Tokyo’s drinkers drown frustrations over limits

People walk around before getting into a restaurant/bar in Tokyo on Friday, July 9, 2021. [AP Photo/Hiro Komae]

On the eve of the Tokyo Olympics, the government’s attempt to curb a coronavirus surge by targeting drinkers is drowning in liquor, frustration and indifference.

Japan has asked the city’s restaurants and bars to close by 8pm, if not entirely, to keep people from socialising in close contact with strangers and spreading the virus, but the state of emergency hasn’t deterred many. Instead, drinkers moved outdoors, and many bars in Tokyo’s famed nightlife districts are bustling with defiant customers.