AP PHOTOS: Unsettled Tokyo in black and white
The notoriously crowded Tokyo morning rush-hour trains are sparsely populated. Classrooms are eerily empty. Store shelves are bare.
People with gas masks pop up throughout a city overwhelmed by fear of the spread of the new coronavirus, which is altering daily life and casting doubt over the Summer Olympic Games.
Struck by the contrast of the white protective masks against the stark cityscape, AP photographer Jae. C. Hong captured the unsettling new norm in black and white.
An English church in Roppongi no longer asks its members to high-five during Sunday services. Instead, they give a Japanese-style bow to each other.
A luxurious department store in the Ginza shopping district put out an apologetic notice on its cosmetics floor saying that their employees are not allowed touch customers to prevent the spread of the virus.
More than a million kids in the city are free after the nationwide school closures.
A growing list of sporting events have been canceled or postponed or held without any spectators. Sumo is among the last to join the list. Its spring tournament in Osaka held without any fans.
