Why less COVID-19 in Japan ?

The world is wondering why the number cases of COVID-19 in Japan was far less than the other country despite their society has also very aged population like Italy and having a lots of Chinese visitors ?

The observations made by the net people and me were, (1) Japanese is not a kind of people of hug and kiss but make a bow while standing meters away. Because of they are very conscious about the hygiene, which was originated from their Shinto religion which demand the absolute cleanness. ( Non-Japanese may not know that in behind, they clean their hand with wet tissue after made a shake hand with others, and wash the hand after touch the bank note. —– Taking off their shoes on the door step typify the base line, so does eating the individually served food with a chopstick. ) (2) In the same context, when Japanese came back to their home, first they wash their hand and gurgle with plenty water. Then take a bath to wash off any filth remained on the body. (Then, time to time they visit the Shinto Shrine to cleanse and purify their spirit.)

All those almost imprinted into their subconsciousness level of the Japanese ethos which was avoid touching foreign body or not to have a close contact with it, naturally prevented the spread of the virus from the begining. = Japanese didn’t need to be told to do so by the government but doing it by themselves without even aware of it ! (While having this metality deep in their mind, to adapt the Zen idea of Mushin = Mind of nomind has no dificulty to them at all)

While having even the Olympic Game postponed due to the many of the country couldn’t have their own athletes selected through the competition neither able to have enough training, the effect to the Japanese socioeconomic situation is immesurable.

So far, mentally, the Japanese seems to cope with the situation, but having no income from their closed down shop or factory, life is hard. Now, how Japanese government could navigate this situation is the burning issue. (The situation in China is even worse, in any moment they could have national scale violent uprising started which could disintegrates their communist government.) >>>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b27T9jHMzb8 >>>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLKuStsHuJI >>>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PonD6sTbO3M

——— I received many phone calls from the friends who is anxious about me = thank you very much to all of you = may be I’m the oldest person (except to the OBs of my Japanese Alpine Club) and seen to be the most vulnerable link in the circle though, thanks goodness, so far I’m OK.

——- One of my friend said that he did have the COVID-19 and recovered = when having had it, he said that he noticed that he got his sense of smell and the taste were lost. (and now regained them) = = = So, if you noticed such symptom on top of temperature, coughing etc, it must be the C-19 = Prepare against it ! (either go to a doctor or take a good treatment) —– TAKE CARE !

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Heaven or God ?

I just found those photos in the net and I do know not more than any fact of what the photo was telling us. —– may be the photo was genuine = straight record of the aftermath, showing the remaining gate of the Shinto Shrine.

A person who found the photos must be utterly amazed hence just up loaded to the net.   As I have no information of original source, I have no idea whether the photo was taken by the professional journalist or just a passerby, let alone any fact whether the subject was intentionally picked up (such as the survey of all the Shinto Shrine — and the one / only one Torii kept standing — or one of many) or just a coincidence.

—– yet still, seeing one more photo, they convinced me that there IS something.  Think, you were a person who encountered it on the spot.  Even if you didn’t bend your knee there, you must felt a chill on your back and felt, something like Heaven or somebody like the God is there and showing their providence.  (But don’t blame, why send a tsunami or ask why save only a Torii, not the city.   😀  )

This is THE basis of the Japanese Shinto.  We don’t need a fishy sweet words telling the Next life.  We are seeing and keep feeling it IS there.  Unlike an intentionally created, invented idea of so-called God, the supernatural power, or Heaven IS a part of our native sentiment or so-called spirituality.   (That’s why only few % of Japanese is christian. = To the Japanese, Disney like personified God is a joke that’s why no Christian, still almost all of them believe the Rule of a cause and the consequence / the punishment return by the Heaven = that’s their spiritual Ethos.)  So, we don’t steal, nor riot because we know the heaven IS watching us, or living with us.  We don’t need to be told and learn “The idea of Morality” = we have it.  Idea was an invention in the brain.  Japanese Ethos is a part of how we were born.  (Well, ideally —– we have Yakuza too. (But you know, Yakuza’s own rule is as tight as in the army)   And, if you know them, they ARE also nice people.   Ha ha ha   😀 )

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Lost in Translation

There are quite few Japanese words notoriously difficult to translate into western language. 

Such as  Itadaki-masu (いただきます), Okage-sama (おかげさま), Mottai-nai(もったいない)、and abave all  Wabi, Sabi. (わび) (さび)

Why those words were difficult to translate, was because of that the one’s fundamental conscious to exists were completely different in the west.   Some said that because of the difference between the Christianity and the Buddhism.  But, to my eyes, the cause was much deeper = because of the fundamental difference, the westerner invented God, but the people in the east IS living under the Heaven since the beginning of the time. (so that, even Buddhism adapted the Dharma / Rule of the Universe)  And in the Shinto, (of which Japanese unconsciously follows) naturally follow the Rule of Nature which is almost the same to Dharma though sublimated much deeper down to the almost chemical level.  (That’s why Japanese doesn’t touch other’s possession and wash or clean the hand almost obsessively = so that, they were reluctant to shake hand, let alone kissing others, because they were prohibited to touch filth by the Shinto. —– hence, wearing surgical mask to avoid to breath other’s germ. = some of them even don’t eat a rice ball made by others hand.) 

In the same time, since the Japanese has the deep awareness that they “were Made to exists” by the Heaven, Rules, Dharma what so ever called, when they start to eat, they have to say Itadaki-masu = I gratefully receive this given food and thanks to the food (material itself) who gave their lives to me as well = Japanese are well aware that they are killing the Potato, Beans etc boiled alive.  Likewise, the word Okage-sama meant the thanks not only to the person who gave a kindness to him but also grateful to the Heaven who arrange the meeting. = This is the word to express absolute humbleness. = conscious toward the “Given Life” and thanks to its fate.  And the word Mottai-nai meant “Feel shame to waste the precious resources which has been given to us“.

=== It’s easy to see the point, that the fate of the rice glowing society was governed by the sun and rain = nature, not by a strong hunting, fighting individual. (The western God was conceived as an ancient Hero ascended to the heaven (A legend became myth, then to a religion) = therefore speak same language, and negotiable with a bribe = how humanistic !    😀 )

In contrast to the east, the western’s Ego justify his existence “As a rightful owner of my life”  and have a right to kill and eat, because they were made to be eaten. = thus feel no sorry to a butchered chicken.  Such fundamental difference between arrogant Ego and passive Humbleness couldn’t have the same kind of sentiment, the psych which is the base of each word. = therefore no compatible word could exist.   No wonder a trouble in translation.

I’ll explain the words Wabi and Sabi on the next post with sample photos. 

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