How Covid has affected Nagano AJET

Author: Heidi

Don't worry, we're still holding events!

I know what you’re thinking, “the only reason I came to Japan was to take part in Nagano AJET’s amazing events, and now I can’t because of COVID.”

Well, don’t worry! We’re still doing events just with a few changes and precautions. So read on to see how we are continuing to host events while keeping you as safe as we can.

In Person Events

In previous years, we’ve hosted a wide range of in-person events. These ranged from a ski weekend in the winter, to hanami parties in the spring. From Geisha experiences in ryokans to quiz nights in bars. However, since the start of the pandemic, we have had to cancel many of these events, others we have moved online or are still able to go ahead in person with some precautions.

In order to hold events in-person safely, we closely follow the Nagano-ken prefectural government's advice. Firstly, the event will only go ahead if the level of emergency for the prefecture is 3 or below. In the case that the prefectural level is 3 or below, but your area is 4 or higher, we will ask that you do not attend. However, we will do our best for those affected to still be included, for example by live streaming or holding a separate online event.

So, the event’s going ahead! What next? Everyone attending our events are required to bring proof that they are double vaccinated along with a record of their temperature for the week leading up to the event. If you record a temperature of 37.5°C or higher, or experience any other cold-like symptoms, we will ask that you do not attend. During the event, we will also require you to wear masks and social distance when possible.

This past Thanksgiving, we were lucky enough to be able to hold the first in-person event in two years. We carried out the precautions mentioned above, and because food was being served, we added extra precautions in order to make the event as safe as possible. Previous Thanksgiving events had everyone cook together at the venue and serve themselves once dinner was ready, however this year we asked everyone to cook at home and bring their contribution with a list of ingredients. We also had appointed servers who wore gloves to help prevent the possible spread of COVID 19. To no one’s surprise, the event was a big success! Everyone ate to bursting, had a great time catching up, and in some cases, meeting others within the community for the first time. In fact, cooking at home proved so successful that we intend to bring it forward to future Thanksgiving events both with or without COVID as a factor.

Unfortunately, we have had to change our famous ski weekend for 2022 due to the Level 6 state of emergency that was put in place. Instead of a full weekend staying in a cabin, we are doing a day event split into two so that as many people as possible can take part. One half (capped to 15 people) will be skiing and snowboarding at Togari Onsen, while the others will be ice-skating in Okaya.  We know everyone will still have an amazing time, despite the change!

Online events

For the past two years we have been holding online events in order to keep our sense of community, and to entertain you all during these unprecedented times. Unlike our in-person events, our online events are restricted only by technology and our imaginations.

Recently, our treasurer Jonathon has hosted both a Pub Quiz and online Tetris Party. Brigitta, our Hokushin representative, hosted a movie night. An art night was hosted by our president Dara, where you were encouraged to produce and share anything creative, no matter the quality. And Zach’s (our Chusin representative) bar nights are legendary both because of the signature cocktails and the online party games that are played.

We hold online events regularly, so make sure to keep an eye out for any that interest you!

How to find our events

If you are a member of Nagano AJET, we will send you details of upcoming in-person events along with the sign-up forms to your email address. You can also find out details of both in-person and online events on The Nagano-ken JET Collective Facebook page.

And finally, if you have any ideas for an event you would like to see, or have any questions about current and future events, feel free to contact us!