Tourist spots and large-scale commercial facilities resumed their weekend operations Saturday in Tokyo and eight other prefectures where the latest state of emergency ended on June 20, instituting thorough COVID-19 measures as they opened their gates.
In Nagoya, the Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens welcomed weekend visitors for the first time in nearly a month. Patrons could be seen forming socially distanced lines in front of animal enclosures housing the park's popular lions and red pandas, as a message played over a PA system, reminding visitors to keep ample space between themselves and others.
"My daughter has been begging me [to visit the zoo], and the chance finally came," said Masashi Mori, a 47-year-old company employee from Nagoya who was there with his 3-year-old daughter in tow. "It's nice to be outdoors where there is no need for ventilation."
On the same day, observation decks of the Tokyo Skytree, one of the major tourist attractions in Tokyo, also reopened for weekend business for the first time in about two months. About 50 people lined up for tickets before the facility opened at 10 a.m.
"It's a step forward as we are finally able to open on Saturdays and Sundays when there are many visitors," a spokesperson said. "We want to take thorough measures to prevent infections so that people can spend their time with peace of mind."
Department stores in Tokyo were able to resume weekend operation of all sales floors on Saturday. "There are many customers who visit department stores to enjoy window shopping," said a spokesperson for a major department store in the capital, which reopened its high-end jewelry section on a weekend for the first time in about two months. "As the store is back to full force, business will pick up."
-- Foot traffic in Ginza up 13%
Foot traffic in major commercial areas in Tokyo and the prefectures of Aichi, Osaka and Fukuoka increased by margins ranging from 10% to 50% on Saturday -- as compared to under the state of emergency one week earlier on June 19 -- according to data from NTT Docomo, Inc.'s Mobile Spatial Statistics, which estimates foot traffic based on smartphone location information.
A week-on-week comparison of foot traffic at 4 p.m. on both days showed an increase in Saturday crowds in prime destinations around Tokyo: 13% in the Ginza district, 10% at Shinjuku Station and 7% on Shibuya's Center-Gai street. Footfall at Hakata Station in Fukuoka Prefecture and Nagoya Station in Aichi Prefecture rose 19%, while the figure jumped 57% in the Umeda area in Osaka City over the same period.
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