A number of restaurants in Tokyo have resumed operations after 8 p.m., despite calls for shorter opening hours to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus.
The state of emergency remains in effect in Tokyo and seven prefectures with each prefectural government continuing to ask restaurants to shorten their business hours and to end operations before 8 p.m. However, restaurants are struggling with the burden of rent and other expenses, and many exasperated proprietors are of the opinion that their business can't survive if the self-restraint continues.
Experts are sounding the alarm, citing cases like South Korea, where infections are spreading again although they had been reported to be under control.
After the central government declared a state of emergency on April 7, the metropolitan government asked restaurants to close or shorten their business hours, requesting that restaurants be open only from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. and to stop serving liquor before 7 p.m. The Tokyo metropolitan government plans to pay 500,000 yen to each -- or 1 million yen to a restaurant operating multiple outlets -- if they cooperate with the requests, including closing or shortening hours from April 16 to May 6.
The metropolitan government extended the same request until the end of May. But more and more restaurants have begun operations even late at night since May 7 after the Golden Week holiday season ended.
One izakaya Japanese pub in Nakano Ward had voluntarily closed before May 7, but has resumed operations and continues to serve liquor and food even after 8 p.m. An owner of the izakaya spoke bitterly: "I couldn't do this anymore. I wanted to increase our income even a little bit."
The izakaya had been building up a steady stream of regular customers since it opened in 2018, but in March the number of customers plunged dramatically. After several days of zero sales, the 48-year-old owner was forced to give up his business and plans to close the izakaya in July.
He reluctantly restarted operations to reduce his remaining debts of about 20 million yen. He has to pay 300,000 yen a month for rent as well as salaries to the store manager and others.
"I can't just listen to the central and Tokyo governments' calls, saying, 'Stop operations.' We must live," he said.
A restaurant serving curry and pasta in Shinjuku Ward also began operating after 8 p.m. on May 7. It was open, but shut off the lights on its sign. The restaurant owner, 65, explained that it was "to stay out of sight."
"I restarted my operation because I wanted to make even a little bit of income. But if too many customers are coming, the 'Three Cs' [of closed spaces, crowded places and close-contact settings] may occur," he said.
The restaurant is usually open from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. At first, he opened a couple of hours earlier and closed at 8 p.m. But he said that few customers came, and he stopped opening early.
Since then, the owner has continued operations for about an hour to 8 p.m., and its sales for the past month have been about 10% of the usual level.
He applied for the 500,000 yen cooperation money from the metropolitan government, but the money will disappear after he pays two months' rent. Now the situation is threatening his savings.
"I have a headache, because I need to make ends meet quickly, but I can't risk spreading the infection," the owner said, revealing his mixed feelings.
"However, there was a risk that customers would stop coming to our restaurant, so I returned to normal operations," he said.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
