Many people have shelved plans for Christmas this year upon learning that COVID-19 infections have surged nationwide in recent weeks. Record numbers of people have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, causing politicians in major cities to revise or even scrap GoTo travel programs. In the capital, Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike has urged residents to avoid going out in groups, speak quietly in public venues and limit the time spent in restaurants and bars to less than one hour. So much for the Christmas spirit.
However, staying home for Christmas doesn't have to equate with being bored and lonely. If there's one thing we’ve all learned over the past 10 months or so, it's the art of solitude or, at least, spending time with a handful of selected people.
As a result, restaurants, hotels and patisseries are recommending four-at-most gatherings at which the three main components of a typical Japanese Christmas — the dinner, cake and gifts — have been reduced in scale.