Everyday Mobilities of Filipino Students in Japan in the Time of COVID-19
摘要
This chapter investigates the everyday lives and experiences of Filipino students in Japan during the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on findings from a survey questionnaire administered in late October 2020 and two focus group discussions done in November 2020, this study examines how the early stages of the pandemic affected these students as they navigated disruptions that occurred as consequence of travel bans, lockdowns, and states of emergency, among others. This chapter focuses on Filipino students’ lives during the time the pandemic affected Japan in February 2020 up to the end of 2020. This chapter also explores how thinking in terms of mobilities and immobilities can shed light on the everyday lives of migrants and non-citizens in a time of a global crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic. It looks at how the interplay of mobility and immobility is linked and how other forms of mobility play a role in understanding human lives affected by this global health crisis. This chapter situates these students’ everyday lives and practices during the pandemic in the context of national and global processes that have been largely affected by the new realities that emerged out of it.