Apr 21, 2020 (Kyodo) - People are still flocking to shopping arcades in Tokyo and other densely populated cities despite the Japanese government announcing a state of emergency nationwide over the novel coronavirus outbreak.
On Sunday afternoon, a shopping arcade in Tokyo's Musashikoyama district was busy with many masked shoppers.
About 40 percent of the some 200 shops on the 800-meter-long street in Shinagawa Ward have either closed or shortened their opening hours, but the supermarkets are still packed with people purchasing daily essentials.
"I do think there are more people compared with other shopping arcades, but it can't be helped as there are many people living nearby," said a 45-year-old woman who bought some instant noodles at a supermarket.
"Many of the shoppers are local people, and I think the outings are limited to essential ones," said an official at the shopping arcade's promotional association.
The association has been taking measures to prevent the spread of the pneumonia-causing virus, including opening the roof of the arcade twice a day for ventilation. They have also canceled major events that had been scheduled to be held there. But it has received an increasing number of calls over the past week to do more or even shut down the whole area.
