The OUTLOOK JAPAN: Journal of Japanese Area Studies

Abstract

Japan has been known as a country that believes in mythological creatures such as gods and yōkai. One of the mythical creatures
discussed in this article is the amabie which belongs to the yōkai category. Amabie re-emerged and was discussed by the Japanese
community when the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world, including Japan. This article will try to show some pictures of amabie represented by Japanese society during the COVID-19 pandemic. The images of amabie representation are taken from various articles from Furukawa & Kansaku (2020), Merli (2020), and Printmag (2020). These pictures show that Japanese society strongly believes in yōkai, including amabie, as much as in gods. This belief is getting more substantial during the COVID-19 pandemic that hit Japan. Therefore, amabie came to protect and protect Japanese people from various infectious diseases, such as the coronavirus.