Is the end near

There are talks about removing the state of emergency.  The Japanese government has already removed the edict for 39 of the 47 prefectures.  They say they might remove it for even more prefectures as early as tomorrow.

Using a simple calculation of how many new cases are diagnosed in the past week (less than .5 new cases per 100,000 people), government officials determine if the area is out of immediate danger.

Tokyo is not yet being considered for lifting the state of emergency, along with 2 other prefectures, as our numbers are still too high.

In addition to new cases, government officials are also monitoring capacity to provide medical services and how tracking systems are working (called polymerase chain reaction tests).  I wonder if these will be used to reinstate the orders, if needed.

I am hopeful that we are turning the corner.  But I am also afraid to be hopeful.  My son asks daily if Covid 19 is getting "bigger" or not.  I tell him what I know - the numbers are getting smaller, but we still need to be careful and do our best to not spread germs.

Study more, study harder

Over the past week, we have implemented official homeschooling in our home.  Using the materials and schedule the school sent home has given us direction and something to accomplish.

We start each day with a Japanese lesson and school life discussion, guided by my husband before he starts his work.  I then take over for math, physical education, crafting, and music.  I also listen to my son read a book (he can choose if it is in English or Japanese) and we do a short English lesson.

It doesn't take very long, because the work takes less than 15 minutes for each subject.

When people ask my son what he is doing these days, he exclaims how much he loves homeschooling.  I think he has missed the routine of school.  Although we had a schedule, it wasn't the same as knowing his teacher assigned the work.  Work from sensei is much more enticing than work assigned from mom!

So far, so good regarding homeschooling.  Who knows when kids in Japan will return to school.  But it feels like things are under control now that we've received guidance from the school.

Playing old school

Being at home so much has allowed us to delve into some of the more traditional Japanese children's games.  My son's latest obsession is kendama (ken-dah-ma).

The name "kendama" translates to "sword ball".  This is rather fitting since the toy consists of two wooden parts - a ball and a cross-shaped "sword" - connected by a 16-inch (40 centimeter) string.  The wooden ball has a small hole in one side.  There are cups on three tips of the sword and one spike.  The three cups are different sizes.

The game is played by tossing the ball and attempting to catch it in the various cups or the spike.  Although it sounds easy, it isn't.  It takes a lot of practice to develop any skills, let alone to be able to do fun tricks.

Although many Japanese people claim kendama is from Japan, it actually originated in either France, Greece, or China and came to Japan in the middle of the Edo period (reports vary between 1777 and 1778).  However, the modern version is quite different from the two ended (no cross-section) toy that arrived in Japan so many years ago.

It was first played with as a drinking game (drop the ball and you have to take another drink), but transitioned into a children's toy.  It was actually mentioned in a 1876 educational report by the Ministry of Education that kendamas were being played with in the public school system.  Popularity of the toy has grown ever since and can still be found in schools all over the country.

We've always had a kendama in our house.  My husband can do some tricks that he learned long ago, impressing myself and our son.

Now our son wants to practice constantly.  We don't mind at all because it strengthens hand-eye coordination, balance, and reflexes, as well as entertains him.

Splish Splash

We needed to run to Shimachu (a home improvement store) today to buy a bin for my worms, as well as a couple other things.  Since the weather was nice, everyone wanted to go.  We hopped on our bikes and rode through the park to the store.  It was noon and the park was packed.  The store had a lot of customers, but it wasn't too bad.

As we wandered about, we found everything on our list, as well as a couple other things that we decided we needed as well.  One of those items was a huge plastic tub for our son to use as a pool in our yard.  Since the yard is covered in rocks, he can't use a typical swimming pool out there.  We haven't had one in the past because we've always gone out to splash in fountains and streams around town.

My son has always loved playing in water.  When he was little, all we had to say was "o furo?" (bath in Japanese) and he would go running for the bathroom.  Not much has changed these last few years.  We've had him in swimming lessons, but those have been cancelled for months and who know how long it will be before they reconvene.

Thank goodness my son rode his own bike to Shimachu.  I perched the pool on the child seat affixed to the back of my bike for the ride home.  It is always entertaining to see how much we can balance on our bikes in order to get random things back to our house.

As we traveled back through the park, there were even more people there than the hour before.  Park officials were announcing over the loud speaker that there were too many people in the park and were asking people to leave.  I think the announcements fell on deaf ears, because no one was packing up to go.  Reports of new infections has been really low for the past couple days (under 10 for the past 3 days), so I think people are being really complacent and ignoring the warnings to stay vigilant.  We biked right through and headed home without stopping.

Before we even walked through the door, our son was planning his water fun.  It took a four buckets to fill the tub (no faucet or hose outside, so we have to haul water to the yard using a bucket - even to water plants).  He had a ball, splashing about and just being a kid.

I have a feeling this tub will be used again and again this summer, as he tries to cope with the suffocating heat of Tokyo and I try to figure out when it is okay to venture out into public.

Rainy day

The weather is giving us a run for our money.  Yesterday, it was sunny and 82°F/28°C.  Today was rainy, windy, and only 69°F/21°C.  Tomorrow will spring right back to sunny and 80°F/27°C.  It is enough to make a person feel unbalanced.

But life in general is really unbalanced right now.  Everything is going up and down and feels out of control.

The best thing about rain is the emptiness.  The majority of people stay home.  Being from the Northwest of the US, I have no qualms about getting my feet and shoulders wet.  So, I love walking in the rain and feeling the peace of my surroundings.  Even the grocery stores are less crowded because everyone watches their weather app and they know if they wait for just an hour the rain will be gone.  But me, I'm out there.  Enjoying the solitude.

The rainy season will be here sooner rather than later.  This year, even more than usual, I am looking forward to the arrival of the rain.