Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan announced on Friday that he had instructed his cabinet to reclassify COVID-19, placing it in the same category as seasonal flu, rubella, and chickenpox in spring.
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/01/japan-declares-will-handle-covid-19-like-seasonal-flu/
Despite what they say, I was just there and you have to wear masks everywhere. So that doesn’t seem like they’re treating it like the seasonal flu. You can’t even eat or talk on the phone on public transportation.
If you’re planning a trip to Asia/SE Asia - just stop. The mask nonsense will never end here.
You don't eat or talk in the phone on public transportation there regardless of c19. That is not new.
That is correct. It's etiquette and common sense. Only stupid foreigners would be yapping on their phone on a train. "Hey there. Yeah, I'm just riding the train now and talking real loud to call attention to myself. Boy, I guess I haven't been in Japan long enough to realize that nobody here likes it when people call attention to themselves in public!"
I was just there and didnt really wear a mask anywhere and nobody cared. At least outwardly. That said, yeah, almost everyone was wearing a mask but took it off to sit down at a table or take a picture its retarted.
There were also a large amount of japanese people not wearing them
I live in Japan and I never wear a mask outside of work (I'm a teacher). The only store that cares to stop maskless people from entering is Costco. Nowhere else do I get stopped.