Izumi-no-Mori Park @ Yamto City, Kanagawa: May 14, 2021

 

More than one year has passed since the restrictions on movement and on some activities, such as gatherings in restaurants and visiting theaters, first being introduced.

Staying home is recommended by the authorities; but some exercises are necessary to keep our conditions well. Walking outside is important for me.

 

I visited Izumi-no-Mori Park and neighboring Fureai-no-Mori Park in Yamato City. The city locates in the center of Kanagawa Prefecture.

 The Izumi-no-Mori Park was developed in the water-source area of Hikiji River in the 1980s. Many trees, grasses are reserved and/or planted.

 

I found many birds, butterflies, insects and other creatures in the park.

Many small white moths were emerging in this deep forest.

 

Aquatic plants are also placed.

Many people were enjoying their walks. 

Small water wheel is built along a creek (See the 3rd photo from the top).

I also met across a small hut for bird watching.

This dragonfly has just caught a small butterfly. It was sucking the butterfly’s body fluid.

I found a dragonfly and a bigger butterfly staying side by side. (See the 2nd photo)

 

There were various kinds of butterflies as well as wasps in this tree. The tree produces sap.

 

The Atsugi airbase locates at the south of the parks. The U.S. Navy and Japan Marine Self-Defense Force use the base.

 

Planes as well as helicopters flew over the parks.

 

 

Nogawa River Walk: May 4, 2021

 

 

The Golden Week holidays continue under the emergency declaration.

I had a walk along the Nogawa River in western Tokyo today.

Many families were enjoying their holidays in and around the river.

This scene was taken in the Seijo district in Setagaya City.

 

 

I found hundreds of people in a place. (See also the top photo)

 

Houses stand along the river.

 

There are many birds, butterflies and other lives.

One of the most popular birds is the kingfisher. (See also the 2nd photo from the top)

 

People were waiting for good shutter chances.

 

A kingfisher dove into the river to catch fish when I watched it.

 

I also found great tits.

They walked around and flew away. 

I walked along the river upward to Chofu City.

Gooses were swimming in front of a group of people enjoying picnic.

 

Tamagawa River Walk, Tokyo under emergency declaration: May 2, 2021

 

Tokyo has the Golden Week-holiday season under the emergency declaration.

People are REQUESTED (not ordered) to stay home.

Most people partially follow the request.

Many people refrain from having long-distance journeys, but spend their holidays outside around their homes.

 

I had a walk along the Tamagawa River, which flows between Tokyo and Kanagawa Prefectures. Kanagawa is under weaker restriction than Tokyo.

Many people enjoyed picnic in the river fields.

Trains were running over the people. (See the top photo)

 

Some were playing games. (See als the 2nd photo from the top)

 

Families enjoyed fishing. (See also the 3rd photo)

 

I found many people cycling and jogging on the river banks.

 

Various flowers were open in the river fields.

The butterflies were flying and the birds were singing.

The purple pea flowers were open everywhere.

 

 

 

Tokyo under emergency declaration: April 25, 2021

A state of emergency was declared in Tokyo due to the resurge of COVID-19 infection. It became effective on April 25, 2021 (today).

This is the third emergency declaration following the April-May period in 2020 and the January-March period in 2021.

I had a walk for exercise around my house in western Tokyo.

Some shops and restaurants were closed in the local shopping areas.

Most coffee shops offered take-away services only.

The public library offered only limited services.

Some shops, however, are open midnight (Such shops as grocery store are allowed to do so)

I found many people walking in the streets. There were as many people as there had been in the previous days, I observed. This is a scene at Kyodo, western Tokyo.

The photo left was taken in the Gotokuji area.

The situation (some shops and restaurants close, many people walk in the street) is almost same in many towns around Tokyo, according to news reports.

A year ago, when the first state of emergency was declares, the reactions of the people were different. Many people refrained from going out.

The towns were almost empty. the photo is the scene of underground walkways at Tokyo Station on April 7, 2020.

What happened in a year?

There are no compulsory orders to ban going out in the emergency declaration in Japan. People are only “asked” not to go out for unnecessary matters.

People followed positively to the request a year ago. Then, such requests have been repeated for about a year without showing clear effectiveness. Now, people are less cooperative to the govt.'s requests to stay home – this is what today’s scenes tell, it seems.

The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 is not big in Japan (number of cases per population is about a tenth compared with those in the European countries and U.S.). Still, the number of the beds for the COVID-19 patients are limited. The pace of vaccination is very slow.

Prime Minister Suga explained in the press conference on April 23 that the state of emergency will continue till May 11. However, the terms were postponed from the original plans in the previous two cases. PM repeated to hold the Olympic and Paralympic Games from July 23. He did not answer directly to several questions from the press.

Imperial Palace, Tokyo Station: April 23, 2021

The spring is turning into early summer and the light is getting brighter.

I walked around the Imperial Palace and Tokyo Station.

There were few people walking around the palace, I found.

The situation is same around Tokyo station.

 

The Eastern Garden was temporally closed because of the COVID-19.

 

I found a swallow swimming slowly in the mort.

The sunshine was strong and the sky was blue.

 

This is a scene from the from the palace to the south.

 

Tokyo Station locates at the south of the Palace.

The broad road between the Palace and the station was almost empty.

 

New construction of a new skyscraper is under way in Yaes district, eastern part of the station.

 

The situation of the underground shopping area is changing day by day due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wearing mask, keeping physical distances, and other practices were requested. Some shops restrained the number of the customers to get in.

<Added on April 25, 2021>

The state of emergency was declared on April 25 in Tokyo. Shops and restaurants in the underground shopping area introduced new restrictions. Some shops closed during the period; other shortened operation hours.