Road to Recovery: the WHO hails Japan's fight as "success" (Series 7)

OPINION PIECE BY MIKI TAKASHIMA (Osaka, JAPAN)

May 29th, 2020

As the summer months approach, Japan is "back to normal" after the central government lifted the "state of emergency" before their initial expectations. Most of Osaka's businesses have been operating since the 22nd of May, and with much hesitation, Tokyo and surrounding areas have slowly opened after the 25th of May.

In my humble opinion, the reports of the aftermath of COVID-19 in Japan have been very inconsistent, and for those individuals not well-versed in the medical field would definitely be extremely confused on what the physical, biological, chemical effects of the said virus are at this point.

A little bit of a tangent, but I decided to re-take the California Food Handler Course and Assessment again, a certification course I took while in college at the Collins College of Hospitality Management. This is a professional certification and examination which the National Restaurant Association (USA) oversees, and is free of charge for a limited time - given the challenging circumstance of the Restaurant/Foodservice industry, I think it's a great way the Association is giving back to society. I will post my results after I (hopefully!) pass this test in the next week or two. A great way to refresh my food handling knowledge.

ServSafe Food Handler Certification Course

The Japanese government announced in March that there will be 2 face masks provided for each household in order to help with fighting the COVID-19 outbreak. This has yet to be delivered to my personally, which is again, a bit confusing, given the strong requests and hardships citizens have suffered. Why not rush the job?

Each household was promised 100,000 JPY for financial relief at a similar time, during the peak of the COVID-19 outbreak in Japan, yet actually receiving this rather small amount of money will most likely take much longer than expected.

All in all, the global stage calls for attention with positive feedback from the WHO, where on May 26th, Japan's efforts in fighting the virus are hailed as a success. NHK World's coverage can be found here.

It really is easy to focus and dwell on negative news related to this entire situation, which some are calling a political stunt, a "plandemic", and another way for big pharma to make money. However, what is important is how we can focus on positively moving forward, properly checking the boxes to understand what is going to change in the wake of this so-called crazy epidemic. Is the glass half full or half empty? This is really up to every individual, and what their purpose is in life.

I am feeling a bit philosophical today, so I will share on some past experiences which have defined who I became today and what helps me get through tough moments in life. My business decisions have allowed me to take part in very interesting career moves and meetings, which continues to involve extremely wealthy business owners and investment professionals. I am talking about those who don't ever need to worry about their next meal, any bills, and can simply "exist" because they are "successful". However, none of these individuals look or seem "happy" to me. Think about that for a second.

It really comes down to what makes you happy, and what you purposefully intend to do.

What will you do to "go back to normal" in the next week, month, or year?

Will you let the COVID-19 outbreak take you to a negative or positive "place"?

A good friend of mine asked me how I am doing, since he knows that I used to travel non-stop in previous years. What a good heart he has, for remembering this about me, and it's true - I miss traveling a lot! I am excited that global government stakeholders like the UNWTO are taking initiative to straighten out regulatory rules for each member state to follow as travel standards are revisited and reshaped.

#UNWTO has released a set of guidelines and priorities to help #tourism emerge stronger and more sustainably from #COVID19.

Let's do some forward thinking!

#travelinsight #inspiration #traveltomorrow #fightcabinfever #stayhealthy #tourism #newchallenges