Heart in the Time of Corona

To say that the coronavirus has shaken things up in Japan is an understatement. As schools close and companies enforce telework, the threat of COVID-19 is shaping the way we live our lives, transforming the humdrum of the daily grind into a mixture of anxiety and resentment, brewing to a boil just a few inches below the surface.

Amidst the disquiet, some have reacted in unsavory ways. There’s the hoarding of daily necessities that has resulted in shortage of toilet paper and sanitary products. There’s a video of a man causing a ruckus on the train for getting mad at someone sneezing. And then there’s the ramen place that put up a sign saying the shop is for Japanese people only. Needless to say, the looming fear of the coronavirus has drawn out ugly reactions from the public.

Not all establishments have succumbed to the panic, however. Earlier in Februar, I was in Osaka and I noticed that shops along Dotonbori had placed hand sanitizers in visible locations, encouraging guests to use them as they please. At this point I hadn’t seen the same initiative in Tokyo, which is why I was impressed. Instead of driving customers away, they thought of a countermeasure that was both reassuring and non-discriminatory.

Among these shops, one sign particularly stood out for me. Written in 4 languages, the sign tells customers to use the disinfectant as they please. At the very bottom of the sign, it reads:

中国人 加油!!
Chinese people, hang in there!!

Jia you. (加油) The two characters that literally mean “add oil,” is the Chinese equivalent of the Japanese ganbatte (頑張って). It’s a colloquial phrase that’s often used to encourage someone or show support, in cases when a friend is going through something tough and you want them to keep pushing through, for example.

This sign was on display at the entrance of Honolulu Cafe in Dotonbori. Written on a worn out piece of paper with what seemed like a marker that’s about to run out of ink, the sign doesn’t look anything out of the ordinary at first glance. Yet reading the simple words on it, one can only appreciate the generous display of kindness at a time when xenophobia is an easier response.

I’m not Chinese. But as a foreign resident living in Japan, I can’t help but think that I could easily be the target of public resentment if patient zero were Filipino instead. COVID-19 may be a respiratory disease, but the danger it poses doesn’t stop with the body; it brings societal ills out on the surface, the symptoms of which take longer to cure.

Which is why I have much appreciation for Honolulu Cafe’s response to the situation. In a land where people take pride in omotenashi, theirs is truly service with a heart.