Starting April, not with a joke, but with a post to kick off the Okinawa memories. This post in particular is more so to document my personal thoughts and feelings, especially since this trip was the first one ever that we were all so uncertain about.
Okinawa was 3 years in the making. Previously each time we planned to go, something would come up and we'll have to change our schedule and hence the destination. I was beginning to think I would never get to Okinawa until I actually booked our flight tickets with Jetstar. Even after that, we saw news that the famous Shuri Castle was burnt down and that felt like an omen.
In this time of Covid-19 fears, we were prepared to have to cancel our flight at the last minute. In fact, up to the day of my flight itself, we were still unsure as to whether we would be going ahead with the trip. I was worried for my parents in particular, because it seemed like Covid-19 had more negative effects on those with chronic health issues. My father is on blood pressure medication while my mom has a history of poor immunity. I had lengthy discussions with my parents prior the trip, and we noted that the Covid-19 cases in Japan were mainly in other major cities like Hokkaido, Tokyo, Osaka, Yokohama, etc. Nothing was reported in Okinawa. Plus, Okinawa is some distance away from mainland Japan. So we eventually agreed that we would defer the trip only if the following happened:
1) If Covid-19 cases were reported in Okinawa
2) If there was a travel advisory against travel to Japan
And this is also why, you should buy travel insurance as soon as you get your flight tickets. I bought the air tickets end-December, shortly after confirming with my then-going-to-be-new bosses that it was ok for me to fly in March. Bought the travel insurance online the week after we confirmed the flight tickets. Hence when they first announced changes to insurance plans due to Covid-19, we were not affected.
Except, haha, the irony was that the travel advisory came out only after we flew. We boarded the red-eye JetStar flight on 3 March 2020 at 2 am and landed in Okinawa at 8 plus in the morning, Japan time. Japan is only an hour ahead of us, so that's 7 plus Singapore time. It was only that same evening that my brother and friends texted me that a travel advisory was issued that very day itself to defer all non-essential travel to a list of countries, including Japan.
Oh well. Nothing we could do about it since we were already in Okinawa. At that point, we did not have to serve any stay home orders.
So we went ahead with our week in Okinawa, armed with masks and sanitizers, and followed the news and Gov.sg's WhatsApp updates religiously. The other thing in our favour, the Japanese were already generally a very hygienic bunch. The Covid-19 pandemic only seemed to heighten their sense of hygiene. While we did not see many people wearing masks (hurray to a sensible nation), everywhere we went, there were soaps and sanitizers abound. I lost count of the number of times we entered a store or restaurant and were offered sanitizers. My parents were definitely grateful for that.
I also followed the Japan's JNTO travel site which hosted regular updates about the Covid-19 situation in Japan. That's how I found out that Okinawa's famous Churaumi Aquarium was closed even before we flew off to Okinawa. Unfortunately, I only knew about it on 2 March, and it was too late to do anything about tickets that I had already booked. In fact, while we were there, some other attractions that I had planned for, also announced their closures and we had to change plans quite last minute.
My parents and I returned to Singapore on the 10 March. Thankfully, before the pandemic worsened all over Europe and USA. Before all the travel bans were issued and international flights locked down too. This is a crazy time. Had our trip been planned for mid-March or later, even if there had been no advisory, I think we would have cancelled our trip. What a difference a couple of weeks makes. I know of a friend who had to cut short her trip to Hat Yai when it was announced that travellers returning from 17 March onwards had to serve a 14-day Stay Home Notice. She is currently now on self-isolation.
I know this Covid-19 pandemic is going to be around for a while. As I wrote in an earlier post, it's made me reflect and realise that I have been fortunate and privileged, and I have many things to be grateful about. But until then, may we all practice social distancing, be socially responsible, stop hoarding, have good hygiene and stay home and healthy. To you, all your loved ones, and the people around you.
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