Were you glued to the TV watching the Olympic Games? It must have been quite an emotional rollercoaster watching the competitions—sad or angry one minute and smiling and laughing the next.
The Italian live broadcasts showed all kinds of events in the mornings, but by afternoon they had moved to nothing but highlight reels and prerecorded content. By nightfall in Italy, Japan was fast asleep—so the time difference was really apparent.
And then besides the competition results, weren’t you also concerned about the covid cases? The virus managed to make its way into the Olympic Village despite the rigorous testing protocols, and we still don’t know how that will end up affecting Japan or the rest of the world.
The threat of this persistent virus died down somewhat in Italy this summer, so we began to see foreign tourists around again and it seemed like the streets were livening up a bit. There are always a ton of foreign weddings that take place around Lake Como in the summer, and this year there were more than a few couples who were finally able to tie the knot after endlessly delaying last summer’s plans. The Green Passes (which is what Italy calls vaccination certificates) played a huge role in making the summer ceremonies possible this year. Requiring Green Passes has allowed us to resume all kinds of activities, and there’s no doubt this is and will play a part in getting the economy back up and running, too. More than half of Italy’s population has received both doses of the vaccine, though many people in the south are resistant to getting it—which is causing a national split. Still, you can’t help but chuckle a bit at the fact that fake green passes immediately began circulating. The whole thing is just so Italian.
I went to a rock concert the other day, where I saw with my own eyes a young guy get caught with a fake green pass as the staff checked every person at the door. The kid was flustered, and came up with some excuse about his green pass somehow getting switched with his friend’s pass before bolting out of there. Apparently people are selling the fake ones online for around 20,000 yen, but I’ve heard that some of them are going for as much as 60,000! I’m stunned that anyone would even do such a thing—and can you imagine how hated and cursed you’d be by those who died from the coronavirus?!
Places like museums, incidentally, have recently moved to online ticket sales only. It’s a great thing insofar as it’s allowed them to limit entry and keep the throngs of people to a minimum—so you can really take your time and enjoy the art. I’ve grown to like the peace and quiet so much that I’ve been going to museums all the time lately. When I can buy a ticket online, I’m guaranteed that I’ll have time to deeply enjoy the art at museums that I would have avoided two years ago because of the horrifically long lines. It’s wonderful to be able to walk right in without the wait. They’ve also started moving to a system where you download the audio guide on your phone instead of having to use the museum’s loaner equipment, which definitely gives you a chance to immerse yourself completely in the artwork if you just bring your earphones.
I’m sure that the way we do things will continue to keep changing as we learn to live with the coronavirus.
