CommodoreFlag comments

It's just a bus on rails now. Even Amtrak can serve food.

I wouldn't say it's quite that bad yet...

How did that work out? I haven’t heard anything about it at all recently.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41429-023-00623-0

"Prophylactic administration of ivermectin reduces the severity of pathological changes associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection"

For the record, I'm not a proponent of using Ivermectin to treat Covid but I think the massive backlash against it was frankly quite weird.

Driving standards here do seem to be quite lacking. Poor enforcement I think - you just wouldn't get away with some of the things I've seen on Tokyo roads in other cities.

Road rage here is also insane - everyone here is convinced they're a driving genius.

With all that said, last year was a record low in traffic deaths in Japan*. So a 2.1% increase probably doesn't mean that things are suddenly getting worse.

*https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14812779

Good to see. One of the reasons I came here 10 years ago was the low unemployment rate. Very easy to get a job if you have an even halfway suitable skillset and work at applying to positions for a month or two.

Don't recommend going through recruiting agencies here. Most generally don't know what they're doing - definitely not worth the commissions they charge.

Yes, there are dangers you should be aware of when exercising outdoors in humid or hot conditions but it's also important not to use this as an excuse to avoid exercising completely. Anything you can do, be it weights or walking, will help. Try the early morning or late evening when it's not that hot and make sure as the article advices to drink plenty of water.

Nearly 70% of Americans, nearly 60% of Europeans and 25% of Japanese are overweight or obese with all the physical and mental health complications that come with that status. Completely avoidable in most cases with only 150 minutes of physical activity a week (and once you see the results, you may want to do even more than that).

The U.S. dollar fell to 139.54 Japanese yen from 139.68 yen.

Some good news.

Tourists were always flocking back en masse once the gates reopened. I didn't hear anyone say "masks will keep tourists out."

Yeah but there was plenty of whinging last year about going to other places instead because racist border controls and cry for me because I can't go on my holidays where I want to last year.

It will be telling if this tourism boom continues when the yen gets back on its feet. People just have travel a higher priority in a post-Covid world.

The most promising development we've seen in Alzheimer's since the amyloid hypothesis was first proposed, I think. These initial drugs will have their dangers but, like the early rheumatoid arthritis drugs that caused liver disease, they will continue to get better and help patients and their families.

Went for a run yesterday and today. As long as you drink water it is no problem.

Same. But it's rough lately - my energy gets sapped much more quickly in this heat. Have to swap out running for swimming on days when it's really bad.

Don't Domino's already work through UberEats here in Japan? I think they have for a while.

I stopped using them when they started introducing that extra cost during busy periods. They're also pretty blatantly trying to normalize that ridiculous US tipping culture.

Japan's accumulated number of deaths per million has been kept relatively low due partly to hardworking medical professionals' firm commitment to the protection of people's health, 

There's a lot to be learned from Japan's response to Covid.

A recent paper in Nature* notes the significant correlation between countries with obese populations and high covid mortality.

I would argue that low obesity rates, along with the timely vaccine campaign before the aggressive Delta wave, were the most significant factors in Japan's favor during the pandemic.

*https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-33093-3

Don’t forget Long Covid people. That’s the real issue here.

"In a recent trial, around 60 percent of long COVID patients recovered from severe fatigue after a four-month course of cognitive behavioral therapy, compared to about a quarter of those who did not receive CBT. "*

It would seem that adopting a positive mental attitude (PMA) would help alleviate long covid symptoms.

*https://slate.com/technology/2023/06/mental-illness-long-covid-body-mind.html

That really is the quote of the day. Contender for quote of the month.

Looking forward to a surge in the yen when the BoJ raises interest rates and a corresponding drop in tourist numbers...

While this number is certainly an underestimate, compared to purely capitalist USA - a nation with zero safety net - Japan compares very well.

True, even accounting for the more peaceful nature of homeless people in Japan, there are definitely far fewer of them here than in the US or the UK. The difference is all down to widespread hard drug use, I think.

The problem in my own country's capital has gotten so far out of hand that I don't think it'll ever be fixed.

There is actually an ancient map showing exactly this.

I thought you were having a laugh but it turns out you're right according to China Daily News your number one source for all things China.

https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2016-05/30/content_25522641.htm

Went once. Was dangerously crowded to the point of not being able to to move and being moved whenever the crowd moved. Not doing that again. Plenty of other places to see fireworks.

Still huge numbers and many senseless deaths.

But what about the positivity rate™? :O

Gyms in Tokyo finally making masking optional. Anytime Fitness from March 1st. And everywhere else from March 13th. Way overdue but with that out of the way, pretty much no concerns from my end going forward.

Look everyone, politicians hard at work.

Going next week for the first time in years. But yeah, wouldn't ever think of going off course.

Done, done done done… done!

No, Patrick. It's not done until all the commenters here say so. :(

Japan should spend more time coming up with a plan to assist on keeping infection numbers down domestically instead of spending time trying to keep out a relatively small number of international visitors.

Any ideas on what that plan would involve?

"Omicron’s mortality rate was essentially zero for people under 60 and 0.18% for those aged 60 to 79, putting it very close to the seasonal flu’s mortality rate of 0.01% for people under 60 and 0.19% for those aged 60 to 79."*

Caught flu over the holidays and symptoms lasted 3 days whereas omicron's symptoms were done in a day when I got that last February. With that said I had received a coronavirus vaccine 5 months before being infected with omicron so make of that what you will.

tldr; Would rather catch omicron than catch flu.

*https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/society/coronavirus/20221223-78928/

There are many things I like about Japan. it's a great place to visit but, as a foreigner, don't expect to live there and prosper.

I've seen this advice a lot over the years. Always struck me as odd given that I know so many foreigners who have built great careers here in many different areas of work.

estimated that nearly 25 percent of the population have been infected

I feel like this is a very conservative estimate. I would estimate that Japan is well over the 50% mark now.

Keep in mind that around half of omicron cases are symptomless*

*https://time.com/6206640/covid-19-omicron-asymptomatic-infection/

Very high number for the New Year holiday weekend.

Is there some way I can subscribe to these comments? I simply don't want to miss out on this level of cutting analysis of high number/low number. Worried I'll miss it for other big occasions.

Experts say the pandemic is over and covid-19 can be considered an endemic disease.

Saying that these deaths are fine only shows a completely lack of empathy

Nobody ever said that..

Nobody is guaranteed to survive covid, 

99.9965% of people can expect to survive omicron now* including 98.31% of those infected in Japan who are over the age of 80**. In most places, it's less lethal than flu - and this has been the case for a long time.

The latest wave of flu is actually causing overcrowding issues in hospitals in the West so I'm more curious as to how Japan is faring with it.

*https://www.ft.com/content/e26c93a0-90e7-4dec-a796-3e25e94bc59b

**https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/society/coronavirus/20221223-78928/

Travelled home for Christmas (Merry Christmas everyone). Haven't seen a mask since transferring at Heathrow.

Really drives home the absurdity of day to day Tokyo life where they wear masks outside but take them off for their coffee/half pint highballs. Every person knows it's an exercise in futility/keeping up appearances now.

@falseflagsteve

You're right - Long Covid has been blown up out of all sense of reason. Only a few cases actually result in any long term severe problems. Most real cases being a scratchy throat for a few months. But try telling that to the people who hang out on long covid forums who live in a massive confirmation bias chamber.

That's a lot of dead.

But a whole lot more alive.