Photo/Illutration People wait in line to take a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward on Dec. 28. (Nobuo Fujiwara)

Dozens of people formed a long queue on the east side of JR Shinjuku Station in Tokyo on Dec. 29, enduring chilly winds as they waited for their turns for a COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test.

Some were with children and others with suitcases, presumably traveling to their hometowns.

The Omicron variant is said to be highly contagious, even though it is unlikely to cause severe symptoms.

I was planning to travel to my hometown this winter. But with the recent surge in community-acquired infections, I began to have second thoughts around last week.

In retrospect, all was well and fine in December two years ago. My “bonenkai” year-end parties extended into bar crawls and karaoke sessions, singing shoulder-to-shoulder with my colleagues.

Back then, Shinkansen trains were packed with passengers headed to their hometowns, and expressions such as “sanmitsu” (the three Cs of closed spaces, crowded places and close-contact settings) and “kurasuta” (cluster) were unheard of.

But last December found the entire nation on edge. COVID-19 cases exploded at an incredible pace, and cars with out-of-town plates were eyed with alarm.

My elderly parents begged me not to come home, and I had to oblige.

When the Spanish flu was raging in December 1919, poet Mokichi Saito (1882-1953), stationed in Nagasaki, penned a piece that went to this effect: “Cold rain falls rarely and the influenza continues unabated in Nagasaki as the year-end draws near.”

The poem evokes images of Saito looking forlornly at the cold rain as the pandemic continues into late December.

Taking every precaution, he also forbade his son to go out during that period, but he himself got the flu in early January.

Through the ages, it has never been easy to find a fail-safe preventive measure against a virus.

Today is “kotsugomori,” the day before New Year’s Eve. There must be a heavy traffic of people heading to their hometowns by air, road and rail.

Next year-end, I hope we will finally be freed from having to think about COVID-19 tests and vaccines.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Dec. 30

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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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