People walk under winter-themed illumination, lit by approximately 1.2 million “champagne gold” LED lights as part of seasonal decorations, in the Marunouchi business district of Tokyo on December 21, 2020. (Photo by Kazuhiro Nogi/AFP Photo)





Yearend shoppers crowd the Ameyoko shopping street at Ueno for shopping in preparation for the upcoming new year in Tokyo, Japan, 28 December 2020, the last business day of the year. About 1.6 million people visit Ameyoko every year and shops on the street earn one-third of the annual sales in the last five days of the year. A shop owner said it's about 30-40 percent of the annual sale this year due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Kimimasa Mayama/EPA/EFE)





A man and a woman sit in a rest area with a clear dome installed on a shopping street in Tokyo, Thursday, December 24, 2020. A bottle of disinfectant was also provided for the public to use. (Photo by Hiro Komae/AP Photo)





Worshippers visit shrines situated side by side in Tokyo on New Year's Day, Friday, January 1, 2021. (Photo by Hiro Komae/AP Photo)





People gather at Southern Beach of Chigasaki to watch the sunrise on New Year's Day in Kanagawa Prefecture, southwest of Tokyo on January 1, 2021. (Photo by Philip Fong/AFP Photo)





People wearing face masks to help curb the spread of the coronavirus walk around the scrambled intersection at the Shibuya shopping district in Tokyo Saturday, December 26, 2020. Tokyo has confirmed 949 new cases of the coronavirus on Saturday, a record high for the Japanese capital, as the country struggles with an upsurge that is spreading nationwide. (Photo by Kyodo News via AP Photo)





Snowfall at Nagoya Castle in Nagoya, Japan on December 30, 2020. (Photo by KYODO News via Reuters)





Vehicles are stranded on the snow-covered Kanetsu Expressway in Minamiuonuma in Niigata Prefecture, northwest of Tokyo, on December 18, 2020. (Photo by Kyodo News/Action Press via Reuters)





People wearing face masks walk through Ginza area on December 27, 2020 in Tokyo, Japan. Japan announced it will close its borders to non-resident foreign nationals from tomorrow until the end of January after two people were discovered to be infected with a new strain of Covid-19 coronavirus that has begun spreading around the world. The country is also grappling with a surge in coronavirus infections, with Tokyo reporting 708 cases today. To date, Japan has recorded 218,453 infections, 3,052 deaths and 3,052 recoveries from the virus. (Photo by Yuichi Yamazaki/Getty Images)





People wearing protective face masks gather as they offer prayers on the first day of the New Year at the Kanda Myojin shrine in Tokyo, Japan, January 1, 2021. (Photo by Issei Kato/Reuters)





Pedestrians wearing protective masks amid the coronavirus disease outbreak make their way at a shopping district in Tokyo, Japan, on December 17, 2020. (Photo by Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters)





People dressed in Santa Claus costumes ride their motorbikes during Xmas Toy Run parade to rev up the holiday spirit and rally against child abuse, organised by Harley Santa Club, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Tokyo, Japan on December 20, 2020. (Photo by Issei Kato/Reuters)





Pet dogs dressed in Santa Claus costumes are seen on a sidecar of a Harley Davidson's motorbike before Xmas Toy Run parade to rev up the holiday spirit and rally against child abuse, organised by Harley Santa Club, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Tokyo, Japan on December 20, 2020. (Photo by Issei Kato/Reuters)





A woman wearing a protective face mask walks past Christmas decorations, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, at Ginza shopping district in Tokyo, Japan on December 19, 2020. (Photo by Issei Kato/Reuters)





Visitors sit in their cars at a drive-in cinema at Nagai Seaside Park in Yokosuka, Kanagawa prefecture, south of Tokyo, on December 26, 2020. (Photo by Philip Fong/AFP Photo)





An airport staff member is seen at the departure gate of the international flight terminal at Tokyo International Airport, commonly know as Haneda airport, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Tokyo, Japan on December 28, 2020. (Photo by Issei Kato/Reuters)





Visitors wearing protective face masks walk through red-coloured wooden torii gates at a shrine, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Tokyo, Japan on December 22, 2020. (Photo by Issei Kato/Reuters)





A couple of women advertises for PCR testing for COVID-19 near the front entrance gate for Maiji Jingu Shinto Shrine Friday, January 1, 2021, in Tokyo, as people arrive any the shrine to pray for good fortune in the new year. Meiji Shrine in downtown Tokyo, which attracts millions of people every year during New Year holidays and is usually open all night on New Year's Eve, was closed its doors from 4 p.m. on Dec. 31 to 6 a.m. this year to avoid cluster. This was the first time the popular shrine closed its door on New Year's Eve night in 74 years. (Photo by Kiichiro Sato/AP Photo)





People wearing face masks to help curb the spread of the coronavirus visit Sensoji temple on New Year's Eve in Tokyo Thursday, December 31, 2020. On the New Year's Eve, the shopping street is crowded by last minute shoppers who look for ingredients for “osechi” or Japanese traditional New Year dishes. (Photo by Hiro Komae/AP Photo)





A girl with her family members hangs her “ema” board with her wish written on it in Yushima Tenmangu shrine in Tokyo on New Year's Day, Friday, January 1, 2021. (Photo by Hiro Komae/AP Photo)