Photo/Illutration A long line forms in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward on Aug. 28 as young people seek to get vaccinated against COVID-19. (The Asahi Shimbun)

When people stand waiting in a long line, it can either be a good or bad thing, depending on where the line is formed and what the people are waiting for.

If it's in front of a store, it's proof of the popularity of the merchandise the people have come to buy, and the store operator would want the entire world to know.

When McDonald's released a new burger in 2008, it attracted such a long line that it made news headlines. Later, however, it came to light that the fast food giant had paid for shills to stand in line.

Perhaps the worst kind of line for any bank is that of their customers making a run on it.

In the financial crisis triggered by the collapse of the asset-inflated economy in the early 1990s, some banks had hordes of scared depositors waiting outside in line to withdraw their savings. In some cases, they were reportedly led inside the bank buildings so their presence outside wouldn't cause further panic to passers-by.

The latest unwanted line occurred on Aug. 27, the day the Tokyo metropolitan government opened a walk-in COVID-19 vaccination center for young people in the capital's Shibuya district.

Since the government must have anticipated a substantial crowd on the occasion, perhaps the officials wanted to showcase it to the rest of the nation as proof of their initiative to encourage young people to get their jabs.

But it turned into an embarrassing fiasco.

The first-day supply of vaccines for 200 people proved to be far too inadequate for the size of the crowd that showed up, revealing Tokyo's pathetic lack of foresight.

On the second day, the government switched to a lottery system.

But then, why even make everyone come to the center in the first place, when these young people are perfectly capable of making appointments digitally on their smartphones--quite unlike their hopelessly digitally challenged elders?

Come to think of it, the pandemic has been generating all sorts of lines.

Shoppers and diners are asked to wait outside in line to avoid crowding inside. And to get vaccinated, we are made to wait for our turns amid mounting impatience and frustration.

The order of priority, starting with health care workers, then seniors and so on, is understandable. But I cannot help feeling miffed that vaccinations have proceeded much faster in other nations.

But the worst are the long lines of COVID-19 patients awaiting hospitalization. There are reports of people being transported in ambulances, only to be brought back home after futile attempts at finding hospitals that would take them in.

This is the fragility of Japan's health care system I wish I'd never been made to see.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Aug. 31

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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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