Photo/Illutration Visitors tour the former Nara Prison, built in 1908, in Nara in November. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

When you ask someone where they would prefer to be when they need to focus on studying, the answer may be a library or coffee shop, not their home.

Well, there’s one ideal place some would vouch for, although their chances of getting there would be pretty slim: The slammer.

Sakae Osugi (1885-1923), an anarchist of the Taisho Era (1912-1926), was jailed multiple times. He devoted many of his hours behind bars to studying foreign languages.

With his slogan of “one language per prison term,” he started with Esperanto and went on to teach himself Italian and German.

In his book “Gokuchuki” (Prison memoirs), Osugi noted that after about six months, he was able to understand much of what he read without a dictionary.

While serving a longish sentence of 30 months, he added anthropology and sociology to his subjects.

Observing that he could never read too many books, Osugi wrote, “I began to hope, seriously, if I could have my sentence extended by another six months.”

He certainly didn’t lose his sense of humor, even in adversity.

The government on April 16 expanded the state of emergency to the entire nation.

We now have no choice but to stay at home. We might as well forget about outings during the holiday-studded Golden Week.

So, it may not be a bad idea to try to channel Osugi's experiences in prison to your own situation.

If there is a tome you’ve never finished or an epic novel you’ve long thought of reading someday, now is a good time to go for it.

Or how about bracing for the entire Bible or all the chapters of “Genji Monogatari” (The Tale of Genji)?

Perhaps some people have already started learning a new language or studying for a certain license.

But how long is our sentence--I mean, self-restraint period--going to last?

A U.S. researcher predicts that stay-home orders and other restrictions will have to be enforced intermittently until 2022 if the pandemic is to be brought under control.

One thing appears certain. We would be better off to believe that self-restraint will continue beyond the government target of May 6. 

--The Asahi Shimbun, April 18

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.