April 11, 2020
Japan downtowns quiet after emergency declaration
Downtowns across Japan were quiet on Saturday, the first weekend since the government declared the state of emergency in a bid to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
コロナウィルスの感染拡大を抑えるため、政府が緊急事態宣言をした後の最初の週末の土曜日、日本中の繁華街は静かだった。
There were few people on Takeshita Street in Tokyo’s Harajuku district, usually bustling with young people.
いつもは若者で賑わう東京の原宿にある竹下通りは、ほとんど人がいなかった。
Many clothing shops and variety stores remained shut, with notices saying they were temporarily closed.
多くの衣料品店や雑貨屋は、臨時休業を伝える貼り紙をして閉店していた。
Some eating establishments and drug stores were open with shorter business hours.
いくつかの飲食店やドラッグストアは営業時間を短縮して開店していた。
At a restaurant that has been in operation for 13 years, the window was open for ventilation and the tables were sanitized. But one hour after it opened on Saturday, there were still no customers.
13年間営業をしているレストランでは、換気のため窓が開け、テーブルは消毒で衛生的にした。しかし土曜日の開店後1時間経っても、客はまだいなかった。
The owner, who is in his 50s, said he has never seen so few people, and that numbers have dropped even further since the emergency declaration. He said although there is no commercial incentive for him to stay open, he will continue to do so, while taking preventive measures and reducing his hours of trade.
50代のオーナーはこんなに人が少ないのを見たことがなく、緊急事態宣言後はさらに人の数が減ったという。開店しても店の利益にはならないが、営業時間を短縮したり、感染を防ぐ対策をしながら続けるつもりだと述べた。
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