もう10月だよ (Mō jū-gatsu da yo, It’s October already). Not only have I seen Halloween decorations start to spring up, some places are already advertising for Christmas and お正月 (o-shōgatsu, the new year holidays). 光陰矢の如し (Kōin ya no gotoshi, time flies [like an arrow]).

This has been a year like no other. Back in January, I can remember starting to feel the hype of the upcoming Olympics and one of my friends asking whether that new virus in China would be an issue. I brushed away their concerns: 感染者がいるのは中国だけだから平気でしょ (Kansensha ga iru no wa Chūgoku dake dakara heiki desho, The only place with people infected is China, so it’ll be fine), I maintained. I was clearly wrong.

今年の夏は家にこもってばかりいました (Kotoshi no natsu wa ie ni komotte bakari imashita, This summer was just a bunch of staying at home). We have had to adapt to an 新たな日常 (aratana nichijō, new normal) and reinvent ways to experience life in Japan all while remaining mostly at home. That has meant オンラインでしか会えない (onrain de shika aenai, we can only meet with each other online) for now, and I’d really like to catch up with some of my friends in person.