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Japanese Prime Minister appears with Gen Hoshino in awkward “stay home” video

Oona McGee Apr 13, 2020
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Abe joins a viral trend, makes people cringe around the country.

With Coronavirus cases now on a concerning upward trajectory in Japan, government officials are urging people to practice social distancing, using the English catchphrase “stay home”.

This weekend — the first since a state of emergency was declared for Tokyo and six other prefectures on 7 April — Prime Minister Abe took the opportunity to show everyone he practices what he preaches, by sharing a video of him staying home to his 1.8 million-plus followers on his official Twitter account.

The video took everyone by surprise, not only for the fact that it rides on the tails of a new stay-home song by hugely popular singer-songwriter Gen Hoshino, but because it shows Abe awkwardly acting out some indoor activities at home, like reading, sipping a beverage, watching T.V. and cuddling his dog.

Take a look at the video below:

友達と会えない。飲み会もできない。
ただ、皆さんのこうした行動によって、多くの命が確実に救われています。そして、今この瞬間も、過酷を極める現場で奮闘して下さっている、医療従事者の皆さんの負担の軽減につながります。お一人お一人のご協力に、心より感謝申し上げます。 pic.twitter.com/VEq1P7EvnL

— 安倍晋三 (@AbeShinzo) April 12, 2020

Despite its awkwardness, the message from the Prime Minister here is an important one, intended for a young audience through the use of Hoshino, who can be seen singing his new song “Uchi de Odorou”, which literally translates to “Let’s Dance at Home”, in the video.

▼ Hoshino, who says he wasn’t aware of Abe’s video before it appeared online, debuted the song on his Instagram account on 3 April.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Gén Hoshino 星野源 (@iamgenhoshino)

Since the original song debuted, Hoshino has been welcoming a number of collaborations from the public under the hashtag #うちで踊ろう (“Uchi de Odorou”) online. The hashtag has now gone viral, with photos of stay-home activities being shared by people — and characters — all around the country.

▼ The mascot for Shimane Prefecture, which had no cases of coronavirus until 9 April, sits at a low-heated table called a kotatsu…

こんにちにゃう！うちで踊ろう／星野源さん×しまねっこにゃ！！(*'ω｀*)ゞ他にも、しまねっこにできることがあったら教えてほしいにゃ。#うちで踊ろう #星野源 pic.twitter.com/CgWHB1lsSR

— しまねっこ【公式】 (@shimanekko_) April 10, 2020

▼ A geisha from Kyoto performs a traditional dance…

京舞で舞ってみました✨

こんな日々やし、皆さんの気持ちが明るくなるようなことをしとおすね❤️

#うちで踊ろう #星野源 pic.twitter.com/iQl6vZCi30

— 嶋原末廣屋葵太夫 (@ayaka8700119) April 11, 2020

▼ And students from Tokyo’s Hitotsubashi University join in with some musical and physical accompaniment.

【うちで踊ろう一橋大学体育会應援部ver.】

星野源さんの「うちで踊ろう」を部員で歌って&演奏してコラボさせて頂きました🎶🎺🎻

とても個性豊かで賑やかな動画になったので、ぜひご覧下さい😆🌈
部員の知られざる楽器スキルも明らかになる、、かも！？#星野源 #うちで踊ろう #一橋大学 #応援部 pic.twitter.com/8TrX079KnU

— 一橋大学体育会應援部 (@hitouenbu) April 11, 2020

The Japanese Prime Minister was the latest in a long string of people to join the online trend, but unlike others, his version seemed to miss the mark, eliciting comments like:

“When will you provide proper financial support to people during the crisis?”
“I’m struggling to pay my rent and utilities at the moment and you’re lounging around at home?”
“This just makes me see Abe as an ordinary old man.”
“Please stop using Gen Hoshino. You’re ruining the song.”
“I didn’t know he had a dog?!”

While a number of commenters spent their time gushing over the Prime Minister’s dog, others hoped the “stay home” message from Abe doesn’t fall on deaf ears. Still, regardless of whether or not the awkward scenes were a deliberate attempt at humour, they certainly managed to get everyone’s attention and, strangely, it might even get more people to join the viral trend and practice what we all need to be doing right now: staying home.

Source: Hachima Kikou
Top image: Twitter/@AbeShinzo
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