Three 'powers' are helping the Japanese in the new normal

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Three ‘powers’ are helping the Japanese in the new normal

Masked crusader: The Japanese are tapping into various 'superpowers' to tackle life following the nationwide state of emergency caused by the outbreak of COVID-19. | GETTY IMAGES

By Kaori Shoji
Contributing writer

Jun 9, 2020

You know when life isn’t awful but it’s not that great either? The Japanese call it モヤモヤ (moya-moya), which includes a vague sense of foreboding that’s in the air right now. Welcome to the 新たな日常 (aratana nichijō, new normal).

Businesses and schools have reopened, but people in Japan are still worried about a 第二波 (dai ni-ha, second wave) of the 新型コロナウイルス (shingata koronauirusu, novel coronavirus), especially 医療関係者 (iryō kankeisha, medical workers) who have been celebrated with surprise fireworks and colorful light displays. How about higher salaries?

To combat this モヤモヤ feeling, I recommend deploying the 三つの力 (mittsu no chikara, three powers) that are currently going viral in the Japanese media: コミュ力 (komyu-ryoku, communication power), 免疫力 (尘别苍’别办颈-谤测辞办耻, immune power) and the extremely trendy 女子力 (joshi-ryoku, feminine power). Personally, cultivating these three powers is one of the few ways I can resist checking in with my phone to see the latest number of infections.