Photo/Illutration Pedestrians take in the shops along the Nakamise shopping street in Asakusa on May 30, the first weekend since the lifting of the state of emergency in Tokyo. (Ryo Kato)

Life began taking on some semblance of normal again in Tokyo and three neighboring prefectures on May 30, the first weekend after the lifting of the state of emergency for the novel coronavirus pandemic in those areas as well as Hokkaido.

While pedestrian traffic returned to the fashionable Ginza district of the capital, the new normal of social distancing and other public health measures remained in place to avert a sharp recurrence in COVID-19 infections.

Major department stores that closed their doors from early April in response to requests from local government leaders are mostly open again.

One such establishment was the Mitsukoshi department store. The iconic lion statue at the main entrance welcomed customers while outfitted with a specially made face mask.

Inside the outlet, sales staff wearing face shields and gloves called out to incoming customers and asked that they proceed at their leisure to ensure adequate social distancing.

Disinfectant dispensers were set up at entrances, which were limited to just four for the entire department store. That allowed for the use of thermographic sensors to check the temperatures of arriving shoppers.

Those with a temperature of 37.5 degrees or higher were asked to refrain from patronizing the department store.

With all sales staff also wearing face masks, Mitsukoshi officials requested that customers to do the same.

Seals were glued to the floor in front of cash registers so those lining up to pay for their purchases would know to maintain an adequate distance from the person in front.

Merchandise was also displayed with more than the usual space in between as another way to keep down congestion in the store.

But in other parts of Tokyo the absence of foreign tourists was sorely felt.

The famed Nakamise shopping street of the Asakusa district close to Sensoji temple is normally teeming with visitors. But on May 30, only about 30 of the 88 outlets lining the street were open for business.

One gift shop opened for business for the first time since April 8. A plastic sheet was lowered in front of the cash register as a precautionary measure against infections.

A female employee in her 50s working for the first time in about two months said, “There are fewer people than I expected.”

Before the pandemic, she said the street teemed with so many people on weekend mornings it was difficult to get a good view of the outlet on the other side of the street. Some tourists lined up in front of stores waiting for them to open.

“We may have to be patient for perhaps two years before foreign tourists return,” the woman said.

(This article was written by Chihiro Ara and Kae Kawashima.)

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