Every day brings a reminder of how our lives have changed in the コロナ時代 (korona jidai, coronavirus era). Despite knowing that the risk of catching the virus still looms — その危機が私自身にも迫ってきた (sono kiki ga watashi jishin ni mo sematte-kita, the crisis has crept up on me, too) — I’ve been starved for social contact. I recently met up with a former colleague who is now under 一時帰休 (ichiji kikyū, temporary furlough) due to his employer suffering pandemic-related difficulties. Don’t worry, we practiced ソーシャルディスタンシング (sōsharu disutanshingu, social distancing).

Our conversation began along the lines of “ちっともお変わりになりませんね” (“chittomo ō-kawari ni narimasen ne,” “you haven’t changed a bit”) and “お久しぶりですね、お変わりありませんか？” (“o-hisashiburi desu ne, o-kawari arimasen ka?” “Long time no see, how are you getting along?” ). 久しぶり (Hisashiburi, Long time no see) can refer to momentary or longer periods of time depending on the conversation topic. It may be a term you’ll find yourself using a lot as we return to the public sphere.

"どのぐらい会ってなかったかな？" ("Dono kurai attenakatta kana?” “How long haven’t we met up, I wonder?”) comes the reply. “3か月くらいかな？” (“San-kagetsu kurai kana,” “About three months, no?”)