TOKYO, Japan — Captain Damion Lowe says it was a big relief that his teammates were able to get outside on Tuesday to loosen up after two days of gruelling air travel and hotel lockdown.

The small group of Reggae Boyz that flew into Tokyo from Kingston and various points in the USA on Monday night took to the field for the first time for a short workout at a facility located almost an hour from the Hilton Narita Hotel, the team’s temporary base here.

Subjected to strict protocol edicts, the Jamaicans are ordered to remain inside their hotel and will only be allowed outside for controlled movement to training and matches.

Japan, the east Asian country of 126 million, has responded with State-imposed counter measures to a fourth wave of the novel coronavirus outbreak.

On the drive in from the Narita International Airport to the nearby hotel, the streets were noticably bare of people and motor vehicles as tight curfews keep movement in check.

At the time of writing, Japan has registered 747,000 cases and 13,006 deaths, striking figures that have the Japanese people clamouring for the cancellation of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

That’s the reality that the Reggae Boyz have found themselves in as they plan to engage Serbia on Sunday in Miki, Hyogo, and Japan’s Olympic team on June 12 at Toyota Central Park in two friendly internationals.

A third game against Japan’s senior national team slated for Thursday, June 3, has been cancelled.

Lowe, who plays his club football in Egypt, said the outdoor workout was “to get lactic acid and the jet lag out of the body”.

“It was to get the muscles moving, get the brain stimulated. Travelling for two days, it is always good to get out there and move around, and it was just good to link up back with guys for a good, solid session,” said the 28-year-old.

The team was scheduled for another light workout Wedneday morning on hotel property before flying to Osaka.

He said not being able to go outside and soak up the sunlight and to breathe in the fresh Japanese air is stifling, to say the least.

“It’s difficult travelling for so many hours and then being in the airport for so long, and then you are in isolation where you can’t go out, you can’t get some fresh air, and you know that sunlight is very important, especially for athletes.

“We need to feel alive; we can’t just be in a dark room lying around all day. I know it’s difficult, but we are here, and we have to get the job done, and whatever preparation we get, we will just get the best out of it,” said the former Phoenix Rising defender.

But, the Boyz are not new to travelling for games in a pandemic world having gone to Saudi Arabia last November and Austria in March this year. But Japan brings its unique challenges.

So, while the Japanese protocols appear ultra-cautious and rigid, where members of the touring party will be COVID-19 tested every day, Lowe recognises that the business of football must go on.

“You see that it is strict here and we are living in scary times. Every country has its protocols, and we must work with them. Unfortunately, we have to be going through this situation, but it is what it is, and I am sure that most people who are travelling must be going through something like this,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

So rigid are the protocols for visitors to Japan, the Jamaican contingent, which travels to Kobe today via Osaka, will have to go by private air charter as commuting with locals on commercial airlines is prohibited.

Meanwhile, Lowe, who also had professional stints with Tampa Bay Rowdies and Minnesota United, expressed disappointment that Head Coach Theodore Whitmore will not have his original 30-man squad.

“The preparation is a bit hindered as we would have loved to have everybody as we have two games to play, but we have to just make do with what is happening…we have to try and prepare as much as possible; we have to train and when the rest of the players come, they come,” he said.

Before departing Jamaica, the Boyz lost nine key players for one reason or another. With a pared-down squad, some players travelling out of England were delayed and had not yet arrived at the time of penning.

Lowe says even with the downsized squad and one game fewer, the objectives remain the same.

“The original object was to use these games as preparation going into the Gold Cup. It has hit hard not having the full squad, and I am sure that the coach would have also loved that, but again we must face reality and have to learn to beat adversity, stick together as a group.

“I can only hope the administrative staff and other staff will try and figure out the best scenario so that the players can be comfortable and focused going into the games,” Lowe noted.

Meanwhile, the Al-Ittihad ace says the team has high hopes for the Concacaf Gold Cup but claims there is no pressure to lift the coveted trophy for the first time.

“There is no pressure, because people always write us off, and even now people don’t give us the recognition that we deserve and how good we are as a team, especially in tournaments.

“So, for us, the job is the same and that’s to prove people wrong. We will do our best and let the football speak for itself,” Lowe aimed at detractors.

“Playing in the Gold Cup tournament is always a joy, and there is no pressure for us. Nobody expects us to be a powerhouse in Concacaf as we started from scratch and built the programme and we are grateful for the experience and how far we have come as a nation and we just want to move on to high heights,” he ended.