site of the largest outbreak outside China.

But in Japan, everything is normal till today except the postponement of Tokyo Olympic 2020 to 2021 & the closure of all the educational institutions till further order. All the offices, essential services, vending zones & restaurants are open. No mall, park, temple, market & tourist place is closed. Not a drop of lockdown traceable except school children are playing in the park due to closure of schools. Train services including Shinkansen ( bullet train) are all in the normal course. But most of the international flights are disrupted even though all International borders are open.

Also, Japan has the highest percentage of old people like Italy. Tokyo has the highest number of foreigners living. It is one of the best tourist attractions with a lot of foreigners. But with the closure of schools and other edu-institutions, Japan also has passed stringent orders not to hold public meetings, get-togethers, parties & celebrations.

There have been scary stories all over how to break the chain. Tokyo is one of the densest cities in the world and thanks god still floating in flamboyance, having a normal life as usual. But the news worldwide is panic. perhaps the Japanese day to day lifestyle sincerely supports this cause.

Japanese wear masks when they travel or come out.  Usually, we see 60% wear masks on a normal course. They are used to it at the catch of least cold even.

Normally any person like receptionist, govt officers, doctors, nurses, station masters, train staff, police, janitors, etc who deal with the public, wear masks & globes daily at work. During winter we make children wear a mask daily so that they don’t let others infected while catching a cold. At home, they have kodomo and normal mask boxes. Kodomo mask is for children that fits them properly.

Japanese people lead a life where they don’t put others into trouble. They don’t litter anything. For this, they use dustbins only to litter or spit. Cleanliness is part of their culture. Cleanliness & hygiene comes prior to the alphabet learning in schools.

From Toddler, Kindergarten to Junior High School Mid-Day-Meals is served to children. Students in rotation groups serve the students in the dining hall. Masks, headscarves & gloves they use as a protective measure especially against hair fall, sweat droplets, & coughed out sputum while serving dishes. After the lunch is over they used to clean kitchen & dining spaces.

They also clean commodes, basins in the toilet as an integral part of cleanliness so as to make the students learn how to keep themselves protected when a high risk of infection is involved. From early childhood, they are trained on how to keep shoes outside & use school shoes inside school premises, that too how to wear separate slippers when they use toilets. It helps to protect the schools from outside pathogens & virus resulting in zero contamination or infection.

They don’t shake hands but bow down to greet keeping them in a safe distance.

They have soaps and sanitizers in public toilets, office entrances and usually in every public place.

In restrooms & public places it has been usually noticed they clean and wipe the sink area after they use it to keep the basin & commode clean for the next person to use. Doorknobs & basin taps they clean along with floor at regular intervals. They carry wet tissue packets to clean their hands occasionally when they go out. They love to keep physical distance in their social life even.

Japan, a small island country in the Pacific prone to calamities & natural disasters has its rich heritage stand testimony to 17 world heritage sites in its former capital Kyoto. In automobiles & hardware, it has been proved still a world leader. Being one of the richest countries in the world, they’re the finest people having admirable habits!

Though Japan & India both have their indigenous cultural integrity, between them, there exists a large number of similarities as well. ‘Atithi Deba Bavo‘ (guests are replicas of God) is the notion found in both the countries. Lord Jagannath in Hindu religion is considered as the tenth incarnation of Lord Buddha. Buddhism came to Japan from India through China. Japan has its contribution to India’s freedom movement against the British Raj under the leadership of Netaji. Both are tycoons in the field of IT as maestros of hardware & software. Japan, the land of the rising sun, means the epicenter of energy & India, the land of the moon, the holy place of Ayurveda medicine & Yoga, the age-old practice of transcendental meditation have joined their wishes to energize the life-force breathed through our nostrils so as to elevate the inner self to a higher frequency.

About the author:

Kunna Dash, a native of Puri – the cultural capital of Odisha state, is a successful entrepreneur who has carved a niche for himself during his 30-year stay in Japan. He has also been instrumental in bringing India and Japan closer in the field of culture, education, trade, and commerce.