I’m going to tell you what Tokyo is like during Corona, but there’s a slight problem: I’m going to need to know what Tokyo was like before Corona.

I have no idea what it was like. In fact, people tell me I’ve been missing out.

But I just have no idea.

I got here in Tokyo on Valentine’s Day 2020, just when Covid was starting in Japan and all over the world. So I’ve never really seen Tokyo.

While I can’t compare this version of Tokyo to the normal, non-covid version of itself, I can give you some peeks as to what it’s like to be here in Tokyo during Coronavirus.

An Outing During a Pandemic

The first thing you notice is everyone’s wearing a mask. Literally, down to a person, almost everyone in Tokyo wears a mask. You don’t want to be that one gaijin going around with no mask on. It would be social suicide. Seriously…you’d be the asshole.

There are hand sanitizer stations all over the place, too, in front of every open store. It’s nearly August, and almost no one has been vaccinated yet, but people are out anyway.

My friends say Tokyo is usually pretty wild.

But it seems pretty wild already. Sure, some shops are closed, but there’s a lot going on everywhere, which makes it hard to believe that this Tokyo lockdown isn’t the real Tokyo.

Social Distancing in Tokyo

Social distancing in Tokyo is a tricky thing. I shot a photo of this banner in Tokyo late June 2021. Look at how much work the Japanese artists put into it. The cute little green waving alien dude. The red and blue anime girl. They even tell you how far apart to stay. It’s very thoughtful.

However, there’s no way you’re going to be able to stay 6 feet apart from anyone. Not in these hallways that are probably about 20 feet across. What do you do when someone is walking slowly in front of you and you want to go around? Yet, this is the Japanese way. Cute, thoughtful signs with little meaning.

Actually, that’s not entirely true. They have cute, thoughtful signs in Tokyo’s public toilets, and those toilets are clean as a plate.

Well, clean as a plate that’s been in contact with a butt.

Probably a clean butt.

But anyway.

Here are some photos from the …

Japanese Arcade

Used Japanese Toy Store

World Famous Tokyo Gachapans