Despite requests to close, places like oral sex bars and S&M clubs remain open in Japan with sometimes little more than cursory hygiene measures in place

Dating apps are also more active, with users on apps like Tinder and Grindr reporting many more people on the search for hookups

Since Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced an official state of emergency over the coronavirus pandemic on April 7, the nation’s major cities have been in the eye of the storm.