To cooperate with the Tokyo metropolitan government's measures to prevent the coronavirus from spreading further, some shopping streets in Tokyo began a voluntary holiday on Saturday. Most of the shops in the Togoshi Ginza shopping district in Shinagawa Ward, one of the largest in Japan, had their shutters closed on Saturday morning and only a few people were walking down the street.
Even after the central government declared a state of emergency, the shopping street was visited by many customers on weekends, and Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike pointed out that "nearby shopping streets are more crowded than usual."
With the shops closing voluntarily, taking advantage of financial incentives provided by the Tokyo metropolitan government, the number of people passing through the streets decreased.
Kohei Suzuki, a neighboring company employee who passed by the shopping street, said, "Everday, the number of shops that are closed is increasing. If many of the shops are closed, then there will be fewer people in the afternoon."
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