This morning I woke up ready to go. Well, go outside that is. While I packed a picnic, my boys got everything else ready for a day at the park. We got out the door and walked to the park.
The cherry blossoms have not made a huge appearance, so I was not expecting very big crowds. Although, Hikarigaoka Park is a pretty popular destination every weekend, so a crowded park isn't unusual. Despite the government encouragement of social distancing, there were lots of families in Hikarigaoka Park. However, I did notice the groups were mostly smaller in size. I only really noticed one group that was obviously several families. Most of the park goers were in small groups, consisting of 2 to 5 people.
We had a lovely day at the park. By the time we headed home, we had spent 6 glorious hours in the sunshine.
As we headed out of the park, we spotted a large sign that encouraged social distancing.
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| "To prevent the spreading of Covid-19 virus, parties including eating and drinking is highly not recommended" |
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"However, this does not mean we are not recommending picnics with families.
Due to the current Coronavirus situation, avoid forming large crowds. Still enjoy your picnic."
Translation = If you're a family, go ahead and have a picnic. But if you're a group of friends, abstain.
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While I do think that people were doing a good job of this today, it will be interesting to see how if they are able to stay strong as the cherry blossoms reveal themselves. It is a huge part of Japanese culture to picnic under the beautiful pink trees each year. The annual celebration welcomes spring and gets people out of hibernation (ha, ha).
But with Covid-19, the government is deterring people from crowding into parks and packing pathways in search of the glorious sight. Will people listen? Time will tell. I hope for the health of Japan, they heed this important advice.
My husband heard other local parks were packed today. That is pretty disheartening.
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