00:00:02 John Daub: Greetings everybody. Welcome to Akihabara. This is where a lot of people come, especially tourists, to get their otaku (fan/geek culture enthusiast) on. Whether you're a manga, anime, or subculture fan, Akihabara is where it's at. I'm giving you a live update for March 5th, 2020. There's the Sobu Line going by right now. We're going to ask ourselves the question: why would you still travel to Japan despite the travel warnings, despite all the risks?

00:00:33 John Daub: I'm going over some of the latest news. Thank you for tuning in. Click the subscribe button and don't miss these updates. There goes the Sobu Line on the other side of the river. I have a lot of fond memories here. The streets are really quieter. Foot traffic is way down. Now I'm giving you some updates before we move into walking around. I want to show you the area, give you a feeling of what it's like in Japan right now. That's why I do these updates.

00:01:03 John Daub: I'm not going to touch my face. I'll be wearing a mask in a minute. But first, let's go over some of this. I'm separated from the station, from the crowded area. I'm not sure if it's crowded at all. There's been a lot of developments over the last couple of days. I'll be doing more updates because this is really affecting the viewers of this channel. Whether or not you should come to Japan—the cherry blossoms are coming. A lot of things are changing.

00:01:31 John Daub: This is coming straight from JNTO. JNTO March 3rd, 2020 update. JNTO is the Japan National Tourism Organization. The WHO has 268 people positive in Japan. Population is 126.8 million. So the low number means the risk of transmission is low. That's a fact. On the flip side, we really don't know how many people are affected. It takes two weeks. You all know the information.

00:02:03 John Daub: That number doesn't include the cruise ship, which is 706 cases—it's not quarantined. The U.S. State Department has this as a level two, which means just be cautious. It's not the same as Korea, Italy, and China, which are at level four: do not travel.

00:02:20 John Daub: Flights—this is good news for a lot of travelers. I told you to hold out, to ask for it. All the major carriers from Japan, ANA and JAL, have now offered refunds to flights. This is reported by NHK. The two biggest airlines will offer refunds for tickets because of the fear that's going on. International and domestic flights through March 19th. If you're flying after March 19th, hang in there. I think the Prime Minister is going to give another announcement around the 10th of this month. So that's going to lead to more scrutiny. But if your flight leaves or is around March 19th, give the airline a call. There might be potential to get your money back if you cancel with penalty or if you're worried—that now might be the time to do it. We're going to go over whether or not this is the proper time for you to be coming or not to Japan.

00:03:21 John Daub: Stay tuned to the end—I'll be taking some of your questions and meeting somebody who's traveling here in Japan despite all the warnings. I want to get a different point of view. The Olympics—a lot of people are worried about travel coming into the summer. I cannot tell you what it's going to be like next week, let alone April, May, and this summer. But right now, just about three hours ago, the IOC, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, reported that going forward, the Olympic Games are going forward as planned. There's no deadline, no cancellations. In my opinion, it depends on when this situation peaks and whenever we turn the corner. If you're planning to come in this summer, I would say don't cancel. Let's see how it goes. I know the fear is real for a lot of people, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. There's no cancellation of the summer games, and we'll see how this goes over time. It's way too early—three months in advance is like an eternity in something like this.

00:04:21 John Daub: Flights to China—they'll accept cancellations till April 20th. That's a different situation. So if you have flights going through there or to there, you could probably get your money back, and this might be extended. The travel deadline—just wait until March 10th. More announcements will be coming. Why did they do this? Because you asked for it, and also because the government officially canceled a lot of events and told people not to come, sort of. So it makes sense that they would allow refunds for the flights. There's just no reason to come. If you go onto the JNTO site, they're going to break down for you all the places that are closed.

00:05:22 John Daub: Come here—there's not gonna be a lot of stuff that's open, and I'm gonna show you right now in Akihabara. You're gonna get an idea of some of the concerns that there are in Japan right now, and some of the reasons why maybe you shouldn't come, and maybe you should come. We're gonna talk to somebody in about five minutes who's here and is gonna give us his thoughts on visiting Japan, so we get another point of view. There goes the Sobu Line once again. Akihabara is so cool and so vibrant, isn't it?

00:05:49 John Daub: Thanks for the super chats—Houtarou Hino, thanks for the updates. You're very welcome. I'll go back and look through everybody else that's supporting. If you want, I do updates on Patreon, so you can get updated. I'm gonna be going to Instagram more with live updates. Brendan, how you doing? Winnie, thanks a lot. These videos often do not stay monetized—YouTube treats us as a sensitive event.

00:06:27 John Daub: The laws changed yesterday in Japan—this is kind of a big deal. The Prime Minister is working with the opposition party. He wants to be able to call a state of emergency. That's something the Prime Minister does not have power to do like in the United States. I believe the law was passed that allows him to do that. The reason why this is important is he can act faster without getting approval to reduce risk and keep people safer. It's a smart thing to do. So the Prime Minister will have state of emergency power, so to speak—that came through just yesterday. Wow, there's so much stuff that changed over the last 72 hours.

00:07:16 John Daub: I want to go over here and meet somebody before he leaves. Underneath the Sobu Line—how's everybody doing? All right, let's cross the street. On social media, Japanese young people are getting hammered right now because they have to stay home from school. Around February 29th, the Prime Minister heavily suggested that schools close. People follow the opinion of the leaders here very strongly—he won't order it, but the schools closed, most of them. School mothers panicked, went to the supermarkets, bought a lot of food for the next 36 hours. There wasn't a lot of food left, but I believe everything's been replenished, including the toilet paper—more on that in a second.

00:08:20 John Daub: Kids are still home with nothing to do, and many are going out to game centers, into the city, karaoke boxes—places that are high risk. Social media and the news programs are starting to really hammer them: young people, stay home, don't go out, don't hang out with your friends. This is not a time to go out because the reason for the closures is to slam the brakes on this, reduce infections, and try to round the corner. That's why Tokyo Disneyland, Universal Studios, and a lot of places are closed. I'll go over some of those places really soon.

00:09:03 John Daub: Toilet paper—there was a run on it. A lot of YouTubers went over this. The reason: they found the culprit. NHK reports a clinic in Tottori, in Yonago City that I know very well—I love that city. They reported there will be toilet paper shortages due to things going on in China, and you should get the toilet paper. It went on social media, everybody picked up that story, it went crazy viral here in Japan. 24 hours later, all the toilet paper was gone. It's still sort of gone, but I've seen it coming back into the stores now. So if you need toilet paper, you'll get it soon.

00:09:56 John Daub: We had some people say, why does Japan need toilet paper at all? They have the washlet (bidet toilet) toilets with the water sprays. The fact is, even with that, you still need a little bit of toilet paper—it's wet down there. Tissues are necessary. 99% of all the toilet paper in Japan is made in Japan, so there was no reason for the panic. The clinic apologized and said the staff member will be highly disciplined. I don't know what that means—probably better that they don't explain it. That's the times that we're living in right now.

00:10:36 John Daub: I'm looking for our guests today—hopefully still around. I'm underneath the Sobu Line. Cherry blossoms—a lot of people are worried about them. There was an announcement today, and more people on the news talking about this. You cannot stop nature—it's going to go on no matter what. The blossoms will bloom, but they're discouraging people. The Prime Minister and the Mayor of Tokyo cannot slam a hammer down and say don't come. By the way, there's people out here—this is in front of Akihabara Station, but it's way down. Typically, there are way more people. Usually the streets are so crowded—it's like 10 people deep right now. It's one person deep.

00:11:39 John Daub: For the cherry blossoms, they're discouraging vendors from selling drinks and food. A lot of the cherry blossom events in Tokyo have been canceled—the lighting, the illuminations. This is sort of going to be the trend. They're asking everybody wear masks at the event. When we went to the Sapporo Snow Festival, they were asking people to wear masks. Transmission would go down, and we're going to be seeing that for the cherry blossoms—if you cough or sneeze, cover up or wear a mask. That's why they want to do everything they can to reduce this. I think it's a good thing. Cherry blossoms are scheduled to bloom on March 15th, full bloom on the 23rd. That's not too far away. The Japanese government is dealing with this now, trying to clamp it down, get rules out, get people ready because everything is going to be changing.

00:12:54 John Daub: The Meguro River, a very popular place that's beautiful, has reported they don't want any vendors. They're not saying no, but discouraging it and asking people to wear masks. Starbucks—no more tumbler mugs, paper cups only. No more milk, cream, honey—all taken away. You got to ask for it to reduce potential transmission. Conveyor belt sushi—you got to order; you can't take it off the belt. The free-range sushi that flows around the shops is gone. These are no-brainers—things businesses are starting to do.

00:13:32 John Daub: There's a question about onsen (hot spring bath) baths that I want to address. You got the mask on? Safety first. This is for Kanae.

00:13:47 Caller (Austria): How you doing? Are you afraid of the coronavirus?

00:13:50 Caller (Austria): No. Make sure the situation is good.

00:13:56 John Daub: It was extremely helpful. Where you traveling from?

00:13:59 Caller (Austria): Austria.

00:14:01 John Daub: They said the videos are helpful in assessing the situation. Have you traveled around Japan?

00:14:08 Caller (Austria): Yeah. We will leave Saturday to Kyoto and then Osaka.

00:14:14 John Daub: Tomorrow is Saturday to Kyoto and then Osaka. When do you go back?

00:14:20 Caller (Austria): 15th.

00:14:22 John Daub: You're not worried about flights being canceled or anything like that?

00:14:25 Caller (Austria): Till now, not. We are registered by our minister.

00:14:32 John Daub: You're registered with your government who will contact you if it's closed—they contact us.

00:14:39 Caller (Austria): Yeah. Till now, we don't worry about that.

00:14:43 John Daub: So the Austrian government will contact him if there's problems or closures, delays, so you can get quickly to the airport and evacuate back to Austria, which is safe. Thanks for saying hi. Appreciate it. Have a safe trip. Be safe.

00:15:00 Matthew (Seattle): Hello, John.

00:15:02 John Daub: You got the mask on?

00:15:04 Matthew (Seattle): I have alcohol and mask. I think I'll be okay.

00:15:06 John Daub: Thanks for wearing a mask—for my protection. I've been around everywhere. The US actually said stop buying masks—they're for surgeons and medical professionals.

00:15:22 Matthew (Seattle): Yeah.

00:15:26 John Daub: Can you guys hear us now? Tell us, what's your name or where are you from so people get an idea?

00:16:26 Matthew (Seattle): I'm Matthew. I'm from Seattle, Washington. I've always wanted to come to Japan. This is my first stamp on my passport besides Canada. And it's absolutely been great. Despite the situation, everyone's been awesome. The food is awesome. The people are awesome. I went to the Tokyo Skytree a day before it closed to tourists.

00:16:55 John Daub: Oh, is it closed now?

00:16:56 Matthew (Seattle): Yes. I went the very last day. It was one of the last tourist spots to be open.

00:17:10 John Daub: Have you been nervous any time you've been here in Japan?

00:17:17 Matthew (Seattle): Getting off at Narita Airport, they divided people into two sections—from Wuhan, China, and South Korea one line, all other places another line. The line for those was full dressed-up suits, full masks, really serious. The airport screening was very tough for China. But it was the only time where I was like, oh, this is concerning to me.

00:18:18 John Daub: When do you go back to the U.S.?

00:18:19 Matthew (Seattle): Tomorrow.

00:18:23 John Daub: You nervous about the flight or anything?

00:18:26 Matthew (Seattle): No. Honestly, I saw you could reschedule longer, but I got to get back home to my dog and my family and friends.

00:18:43 John Daub: What has been the highlight of your trip besides wearing a mask around town?

00:18:47 Matthew (Seattle): Well, no, this is just for you. I did this the first few days, then abandoned it. I don't know—go around, just don't go to the airport, and then you're like... Actually, there isn't a lot of people reported to have caught it here, so transmission is not high.

00:19:17 John Daub: The chance is low, but that doesn't mean we should stop taking precautions.

00:19:21 Matthew (Seattle): Absolutely. In my home state of Washington, there's like nine travel-related deaths already. It's not like you shouldn't travel here—you're being irresponsible. It's something everyone has to deal with internationally. The Skytree is closed. The hotel had normal hand sanitizer, alcohol—nothing to worry about. The trains are open. I'm a big walker—I walked here from Asakusa this morning.

00:20:41 John Daub: For foreign tourists, it's Asakusa. Should people come to Japan?

00:20:51 Matthew (Seattle): It depends on your goals. If for museums and tourist attractions that are closed, don't travel—wait to reschedule. But if just to see if you can get around, food, wandering, seeing the sights—absolutely, why not? The sites aren't very crowded right now. It's a neat time to be here.

00:21:46 John Daub: The reason nobody's going out is they want to slam the brakes so there's no worry for the summer. Big worries about the summer—that's why they're discouraging. Maybe don't come right now and wait a month or something—wait until we round the corner. I'm so hoping the Olympics aren't postponed.

00:22:10 Matthew (Seattle): Yeah. Shop owners were really proud about the Japanese runner marathon results. Even if delayed, I hope it still happens.

00:22:34 John Daub: Everybody's carrying alcohol sanitizer, tissues, masks. I have a whole pharmaceutical kit.

00:23:04 Matthew (Seattle): Mainly just the masks are so prevalent here. Our government says masks won't protect you—so odd.

00:23:27 John Daub: Doctors wear masks. Follow your own feeling. If worn properly, masks reduce infection when you're infectious and not showing symptoms. If everybody wears them, chances reduce even further.

00:24:04 Matthew (Seattle): Yeah.

00:24:19 John Daub: Most people in Japan wear them because of hay fever. What did you get as a gift?

00:24:49 Matthew (Seattle): I'm still not finished shopping. I got this giant thing for 4,500 yen.

00:25:20 John Daub: Thank you so much. Stay safe. You're on the Discord server?

00:25:41 Matthew (Seattle): Yeah. Thank you so much for everyone on Discord that helped with travel tips and tricks.

00:25:53 John Daub: Discord server is where we're exchanging information. If you're here in Japan or thinking about coming, that's where everyone is going. Stay safe.

00:26:30 Caller (Alaska): Hi.

00:26:34 John Daub: Have you been worried about the coronavirus?

00:26:38 Caller (Alaska): Not too worried. We're using hand sanitizer a lot. We can't buy masks where we're from, so we planned on getting some here—obviously that didn't work.

00:26:53 John Daub: How long have you been here?

00:26:55 Caller (Alaska): Two weeks now.

00:26:57 John Daub: Do you find it really hard to get around? What's it like out there?

00:27:01 Caller (Alaska): Easy to get around. Transport's not hard, except not going during busy times—plan to travel before or after. It was more difficult because we landed, then got news of everything shutting down in Tokyo. ANA was going to cost a lot to change our flight, so we continued. Now it's free cancellations. Finishing up a few days, then going home.

00:27:33 John Daub: Where's home?

00:27:33 Caller (Alaska): Alaska.

00:27:41 John Daub: What's been the highlight of your trip?

00:27:45 Caller (Alaska): Matsumoto Castle. We had a tour guide, a retired tour guide, walk by at night and give us a free tour of the outside.

00:28:04 John Daub: Omotenashi (Japanese hospitality)—it doesn't stop. What are you up to these days? A lot of things are closed.

00:28:15 Caller (Alaska): We were going to Ghibli Museum, DisneySea, Disney—but those shut down. Mainly taking it slow.

00:28:29 John Daub: Do you think people should still visit?

00:28:29 Caller (Alaska): If going places outside Tokyo, yes. No issues outside Tokyo—fantastic. But if Tokyo or major cities, public transportation, maybe not. Hokkaido is tough right now.

00:29:00 John Daub: Look at Wikipedia—it has a pretty good update of the counts. Interactive map of breakout pockets. Outside the countryside is okay?

00:29:21 Caller (Alaska): Oh yeah. We went to Kinosaki Onsen, Koyasan, mountainous areas—fabulous.

00:29:31 John Daub: I called the JNTO hotline—they had no guidelines on public baths and onsens, but be careful of community areas when changing. Inside the bath, keep distance—go at non-peak times. Stay safe.

00:30:46 John Daub: The best way to show you if it's safe is the feeling of the people, what it's like in this area. I'm going to turn the camera around so you can absorb it. Kanai and I have been staying inside. I've been riding my bicycle trying to avoid people. The actual published number of people with this is so low—transmission is low. Some people take it not serious enough, some too serious. Understand the risks—if we don't slam the brakes now, in a crowded place like Japan, it can get out of control fast.

00:32:08 John Daub: The fear is not the mortality rate—you probably recover. The fear is it's so contagious that hospitals will be overrun—no space for babies, accidents, anything. We're unprepared. If you get it, 10-15-20 people could get it from you. Japanese news has been all over this. There's a live house (music venue), music house in Osaka—people from all over the country went, no masks, touching tables, drinking. They tracked it back to hometowns and concentrations. One or two people can create such a net. Japan has been so contained—they're doing a really good job. When the government says stay home, people sort of stay home.

00:34:23 John Daub: Don't touch your face, use alcohol, wear masks. Young people in Japan—stay home. You may not have school, but that doesn't mean you can go running wild. If traveling with family, kids, weak immune systems—do not travel anywhere. Just stay home. Free cancellations on JAL and ANA. Don't forget to subscribe—I'll do these updates two to three times a week. India has invalidated Japanese visas. Kanai can't go visit my aunt there for a while.

00:37:35 John Daub: Here's a list of places closed from JNTO site. Olympic Museum closed February 27th to March 16th. Sanrio Puroland, Hello Kitty in Tokyo closed until March 12th. Harmonyland closed February 27th to March 12th. TeamLab Planets and Borderless in Tokyo closed February 29th to March 15th. Hiroshima Peace Memorial closed February 29th to March 15th. Shinjuku Metropolitan Government Building Observatory closed until March 16th. National Museums in Tokyo, Nara, Kyoto, Fukuoka closed until March 15th. Tokyo National Museum of Nature and Science closed until March 15th. Edo-Tokyo Museum closed. Tokyo National Arts Center closed. Osaka Castle closed until March 15th. Chichu Art Museum in Naoshima closed. Shiroi Koibito Park in Sapporo closed. Lots more in Hokkaido until March 15th.

00:38:50 John Daub: What do you guys think? Still want to come knowing all that? Skytree closed recently—announcements in a heartbeat. Airlines have HEPA filters removing 99.7% of stuff. Flights are empty—possibility of a row to yourself. People flying had their own section, slept a lot, masks on, brought own food. N95 masks hard to breathe—regular masks fine if worn properly. If you have a beard, shave for better seal. Wash hands, don't touch face, stay away from people—you're probably okay. No 100% guarantee except staying home. You get sick from touching stuff, according to WHO and CDC.

00:42:25 John Daub: Check Instagram stories for questions—Only in Japan TV. Instagram useful for location tags to see what spots look like now. Kyoto sites like Kinkakuji, Kiyomizudera, Heian Shrine are light on tourists—good for space. Prime Minister announcement March 10th on if extended or rounded the corner. Foot traffic in Tokyo a lot less. I'm taking my bicycle everywhere, avoiding public transport. Risk is real in the city. Set habits—don't touch face. 90% of Japanese don't wear masks properly—they touch the front.

00:45:44 John Daub: Scary thing in Tokyo: hospitals full, can't deal with heart attacks or accidents if tens of thousands come down quick. Medical can't keep up. Japan's taking right steps—slamming brakes has massive economic impact. Family businesses going out—Yoicon closed, couldn't pay workers. Government gives money if working at company, but freelancers concerned. People follow law and leaders—that makes system work. Young people—get out of karaoke boxes, go home, read a book.

00:49:18 John Daub: Raph—free ice cream from vending machine. Tony P, Castle Mon, Brendan—thanks. Ice cream flavors: cookies and cream, nama caramel (raw caramel), tiramisu. Stressful times call for biru (beer). Luxury almond with caramel—premium. Cheers everybody. Pretty good cone—luxury nuts.

00:53:11 John Daub: Nice view of Akihabara—go past Sobu Line for amazing shot with city in distance, especially sunset. No tour buses—tours way down, lots of deals. JNTO hotline advice: if worried, no protection, think you'll touch face—don't travel anywhere. Japan level two, not high risk compared to neighbors, but wait and see. I'm stocking grocery for two-three weeks, watching trends, hot pockets. If comfortable, do it.

00:57:32 John Daub: Stopped public transport, minimizing exposure at supermarket. Japan published test prices—capacity good now. This hits hard and fast—not enough capacity, even vs. influenza. Slamming brakes gives time to prepare. Leave comments on travel experiences. Japanese media discusses how society stays safe—Western media dramatic. Develop good habits. Japanese think of people around—wash hands, wear masks to protect community. At cherry blossoms, wear mask.

01:01:25 John Daub: Write where you're watching from. Hi to Tom in UK quarantine—hang in there. Update in 72-96 hours. Tonight, struvy (streamed movie) on sake brewery stay in Nagano. Keep comments, questions—Discord for sharing. Met three-four travelers today on if worried about visiting. Thanks for finding updates valuable—Marcella, Betty C.

01:06:00 John Daub: Don't say it, don't spray it. Why you not like? Just wear mask, wash hands. I live here—not going anywhere. Take precautions, stay away from people. If you come to Japan, take precautions. Big love from Japan. See you in the next live stream. Bye, everyone.