Jun 23, 2020
Disney - would you go!? Anyone else surprised they're reopening?
I suppose it was only a matter of time. And with several other large amusement parks opening, including their rival USJ, it shouldn't have come as a surprise. But, it has! I am just curious: would you consider going to Disney while the Coronavirus is ongoing? I suppose because it is outdoors (and people will be "screaming in their heart" on the rollercoasters, lol) its probably safer than indoor locations, but... Source: https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2020/06/a2c99f0e3df5-breaking-news-tokyo-disney-parks-to-reopen-july-1-after-closure-for-coronavirus.html?phrase=Disney&words=Disney
Former nickname was "Saitama". Changed it to save confusion on place review posts! Irish, 20+ years in Japan! I also write on my personal website: insaitama.com
Best Answer
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on Jun 24
It's a no from me! I think it's a little weird that the risk of COVID is ongoing, but many places seem to be going back to a business as usual approach. I know that places have to mitigate the costs of jobs/livelihoods with the potential of contracting the virus, but it just doesn't sit well with me. I personally think there's plenty to do away from theme parks! We'll probably just be doing a lot of nature-based things...an old-fashioned childhood for the kids!
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on Jun 24
@genkidesu high five! I feel the same way. All of these rapid changes in the last week have me feeling very ill-at-ease. I think its too much, too soon and a recipe for disaster. And its like - for many - that the equate the reopening of everything to the virus being over...? The mind boggles. Like you, we will be enjoying outdoor locations where we can safely practice social distancing, for as long as it takes.
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on Jun 24
@Saitama yes! That's what I'm concerned about too, I think people will get lax with precautions because they'll assume "hey, this theme park/restaurant/cafe/museum is operating like usual, so we can too, right?" The silver lining is that we are saving money by not going to all of those places. Nature is free!!
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on Jun 24
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on Jun 24
@Bella saw that Tokyo reported 55 cases today, too...the most since the state of emergency lifted :(
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on Jun 24
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on Jun 24
@genkidesu I saw that news item, too. I'm worried that infections will proliferate as people get more lax about the measures to mitigate infection. It's really worrying.
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on Jun 24
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on Jun 24
@TonetoEdo It'll be interesting to see how the rest of the week pans out - I'll be checking the numbers daily, I think...
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on Jun 24
@genkidesu Have you seen this report from NHK? It reports over 900 new cases in four prefectures of Kanto region - https://www3.nhk.or.jp/lnews/chiba/20200624/1080011325.html I'm alarmed and disheartened that the government is so cavalier about opening up when new cases are proliferating, and contact tracing is not cutting it...
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on Jun 24
@genkidesu it’s getting higher and higher >_< i feel a lot of people are getting super chill just because the state of emergency is lifted
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on Jun 25
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on Jun 25
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on Jun 25
@TonetoEdo I hadn't seen that, but yikes. It's hard to deny cold hard numbers when it comes to these kinds of things. I keep thinking about the Olympics next year, and whether or not they'll actually go ahead. I know we're still around a year out from the rescheduled dates, but my money is on it being canceled completely.
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on Jun 25
@Bella I was thinking if they opened up slowly like USJ did, it might actually be a good time for the locals to go. Like if it was staggered - Chiba people only first, then only Kanto with a cap of 5000 people etc etc. But looks like its just opening with very few restrictions and it sounds very risque. And yes, because it is so hot I imagine a lot of people will take off their masks outdoors in particular. I understand that, I think masks in the heat are a bad idea, but then that increases the risk of spreading. All very risky.
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on Jun 25
@ReishiiTravels I totally agree with you. I think this is probably one of the most dangerous periods when some people have their guards down and the opening of borders etc is increasing the spread. News from Saitama yesterday was that there is a case in a JHS and what do they do: close the school for TWO days to disinfect it. Grrr. At this rate we'll be back up at April figures in a matter of weeks.
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on Jun 25
@TonetoEdo me too. Especially somewhere like Disney. NHK news reported at that weekend that a "Saitama amusement park" (I would speculate Seibuen) was back up to 80% of business the first day the borders opened back up. Which implies they don't have any sort of cap on how many people they are letting in. So business as pre-covid? The mind boggles. Its up to the individual to protect themselves now, because it doesn't look like the Government are willing to reintroduce strong measures anytime soon.
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on Jun 25
@JapanRamen I saw footage of Fuji Highland Park over the weekend and they had no special distancing for people waiting to go on the rides. If TDR is the same, it really is going to lead to a Disney "cluster". I envision NHK reports of "creatures of the night clusters" being replaced with "magic kingdom clusters"!!!
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on Jun 25
@Eli I went to Disney Sea once in summer and thanks to the sea breeze that day it wasn't too bad in the park, except queuing up for rides was unbearably stifling! Yes, it probably is best to see how it fairs out. It is a shame, because in one way it would be an opportunity to enjoy the park less crowded, but its definitely not worth the risk.
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on Jun 25
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on Jun 26
@genkidesu With the way the pandemic is going, it looks like we’re in the early stage. Maybe Japan and a few other countries have lower infection rates, but who in good conscience could invite athletes and visitors from devastated countries? I could imagine next year’s Olympics becoming a national or Asian region event if it’s held at all.
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on Jun 26
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on Jun 26
@TonetoEdo exactly, not to mention the close quarters that the Olympics Village would typically have. I think if we see it happen at all it'll definitely be a modified version, like you said.
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on Jun 26
@genkidesu I had no intention of attending Olympic events before the pandemic took hold, so it's no biggie for me personally. Significant participating countries such as the UK and US are seeing horrific death tolls and increasing infection rates six months in, and there is no end in sight. Something to keep in mind is that the Spanish Flu lasted until nearly 1920...
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on Jun 27
@TonetoEdo I wasn't planning on attending either (big crowds weren't my thing even before COVID!) but I can't imagine pumping all that money into new stadiums and so forth and the event not happening. I saw an article saying the cost of the Olympics is the equivalent of $12.6 billion US dollars. You can't put a price on health and human life, of course, but what a year for all this to happen.
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on Jun 27
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on Jun 27
@JapanRamen this made me laugh, because now you've got me thinking of re-naming the Tokyo Disneyland rides in the spirit of COVID...such as: "It's a small world (and that's how a pandemic started)" "Give me Space (preferably 6 feet) Mountain" "Alice's Socially Distanced Tea Party"... The list goes on! Haha!
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on Jun 28
@genkidesu Hahaha those are great! The first one that came to my mind was Sneeze-Splash Mountain, and that was gross lol.
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on Jul 14
29 Answers