Businesses that support the game of table tennis by providing people a place to play have been struggling due to the new coronavirus epidemic in Japan, with many owners forced to close their doors.
Naomitsu Uda is one owner who has decided to temporarily shut down his operation due to the pneumonia-causing virus. His club located in the western Tokyo city of Chofu, which only opened in February, has about 40 members.
"I wonder how many more months this will last," said the 49-year-old Uda, whose 18-year-old son Yukiya won his first national championship in January.