The past 12 months have certainly highlighted how integral the internet is to Japan.

The outbreak of COVID-19 in February immediately accelerated a shift in focus to the web, with homebound people nationwide spending more time on social media and sites such as YouTube as a way to stay entertained during the country’s initial state of emergency in spring last year as well as a way to remain connected to others.

In the first few weeks of 2021, it’s almost as if Japan is experiencing deja vu. The government has declared a second state of emergency for parts of the country that have been hit hard by the outbreak, all but asking its citizens to stay at home in the evenings and enjoy influencer Naomi Watanabe’s livestream sessions.