Wednesday’s issue of the Asahi Shimbun newspaper has a heartfelt message from Doraemon, the time-traveling robot cat. The message is translated approximately into English as follows:
Because you stayed at home
Because you made sure to wash your hands
Because you thought of your family
Because you and your friends supported each other
Because you were kind
Because you helped the ill
Because you worked for all our sakes
Because you never gave up on the future
It will be okay. The future is healthy.
The message is part of a broader initiative from the Fujiko F. Fujio Museum called “Doraemon Stay Home Project,” which encourages people to self-isolate in order to curb the spread of COVID-19. The project so far has involved releasing chapters of the Doraemon manga for free, as well as an online game, coloring pages, study guides, smartphone and PC-compatible wallpapers, and background images to use for video calls. Going forward, the project will distribute free posters to display at shops and restaurants, as well as more images for video calls.
The free content can be downloaded or accessed from the project’s official website.
Sources: Asahi Shimbun newspaper (April 29), The Mainichi Shimbun’s Mantan-Web, press release