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Tokyo goes dark as Governor asks for lights out in the city to help fight pandemic 【Pics, Videos】

Oona McGee Apr 28, 2021
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Japan’s capital struggles to contain its fourth wave of infections, but are people heeding warnings to avoid street drinking after dark?

Tokyo is currently experiencing a fourth wave of coronavirus infections, with new cases surging past 800 a day. In an effort to control the outbreak, Yuriko Koike, the city’s governor, has announced a state of emergency for the capital, with 17 days of restrictions starting from 25 April that include the closure of shopping malls, department stores, karaoke parlours, and bars and restaurants that serve alcohol.

As the third state of emergency since the initial wave, it’s feared that people in the city are becoming tired of the restrictions and ignoring warnings from the government, so Koike has introduced a new plan to get people to go home, by requesting that businesses implement a lights-out policy after 8:00 p.m.

Koike’s request to extinguish the city’s lights, with the exception of street lights, has resulted in famous landmarks going dark when the clock strikes 8.

▼ The moment the lights go out at Tokyo Tower…

https://twitter.com/poisondog111/status/1386274058489106444

▼ …Rainbow Bridge…

レインボーブリッジ消灯の瞬間。

なお、煌々と光っていたフジテレビは、この10秒ほど前に消灯しました。

意外と従順ですね(笑) pic.twitter.com/HLZdTEfP3c

— すたろ～ん@福岡マイラー✈️ (@stallone_ana) April 27, 2021

▼ …Tokyo Skytree…

https://twitter.com/ytebine07/status/1386999108011913221

▼ …And the main temple gate at Sensoji in Asakusa.

緊急事態宣言初日夜20時
浅草寺消灯の瞬間 pic.twitter.com/kk8ad5ppP9

— SangeJia (サンガジャ) (@sesotin) April 25, 2021

While Koike’s blackout plan aims to drive home the dire seriousness of the current situation in Tokyo, not everyone has been taking the message seriously, with news reports showing the bar and restaurant closures have simply given rise to street drinking after 8.

やっぱりｗって感じなんだけど、#酒類の提供禁止 #休業要請の効果がこちら。
路上飲みという世紀末状態ｗ
これを予期できなかったのか。

企業は要請に従うけど個人は「やめてください」ってTVで言われるだけだもんね。

🗣ホテルのルームサービスでは酒類提供があるらしい( #ホテルニューオオタニ ) pic.twitter.com/ZPvRk0sM43

— mi-ya. 🐈‍⬛✞ 3/15開店🎊BARバステト店長 (@m1yan) April 26, 2021

In busy areas like Shibuya’s famous scramble crossing, the lights go out and the big screens turn off as requested…

https://twitter.com/tujimasqsq/status/1386275981661327364

▼ But it hasn’t done much to stop crowds in the area.

https://twitter.com/OSR24_WAKA/status/1386274217243529217

渋谷歩いてたけど、20時になったらLEDビジョンどれも消灯したし、路上飲みしてる人はほとんどいなかった pic.twitter.com/11RvZFIRuL

— 𝓜 (@mikan_hp15) April 26, 2021

Though the bars are closed, people have been taking to streets and parks to drink instead.

https://twitter.com/tukchok/status/1386309551117373440

Over in Akihabara, the lights have gone dark on big buildings like the one housing Don Quijote and the AKB48 theatre.

秋葉原、夜八時過ぎ pic.twitter.com/34DboHksLA

— ﾂﾙﾐﾛﾎﾞ (@kaztsu) April 26, 2021

While some hoped the darkened streets would bring about an eerie, dystopian scene like this one from Steins;Gate…

え！？灯火管制！？
ネオンの消えた秋葉原行ってみたいんだけど！？

ちょっとしたシュタゲ気分 pic.twitter.com/VgOSHbVVwY

— マイスター@勇者Liand (@Meister0517) April 23, 2021

…In reality, the area is still busy, with people gathering in groups to drink on the street.

緊急事態宣言後の秋葉原、電気街は夜八時過ぎにはお店が閉まって灯りが消えてゆき、いつも通りの週末・日曜日だったような印象 pic.twitter.com/9f8IELYwmf

— ﾂﾙﾐﾛﾎﾞ (@kaztsu) April 26, 2021

Similar scenes have been occuring at Shinjuku, where lights are being turned off in busy nightspot areas like Kabukicho.

東京のネオン消灯のニュースを

見て思うこと…

暗い方がむしろ目立たなくて

路上飲み🍺し易いと思うのだが…🤔 pic.twitter.com/A8iSpCOflJ

— morimori✨敬天愛人✨ (@take_w1197) April 25, 2021

However, people are still gathering to drink, particularly in the paved area outside live music venue Blaze.

日曜午後10時のBLAZE前居酒屋、安定の荒みっぷりです。この時間でもファミマでは普通にビール買えました。アルコール禁止は飲食店だけなのかな...？ pic.twitter.com/Hy27GZs3vw

— こしだ (@osamukoshida) April 25, 2021

City officials aim to put a stop to the street drinking by sending out teams to patrol Shinjuku with placards asking people to stay home and avoid drinking on the street.

路上飲みの防止の前に右端を逮捕するのが先では？ pic.twitter.com/oe3wd8qgQZ

— あまた (@tatatata5737) April 25, 2021

If people don’t heed these requests, Koike might want to consider adopting a harder approach, perhaps by blaring a message over sites like Shibuya Crossing to send chills down everyone’s spines and get them to realise the seriousness of the situation in Tokyo.

路上飲み会してる若者をみた百合子『ス・テ・イ・ホ・オ・ム、わかんねぇのか？』 pic.twitter.com/WgWvZcjPCp

— ビビンバムイチ (@agetatekoron2) April 26, 2021

With the weather warming up and a string of national holidays known as Golden Week coming up this weekend, Koike’s lights-out approach is about to be put to the real test in the coming days. Here’s hoping it proves to be effective in driving coronavirus numbers down, because let’s not forget that people from all over the world are set to descend upon the capital for the Olympics in just 86 days.

Source: Hachima Kiko
Featured image: Pakutaso
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