International tourists travel to Japan, spend big at top tourist spots in Tokyo - SoraNews24

First weekend following new entry procedures sees foreign visitors picking up loads of bargains, thanks to the weak yen.

After closing its borders to international tourists due to the pandemic and the rapid spread of the Omicron variant, Japan has been making small but positive steps towards reopening the country again. 

Back in June, the Japanese government increased inbound traveller caps from 10,000 to 20,000 a day, and abolished the need for proof of vaccination and PCR testing for certain countries. The only catch was that visitors needed to be part of a supervised tour group, which wasn’t ideal for a lot of people, both in terms of expense and the restrictions it put on the places they could visit. 

However, that all changed on 7 September, when a new raft of changes came into effect, with inbound caps being raised to 50,000 and the abolishment of the supervised tour group requirement. While travellers are now required to book their travel as a package tour, this affords visitors greater freedom over where they can travel, and the amount of time they can spend at their chosen locations.

For many travellers, the locations they most want to visit are Japanese stores, not just for the items they’ve long been waiting to purchase, but the chance to purchase them at super cheap prices, given that the yen is the weakest it’s been in 24 years.

Some of the travellers who took advantage of the low yen on the first weekend after the new travel requirements came into effect arrived from countries as varied as England, Saudi Arabia, and Latvia, as this following news report shows, and they all have one thing in common — wallets full of cash with which to go shopping.

As the above report shows, travellers have been stocking up on anime goods, souvenirs, and even bottles of sesame oil. One gent in particular, from Singapore, tells the reporter that he spent 1.4 million yen (US$9774.69) that day. His haul includes expensive Louis Vuitton bags and top-shelf whiskey, which he says are much cheaper to buy here, given the weak yen, as it would cost him three times as much to buy the same items back home. 

A couple of American tourists in Tokyo’s otaku mecca of Akihabara can be seen buying a One Piece figurine and DVD, before dropping 3,000 yen ($20.93) on a UFO catcher machine at a local game centre and then 4,400 yen on a Gundam model. They also go on to purchase half-a-dozen anime-related goods that come to a total of 21,200 yen, and they were clearly thrilled with their shopping trip, saying it was easy to buy a lot of things as the current conversion rate made the price of everything so cheap. 

Even buying a Japanese-style engagement ring or wedding ring is surprisingly affordable if you’re converting American dollars to yen at the moment, with one jewellery store in Ginza saying they’ve seen an uptick in foreign customers already. 

With foreign tourists spending big on the first weekend since the new entry changes came into effect, Japan can expect to see a huge surge in spending once the country finally reopens its borders without restrictions. According to government sources, it shouldn’t be long before that happens, with an official announcement from Prime Minister Kishida expected to be just days away. 

Sources: YouTube/ANNnewsCH via Yahoo! Japan, Hachima Kikou
Top image: Pakutaso
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2022-09-20 17:33:59Z
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2 people given undiluted Covid-19 vaccine at Hougang clinic, 1 discharged after hospitalisation - The Straits Times

SINGAPORE - Two adults were each given a full vial of the undiluted Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine at a clinic in Hougang on Sept 15.

Responding to queries, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Tuesday that one of them was hospitalised after experiencing a headache and an increased heart rate, and has since been discharged.

The other patient did not report any adverse reaction.

The MOH said it was alerted to the incident on Sept 19 and that both individuals were given the vaccine at ProHealth Medical Group @ Hougang.

Each full vial of the undiluted vaccine contains five doses' worth.

Said the Health Ministry: "MOH takes a serious view of this incident and is carrying out a thorough investigation.

"The clinic and doctor who administered the vaccine have been suspended from the National Vaccination Programme until further notice."

The Straits Times has asked MOH when the hospitalised patient was discharged, and what members of the public should do if they suspect they have been given an undiluted dose of the vaccine.

There have been previous incidents of the wrong Covid-19 vaccine dosage being administered to patients.

A staff member at the Singapore National Eye Centre was given five doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in one injection on Jan 14 last year.

The centre said later that the mistake arose from human error after a lapse in communication among members of the vaccination team.

It said the worker in charge of diluting the vaccine had been called away to attend to other matters before it was done.

A second staff member had then mistakenly thought the undiluted dose in the vial was ready to be administered.

The error was discovered within minutes of the vaccination.

In another incident, 117 patients and staff at Bukit Merah Polyclinic were given around one-tenth the recommended dose between Oct 20 and Oct 22 last year, requiring replacement doses.

In this case, the error was reportedly the result of a mistake in identifying markings on new syringes.

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2022-09-20 12:44:04Z
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China Mortgage Boycotts Grow as Homebuyers Regroup On GitHub's WeNeedHome - Bloomberg

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China Mortgage Boycotts Grow as Homebuyers Regroup On GitHub's WeNeedHome  BloombergView Full coverage on Google News
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2022-09-20 07:09:03Z
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Farewell to the queen: Emotional crowds line streets of London and Windsor - CNA

LONDON/WINDSOR: Vast crowds gathered in London and Windsor for Queen Elizabeth II's state funeral watched the grand procession in silence and awe on Monday, as some wept, others clutched one another for support, and some held up their children to view 'the making of history'.

In central London where the funeral began, tens of thousands lined the streets around Westminster Abbey, the Mall - the elegant avenue leading up to Buckingham Palace - and Hyde Park. Many had camped overnight or arrived in the chilly early hours.

At the first sight of the queen's coffin being borne to Westminster Abbey, a hush fell over the crowds, who followed the funeral service on large television screens or from a radio broadcast on loudspeakers.

Many said the scale and pageantry of the funeral captured how they felt and was a fitting goodbye to the queen, who died on Sep 8 aged 96. She had been on the throne for 70 years, and most Britons have known no other monarch.

"I find it hard to express in words what we just witnessed. This was really special and memorable," said Camilla Moore, 53, from Nottingham, after watching the funeral service in London. "It was terribly sad. So very, very sad. The end of an era."

Chloe Jesson, 59, had travelled south from Manchester and said she found the ceremony emotional.

"You felt the sadness for the country and her family. At the same time it was a celebration of her life ... I occasionally cried, but I was never sad, if that makes any sense," she said.

"The best thing was there were people from all walks of life, each race and religion and everyone came here to celebrate."

After the service, the queen's coffin was taken on a gun carriage, escorted by her family and thousands of soldiers dressed in ceremonial finery, past her Buckingham Palace home and on to Wellington Arch at Hyde Park Corner, to the strains of funeral marches.

From there, it was placed on a hearse and driven to Windsor Castle, west of London. The queen will be at the castle, in the King George VI Memorial Chapel.

Hundreds of thousands of well-wishers lined the route, throwing flowers, cheering and clapping as it passed from the city to the English countryside that she so loved much.

John Ellis, 56, an army veteran, came from Portsmouth to Windsor, and watched the services from Long Walk, the 3-mile-long avenue that sweeps to Windsor Castle through Windsor Great Park.

"It's been a moving day. I've been struck by the reverence of everybody throughout," he said.

"My own emotions were mixed, up and down... The most moving moment I think was when the hearse went past. I was really struck by the silence. Especially with all the bands there, I thought there was going to be lots of music and fanfare and there wasn't, there was just silence."

As the funeral procession drew close to the castle, even the queen's beloved pony and corgis were taken out to watch.

"A LOVING AND CARING PERSON"

Colin Sanders, 61, a retired soldier who had come to London from North Yorkshire to bid farewell to the queen, struggled to hold back tears listening to the ceremony on the Mall.

"It felt like we were there and part of it ... it was very moving," he said.

"I knew I'd well up ... She's like your grandma, a loving and caring person. She said she'd serve the country and that's what she did."

It was Britain's first state funeral since 1965, when World War II leader Winston Churchill was afforded the honour.

More than an hour before the funeral service began all viewing areas in central London were declared full. Authorities had said they expected up to a million people might travel to the capital.

Melanie Odey, 60, a teacher, had camped out in a tent with her daughters and grandchildren after arriving on Sunday afternoon.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be part of history, to pay your respects," she said.

Some in the crowds were silent and sombre, dressed in black. Others wore bright colours and said they wanted to celebrate the queen's life.

Anna Kathryn from Richmond, in southwest London, had never met or seen the queen. Yet she said her family felt they had a personal tie with her.

"It is like we have had a death in the family, we couldn't miss this," she said. "She was such a bright spot in everyone's lives and now it feels like that light has gone out."

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2022-09-19 19:13:39Z
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With pomp and sorrow, world bids final farewell to Queen Elizabeth II - CNA

The Lord Chamberlain, the most senior official in the royal household, then broke his "Wand of Office", signifying the end of his service to the sovereign, and placed it on the casket which then slowly descended into the royal vault.

As the congregation sang God Save the King, King Charles, who faces a huge challenge to maintain the appeal of the monarchy as economic hardship looms in Britain, appeared to be fighting back tears.

It was in the same vast building that the queen was photographed alone, mourning her husband of 73 years, Prince Philip, during the pandemic lockdown, reinforcing the sense of a monarch in sync with her people during testing times.

Later on Monday evening, in a private family service, the coffins of Elizabeth and Philip, who died last year aged 99, were moved from the vault to be buried together in the same chapel where her father, King George VI, mother, and sister, Princess Margaret, also rest.

"ABUNDANT LIFE"

At the state funeral, Welby told those present that the grief felt by so many across Britain and the wider world reflected the late monarch's "abundant life and loving service".

"Her late majesty famously declared on a 21st birthday broadcast that her whole life would be dedicated to serving the nation and Commonwealth. Rarely has such a promise been so well kept," Welby said.

Music that played at the queen's wedding in 1947 and her coronation six years later again rang out. The coffin entered to lines of scripture set to a score used at every state funeral since the early 18th century.

After the funeral, her flag-draped casket was pulled by sailors through London's streets on a gun carriage in one of the largest military processions seen in Britain, involving thousands of members of the armed forces dressed in ceremonial finery.

They walked in step to funeral music from marching bands, while in the background the city's famous Big Ben tolled each minute. Charles and other senior royals followed on foot.

The casket was taken from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch and transferred to a hearse to travel to Windsor, where more big crowds waited patiently.

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2022-09-19 16:53:00Z
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Queen Elizabeth's coffin starts journey to final resting place - CNA

"INVINCIBLE"

Elizabeth died on Sep 8 at her Scottish summer home, Balmoral Castle.

Her health had been in decline, and for months the monarch who had carried out hundreds of official engagements well into her 90s had withdrawn from public life.

However, in line with her sense of duty she was photographed just two days before she died, looking frail but smiling and holding a walking stick as she appointed Liz Truss as her 15th and final prime minister.

Such was her longevity and her inextricable link with Britain that even her own family found her passing a shock.

"We all thought she was invincible," Prince William told well-wishers.

The 40th sovereign in a line that traces its lineage back to 1066, Elizabeth came to the throne in 1952, Britain's first post-imperial monarch.

She oversaw her nation trying to carve out a new place in the world, and she was instrumental in the emergence of the Commonwealth of Nations, now a grouping comprising 56 countries.

When she succeeded her father George VI, Winston Churchill was her first prime minister and Josef Stalin led the Soviet Union. She met major figures from politics to entertainment and sport including Nelson Mandela, Pope John Paul II, the Beatles, Marilyn Monroe, Pele and Roger Federer.

Despite being reputedly 1.6m tall, she dominated rooms with her presence and became a towering global figure, praised in death from Paris and Washington to Moscow and Beijing. National mourning was observed in Brazil, Jordan and Cuba, countries with which she had little direct link.

"People of loving service are rare in any walk of life," Welby said during the funeral. "Leaders of loving service are still rarer. But in all cases, those who serve will be loved and remembered when those who cling to power and privileges are long forgotten."

The tenor bell of the Abbey - the site of coronations, weddings and burials of English and then British kings and queens for almost 1,000 years - was due to toll 96 times.

Among the hymns chosen for the service were The Lord's my Shepherd, sung at the wedding of the queen and her husband Prince Philip in the Abbey in 1947.

In addition to dignitaries, the congregation includes those awarded Britain's highest military and civilian medals for gallantry, representatives from charities supported by the queen, and those who made "extraordinary contributions" to dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.

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2022-09-19 10:57:00Z
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Queen Elizabeth's funeral ends with 2-min silence, coffin makes way through London to Windsor - The Straits Times

The Lord Chamberlain, the most senior official in the royal household, will break his "Wand of Office", signifying the end of his service to the sovereign, and place it on the casket.

It will then be lowered into the royal vault as the Sovereign’s Piper plays a lament, slowly walking away until music in the chapel gradually fades.

Later in the evening, in a private family service, the coffin of Elizabeth and her husband of more than seven decades Prince Philip, who died last year aged 99, will be buried together at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, where her parents and sister, Princess Margaret, also rest.

“We’re so happy you’re back with Grandpa. Goodbye dear grannie, it has been the honour of our lives to have been your granddaughters and we’re so very proud of you,” grandchildren Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie said. AFP, REUTERS

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2022-09-19 09:28:39Z
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