Photo/Illutration  All Nippon Airways aircraft at Narita Airport in Chiba Prefecture on Oct. 25 (Takehiro Tomoda)

In his collection of essays titled “Tabi no Tsubakuro” (Traveling swallow), author Kotaro Sawaki cites musician Yosui Inoue’s comment to the effect, “I sometimes wonder where to go after I arrive at Narita Airport.”

An air ticket, purchased on a whim right before leaving on a trip, must cost a bundle. But the freedom of movement that comes with it is nothing short of enviable.

Although I am nowhere as fortunate as Inoue, I can certainly say that air travel has become much easier and more affordable than before.

But that, of course, has changed completely since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Airlines have been hurt badly by drastic drops in passenger numbers. ANA Holdings Inc. is projected to post a record net loss in excess of 500 billion yen ($4.9 billion) for fiscal 2020.

Aside from salary cuts, ANA Holdings is trying to stem the flow of red ink by resorting to measures such as transferring some employees to supermarkets and selling off planes from its fleet.

Other carriers must be in a similar predicament.

Economic globalization has been sustained by fast and cheap internet communications, plus the movement of people across national borders.

The former has been flourishing amid the spreading pandemic, while the latter has come to a virtual halt.

People were forced to make do with online communications when they could no longer take overseas business trips in person.

I doubt air travel will ever fully return to what it was before the pandemic, even after the global crisis has peaked.

But there are things you cannot know just from the images and sounds you pick up from your laptop.

You notice certain things only when you meet with someone in person during a trip, whether for business or pleasure.

Although I am not a frequent traveler as such, the thought of being unable to travel abroad makes me really want to go.

A poem by Sakutaro Hagiwara (1886-1924) goes, “I want to go to France/ But France is so far away."

This was written 100 years ago. And here I am, experiencing the same ache the poet must have felt.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Oct. 28

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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.

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