Japanese Jishuku and the Coronavirus

The power of cultures that have traditions of sharing consideration during times of crisis

It’s October 2020, and there is still no vaccine. Yet I look at what’s going on in Japan, and I look at what’s going on in the United States — two starkly different realities on what normal looks like now.

How did it become like this?

Recalling the 3/11 earthquake, tsunami, and Fukushima nuclear disaster

I was in Japan during the Fukushima disaster, and I remember that day like an American remembers 9/11. It was shocking and devastating, and it challenged my understanding of stability and safety. School was temporarily cancelled, my friends left Japan, I wasn’t supposed to leave the house for fear of radiation poisoning, and in general there was an air of paranoia and fear.

It was during this crisis that I first learned of the term jishuku (自粛). Jishuku is loosely defined as the practice of restraining from fun, luxury, and celebration in consideration of others who are going through a hard time. Then-prime minister Abe encouraged citizens to practice jishuku, to show camaraderie and support for those directly affected by the earthquake, tsunami, and Fukushima disaster. Not just victims, but to show support for heroes as well — while volunteers and workers were going out of their way to rebuild homes and clean up radioactive waste, those who couldn’t…