a valuable opportunity is being lost

I am disgusted by the many opportunities that are being taken away from us because of the Corona.

At Postcrossing, I occasionally get invitations to do direct swaps, but I am currently unable to send to 108 countries.

See:

• https://www.postcrossing.com/postal-monitor#JP
• https://www.post.japanpost.jp/int/information/overview_en.html

108

is a familiar number to the Japanese (and to Buddhists?). It is the number of 煩悩 bon-no, afflictions. On New Year's Eve, people ring the bell 108 times at temples to get rid of their worries, which is called 除夜の鐘 joya-no-kane.

There are no temples within hearing distance of my house, so I watch the bells being rung at temples all over the country on TV. Some temples, the monks ring the bells themselves, while others let visitors. I wonder what's going on with this too, with the Corona disaster? I didn't get to see it last year.