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© KYODOReturn to maskless world still only in realm of fantasy in Japan
By Dave Hueston TOKYO©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.
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© KYODO
101 Comments
sakurasuki
Any changes in Japan is a fantasy, once something took place it will stay there for years in Japan.
Government just add that to confusion maskless policy, to them is alright in certain condition but not in other condition.
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/05/11/national/japan-masks-not-needed-outside/
Ah_so
Japan needs to wake up the fact that the initial pandemic is over, everybody that needs/wants to be vaccinated is, and that the COVID that remains is most likely going to carry on killing in relatively small numbers for ever.
But Japan is not a "normal" country mentally - it is mired in cognitive dissonance when it comes to things like this. When TB was a widespread killer into the post-war era, people didn't mask up all the time. And given COVID isn't going anywhere, does Japan want to wear masks for generations to come with at best modest marginal health benefit?
It baffles me, but doesn't surprise me.
wolfshine
There are many great uses for masks:
-keeping your face warm in the cold winter months
-covering up a weak jawline or acne
-using it as a wipe/tissue alternative when those are not available
-concealing ones true identity when CCTV is recording or the paparazzi be snoopin'
However, trying to protect yourself from an omnipresent virus (that is unlikely to infect you in the situations when you are wearing a mask) is not one of them.
Fighto!
Interesting phenomena that the 2000 or so Samurai-Blue supporters barely wore masks at all in Qatar - yet donned them again as soon as they arrived home.
the_sicilian
People will tend to agree that Germany is probably a bit more scientific in their approach. They have it on mass transit, but that's it. The world has gotten over the virus and is learning to live with it. And continue to hamper children's development because of mask wearing.
I'm in Okinawa and the use is ridiculous. Outside, in a car alone. Just pointless. I wear it because I don' twant to be the "ugly gaijin". But it's a farce at best. Plus Japan does not release the numbers of those that died "with" COVID" vice those that died because if it.I'm willing to bet it's like the US, with inflated numbers of people who happen to have it when they passed, or was a minor contributing factor.
Gina
Stop making a mountain out of a mole hill. If the Japanese people want to continue wearing a face mask, then let it be. If it is not hurting anyone by any means, then what is the problem? If it is not preventing them from living their life; eating, sleeping, socializing, going places, shopping, working etc., then who cares? Just because it doesn't adhere to the thinking of most (if not all) western countries, then there is something wrong with it? Just because you don't like it or care for it, don't wear one, but that doesn't mean you need to be so concerned with others wanting to wear one. If it is right for them for any reason, they should be free to do so. There are more pressing issues in this world. Worry about national security, the economy, senseless crime, etc.
piskian
It's now a cultural norm,though I think that many prefer masks in order to hide their facial expressions and/or identity.
Capuchin
In Osaka people who ride escalators stand on the righthand side to allow people to walk up on the lefthand side. Everywhere else in the country people stand on the left and walk on the right. There's an urban myth that claims it's to do with which side people used to wear their swords and purses. Sword on the left, money on the right. The gist of it being that Osaka, traditionally a merchant city cares more about their money than manners.
Anyway, the actual reason for why Osaka is unique in its escalator etiquette is that Osaka's first escalator was installed in the Hankyu station and came accompanied with a sign that instructed passengers to stand on the right side. The entire city has been doing it ever since and 99% of people have no idea why. It's one of the most Japanese things I've heard of.
I can't see masks going away any time soon. Especially on public transport. Eventually people will forget why they were even wearing masks and it'll become another of those odd Japanese social artfacts that no one can explain and is simply done because that's what people do.
Randy Johnson
medaka society.
It's too bad really.
I guess individual human thought is a thing of the past.
If you want to wear a mask, go ahead.
If you don't want to wearr a mask, go ahead.
In Kawasaki the city puts it on banners throughout the city, 'Living with covid'
That's right, it's here to stay like the common cold and the flu. Just deal with it.
Yubaru
Seeing as how far too many folks here take things literally..... (Sarcasm alert)
Must be one busy dude, particularly here in Japan!
Disillusioned
This is no surprise considering more than 50% of the population were regular mask wearers before the Covid pandemic, especially in schools in the cities. However, it should be noted that masks are only effective if they are changed regularly. You see some people wearing the same mask for days or even weeks. In 2006 during the original SARS pandemic the WHO released a statement on masks. It stated that masks are only effective against these super viruses if they are 12x surgical masks and changed every twenty minutes. Masks create the perfect environment for a virus to thrive with warmth, moisture and plenty of fresh air. They did a major backflip when the Covid strain came into play. The reality is, masks are only effective against spreading the virus by people who are symptomatic. Of course they do offer some protection against a symptomatic person coughing on you but it is more likely you'll catch the virus from a dirty mask than from another person.
Aly Rustom
I agree. I went for a drink only a handful of times since the start of the pandemic and literally gave up. It was very dreary being served by faceless people so I just decided to save money and stay home and drink at home. Anyway, with the inflation hitting us hard that policy is necessary.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not anti- mask. I just don't really want to go out and be served by people whose faces I can't see. I'd just rather stay home and drink there and spend more time with my kids and invite people over, which is what we do now.
Aly Rustom
This is VERY true.
blvtzpk
Interesting article.
Algernon LaCroix
I applaud that older chap in the story. He knows the score. There are a couple of others like him in my building, and me, who hapily and unapologetically go out and about maskless all the time. But most put one on just to take out the garbage... Nothing will change to any reasonable extent until either Kishida and/or a handful of tarento come out and state unequivocally that it's time to take off the masks and do away with those silly dividers in restaurants.
But Japan being Japan, nobody wants to be the one to speak out first and risk having to take responsibility in case things don't go perfectly to plan. And clear messaging is an anathema here. The closest we'd get is something like: "Wouldn't it be not too bad an idea if we considered thinking about discussing the idea of organising a meeting to deliberate on the possibility of not wearing masks under certain situations?"
When they should just get Satomi Ishihara and someone from Johnny's to blurt out *Let's ノーマイマスク!" (Let's no my mask). The problem would be solved overnight.
What really gets me is the cognitive dissonance. People see Kishida hobnobbing overseas without a mask, but then it's on when he gets home. And like Fighto said, just about all those soccer fans in Qatar were maskless, but donned them again as soon as they're back in Japan. This country has mastered the dark art of doublethink, without a doubt.
Newgirlintown
If there’s one thing proven to gets eyes on a story, it’s outrage. If there’s one thing proven to provoke outrage, it’s the subject of mask wearing.
KazukoHarmony
While using a partitioned cable machine at Tipness sports club last week, I was told by a staff member that I needed to put on my mask. The staff member explained that guests exercising on partitioned cardio machines were not required to wear masks, but the cable machine, although partitioned, was not a cardio machine. It’s the rule, but it’s also ridiculous.
Aly Rustom
I agree. Its the same here. Its all about Tatemae. And how many people cover their mouths but leave their noses exposed?? Ridiculous.
Same. Although I would add that wearing it on public transport is a good idea. We can limit not only Covid but also colds and the flu. Constantly wearing it on public transport is not a problem, but when it comes to wearing it all the time it seems like overkill in my opinion. Personally, I'm all for more people working and studying from home. That would go a LONG WAY in limiting the spread. Less people on public transport. Less kids in the classroom. Less people in a closed office. No better way to curb the spread.
I'm VERY much inclined to believe that.
tamanegi
There's a small excavation site near my home where a lone safety guard stands alone all day through summer, fall and now winter. He waves a few trucks on and off the site virtually in the middle of a field and where no one is around for 200-300 meters. I have never seen him interact with another human being.
He wears the mask.
Hito Bito
The Japanese have been hiding their fears forever in private: now they get to show their fear proudly on their faces, forever. You think the lemmings are ever going to take it off without "guidance" from above?
As has been noticed by others, the "science" behind mask wearing is so air-tight, that as soon as Japanese enter a new, foreign culture, they immediately seek to "blend in"....by removing the mask!~ lol.
The people jogging, riding bikes, and driving empty cars, literally scores of meters away from any other human, wearing their security blanket mask, thoughtlessly, THEY are the "ugly Japanese". Their conformity and cowardice deserves to be openly mocked.
Aly Rustom
Excellent point.
Oh absolutely.
casadeoctane
Those who say the masks do no harm must only have a couple of functioning brain cells.
For teenage kids with acne, its like an incubator for that stuff, potentially leading to scarring and lifelong effects on confidence. How about the mentally and physically impaired? If you are hard of hearing reading peoples facial expressions and lip reading is important. The young are affected so much, kids here growing up without normal human interaction and unable to read facial expressions - its going to have massive effects down the line. And what of the old too - maybe for some people that walk down the street to go shopping and just see people was a big part of their day, now just a walk among faceless automatons. What will be the effect on the birthrate? Kind of difficult to be attracted to someone you've only seen in a mask! Where's the cost benefit analysis?
Loki520
Aly was on point, until the comment "Less kids in the classroom".
The kids NEED to be in a classroom... and unmasked. The socialization aspect of being in a classroom... hanging around and learning amongst peers... far outweighs the extremely minimal risk to kids from this flu variant we call covid.
rainyday
Speak for yourself.
I was happy to wear one in the first year of this pandemic since they seemed to be at least somewhat effective and offered an explanation for Japan’s low infection rate at the time.
Now I’m solely wearing one because everyone else does and I don’t want to stick out as the stereotypical rude foreigner who doesn’t follow the unwritten rules. As the years go by my resentment about this, particularly as Japan’s high infection rate puts to rest arguments that all these masks are doing anything useful, is increasing day by day.
Its time to move beyond the stupid masks already.
kurisupisu
Went eating out and shopping without a mask-nobody said a word…
Yubaru
I will bet, that because of COVID people pay more attention to masks and stuff now, but many of these "guards" have worn masks since well before covid. They and other people who work as guards at construction sites, as the exhaust fumes from trucks and the dirt and dust thrown up by the construction,does get pretty bad at times.
I get the point, and yet, if it he wears it, for whatever reason, why does it bother people?
Chabbawanga
wearing a mask on the subway or in a crowded office during winter makes perfect sense. Wearing a mask whilst running in the summer is idiotic.
Yubaru
It's going to get to the point of personal choice, and if someone chooses to wear their mask, it's no skin off my teeth.
I wear my mask in the car on the way home from work, only because masks screw up my beard and make me look like a ragged-arsed homeless dude if I take it off!
REDWhiteBlue
Because they are following the local rules. What cant you?
Algernon LaCroix
I think they'll have a harder time enforcing it this time around. More people in the West are growing skeptical about pronouncements from authorities due to the rampant lies and abuse of trust and power over the last few years. I suspect things will get very interesting if governments try the same stunts again.
Algernon LaCroix
They're not rules, they're suggestions, and are based on nonsense.
Shane Sommerville
I refuse to wear a mask in Japan unless on public transport. They can stare at me as long as they like. I wonder sometimes is it that I am not wearing a mask ir is it my tattoos…mmm
REDWhiteBlue
And none of them had a beer in Qatar but when they got back to Japan they had a beer. They were following the local rules. And so should you.
miss_oikawa
Don't wear masks, they're completely pointless. Everyone knows that, but they want to look considerate.
REDWhiteBlue
They're not rules, they're suggestions, and are based on nonsense.
The science says otherwise.
Surgical masks reduce COVID-19 spread, large-scale study shows
Researchers found that surgical masks impede the spread of COVID-19 and that just a few, low-cost interventions increase mask-wearing compliance.
https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2021/09/surgical-masks-covid-19.html
John
They probably weren't wearing masks.
Mark
""Various surveys indicate that along with a strong pressure to conform, there is an informational influence at work in which people seek cues in their surroundings for deciding what is the right course of action. I think people continue to wear masks because they are attuned to each other and behave accordingly," Nakayachi said.""
Spot On.
Algernon LaCroix
You're quoting "The Science™", not objective studies.
This debunks the what you posted.
https://reason.com/2022/02/07/that-study-of-face-masks-does-not-show-what-the-cdc-claims/
If you're happy to walk around in a respirator or hazmat suit, more power to you. But insisting that others wear a mask based on faulty reasoning and manipulated data is simply morally wrong.
Algernon LaCroix
More faulty reasoning. Alcohol was banned in Qatar. Banned.
Masks are optional in Japan.
Aly Rustom
Sorry you disagree.
Personally, with the technology we have today, I personally feel that being physically in the classroom is not so important. Kids today use different tools to communicate. Communication is very important- I agree- but there are various ways to go about doing it.
Just my opinion.
William77
Another of these non sense Japanese unwritten rules,no wonder that in east asia they can’t return to a normal life.
Seigi
Life in Japan is sad...
theFu
When everyone is wearing a mask, to outsiders, it makes people believe that there's a terrible sickness in the area and to stay away. It is also "shifty" to hide your face in many cultures, so to those people, it feels like mask wearing people are hiding something ... we don't know what ... just something. The same applies to cultures were women are forced to where big, loose, sacks.
I'm with Aly on kids going to school, being in classrooms, unmasked, unless they are actually sick. Everyone wearing a mask implies that things aren't safe, which is scary to children.
Shane Sommerville
Personally, with the technology we have today, I personally feel that being physically in the classroom is not so important. Kids today use different tools to communicate. Communication is very important- I agree- but there are various ways to go about doing it.
no face to face communication is the best kind Is socialisation. Keeping people at home causes depression and loneliness.
rcch
GinaToday 07:42 am JST “ Stop making a mountain out of a mole hill. If the Japanese people want to continue wearing a face mask, then let it be. If it is not hurting anyone by any means, then what is the problem? If it is not preventing them from living their life; eating, sleeping, socializing, going places, shopping, working etc., then who cares? Just because it doesn't adhere to the thinking of most (if not all) western countries, then there is something wrong with it? Just because you don't like it or care for it, don't wear one, but that doesn't mean you need to be so concerned with others wanting to wear one. If it is right for them for any reason, they should be free to do so. There are more pressing issues in this world. Worry about national security, the economy, senseless crime, etc. “
You know, but that’s the thing; most of Japanese people do not wanna wear masks twenty four seven (and the ones who are afraid to show their faces, etcetera, are a minority; and then we have those people, mostly young people who don’t wear masks because they wanna show how pretty/cool they are, but of course that’s not enough, it doesn’t change the way millions of people think); social pressure can be really ugly; in this case, the J-gov are the ones that must act: send a strong, clear message; but(!), as you all know, they’re completely useless.
(yes, mask culture was part of Japan before, but it was never like this, it was fifty-fifty; now it’s almost like people are living in fear: if someone doesn’t wear a mask, people will look at that person and of course nobody wants to feel uncomfortable like that) smh
Stephen Chin
All through the three years of the so-called Covid 19 epidemic, I never wore a mask in Montreal, Canada. Except once when in the metro, the police gave me one and I had to put it on as they stood by. As soon as they left I took it off. I went out every day, every where and, Covid 19 never got a young man born 1930.
raincloud
I miss seeing people's faces, and I think I'm not the only one. I often meet Japanese people in shops or in the street who, as soon as I lower my mask to speak to them, do the same back to me.
It freaks me out to see people walking alone in the park with a mask on, their glasses all fogged up, because they don't even think about why they're wearing a mask anymore.
I still wear mine on the trains, but I think we all need to gradually get used to taking them off again.
Stephen Chin
Excepting for one vaccination against small pox as a child, I was never vaccinated in ninety two years.
GBR48
If I was in Japan now, I would wear a mask to avoid offending Japanese people. I do try to avoid sticking out more than I need to when abroad.
There is a medical risk here, that Japan might be limiting both herd immunity and general immunity by persistently wearing masks. Not enough people may be getting Covid for herd immunity. And if you suppress a seasonal bug's progress, it hangs around. Countries that have had stricter lockdowns and mask mandates have seen spikes in other diseases as they have lost the general immunity that builds up as mild bugs pass through society. This has been a particular problem with kids and may be quite serious in China following Covid Zero.
A range of bugs play an important role in stimulating (exercising, if you like) our immune system. If we avoid too many of them for too long, our immunity levels for a whole heap of things will dip. We are not designed to live in biomedical isolation.
SDCA
I already knew people didn't wear masks because they were afraid of contracting the virus. You see people going out and buying the more expensive paper masks (MASCODE) that look kawaii because they see others wearing it too. It's a social pressure thing and many tend to veer into what is haya tteru and what others are doing.
PolarStar
After reading this.. I will not wear mask anymore. Tetsuhide Noguchi got it right.
rainyday
As a parent I really strongly disagree with this.
Being in a school with their peers is hugely important to a child's development. Its where they learn social skills, form friendships, learn how to deal with conflict, how to cooperate....how to do just about everything that is necessary to survive in society actually. The stuff they learn in the books is also important, but its these other things which I think are the most important.
We can't raise kids online, at least if we don't want to create a dystopian nightmare for them when that generation grows up and takes over society but doesn't have a clue how to deal with each other in the real world.
japancat
Lots of good comments for and against.....but could someone explain why japanese people wear a mask while driving ALONE !!! ????? Lol.
Aly Rustom
We can have face to face communication with FaceTime.
Not in my family. My kids both had a cold and were homeschooling for a week. They loved it.
As a parent I really strongly disagree with this.
Fair enough. But thank you for being civil about it. Sometimes other posters aren't.
Maybe in the west, yes. But seeing how authoritarian the teachers are and oppressive the system is here in Japan, I would argue that students might actually develop the above skills mentioned even better by staying at home because they won't have every aspect of their lives controlled by the school rules which often have extremely stupid rules that they are made to follow. In that context, their development is more hindered by the learning institutions here in Japan. And with everyone masked up anyway, you kind of wonder if its even worth it.
I think its going to happen anyway. People are gaming online and there are even tournaments where people can make money just by gaming online. We are online more and more, and my generation didn't even have the internet or cell phones growing up. The kids that grow up today are going to look at the world very differently.
And personally, getting kids used to studying online might better prepare them to acquire skills to WORK ONLINE. If we can accomplish that, we can mitigate MANY of society's ills such as climate change and road congestion (people not commuting to work every day will help in both of those aspects). Workplace Harassment and Overwork can also be mitigated, and people will be able to live in any place they choose, not being forced to choose on the basis of work or local education standards. Not to mention the spread of infectious diseases.
If home schooling is done correctly, I think that it could be very beneficial to children.
carpslidy
Personally I no longer wear a mask in any situation, it's sometimes uncomfortable and I feel like pressure to wear a mask
However, as I believe masks are no longer needed are detrimental to childrens it's important to make a stand and go maskless .
Two years ago, wearing a mask was for the betterment of society now I believe it's for the betterment of society not to wear a mask.
If you are unhappy with the continued use of masks, make a stand and stop wearing a mask.
rainyday
This isn't just a western thing, that is utter nonsense. I'm watching my own kids go to schools in Japan and - say what you will about the overly strict rules - they are learning social skills there, they are learning to make friends there, they are learning to deal with conflicts there, they are learning to cooperate there, they are learning to take responsibility there, they are learning to work in teams there, etc etc. You cannot learn any of these things without having the ability to interact with your peers.
Yup, this generation is different, as are all others. And if they are spending more time on the internet, which they likely are, this would seem to me to strengthen the argument in favor of in person schooling since the way things are going it seems they have fewer opportunities outside of school for actual interaction with human beings. Which is extremely important for the reasons I outlined above.
Why? Learning to work online is not hard, its actually quite easier than working face to face with people. We don't need schooling to mimic that environment. Actually one of the key things that education is supposed to provide students is specifically things they cannot learn elsewhere. They have ample opportunities to learn how to play online games and chat outside the classroom, they don't need more of that crap inside it.
Aly Rustom
Again, all these things can be learned even if you are studying online full time. My kids do Judo and they interact with their Judo friends there. We have MANY friends and coworkers who have kids the same age as ours and we invite them over all the time. AND when they are interacting with each other in the house there are no masks. Its not a 0 sum game like you make it out to be.
Not at all. Like I said, my children have a chance to interact with other children through extracurricular activities without the trappings of the school clubs. They go when they want and take time off when they want. They interact with the kids at the dojo and with our friends and coworkers kids who come to the house.
Actually, it is not as easy as you might think, because it requires time management skills and discipline.
Again, I've explained that all the social aspects of school can be experienced outside of it.
Stephen
It’s not just a Japanese issue. Mask wearing is still legally required outdoors and indoors in Hong Kong, indoors in Korea and Taiwan. In Bangkok there are no mask mandates but over 90% of the population wear them all the time. Singapore removed most mask mandates except public transport and you get a more 50/50 split there. No doubt though that Japan gets the gold medal. Young couples sat on park benches masked up; people riding bikes in 40 degree heat etc. Here, mask wearing has become the real disease.
Hermitage Nads
People like you are part of the problem. Happy you are not in Japan.
rainyday
Not well they can't.
We've just had a two year natural experiment in this thanks to the pandemic at my university where I teach. 2 years of mostly online learning has been a disaster for our students. Depression, drop out rates, overall academic performance - just about everything has suffered dramatically in the online environment. Students didn't have the opportunities to make friendships, to socialize, to do just about anything. Students can of course access content online and listen to lectures, etc quite easily, so if education was just a matter of rote learning then it wouldn't be a problem. But it isn't just that.
And with them I'm talking about university age students who have already been through the regular school system. Trying to foist this dystopian system on the entire education system from grade school would be an absolute nightmare.
I'm going to go out on a limb and assume your kids attend Judo class and make friends with other kids in Judo class in person, right?
Great, that works for you, I'm happy to hear that. But that isn't in itself a reason to completely abandon our education system for one in which all kids just sit in rooms alone staring at a screen.
Things which in person work also requires.
No you haven't. You've explained how you invite kids over to your house to ensure that they get the type of social interaction which (I'm assuming from what you've written you are home schooling) they don't get at school because you aren't sending them. And I want to make clear that I'm not criticizing what you are doing, its fine if that works for you. But it is a huge leap to say that because things are going OK for you, the entire system should be based on what you are doing.
SDCA
Don't wanna infect your car before shaken :)
mimi
They love their masks otherwise they would have gotten rid of them long time ago. One lady told me that she doesnt mind wearing a mask forever .she loves it . masks till 2040.yeaaaaah
Aly Rustom
Sure they can. It just takes thinking outside the box.
Are you telling me that these things didn't happen before the pandemic? You're just describing regular University life. And would be willing to bet that it wasn't the online learning that caused all the above, but the sudden drastic change that occurred in their lives due to other factors brought on by the pandemic.
My guess is they would get used to it even easier.
Yes. And they also chat with them with Facetime.
Why not? If its going to prepare them for the real world, isn't that EXACTLY what they will be doing when they graduate?
Which will soon be obsolete.
I can only draw on my own experiences. What I am trying to tell you is that home schooling does work and does not make for a lesser level of education like you claim.
Moderator
Back on topic please. This story is not about remote schooling.
BT
Freedom of choice in Japan to wear or not to wear that is the question......
Well before the pandemic Japanese wore masks to avoid getting others sick and not necessarily to protect themselves or wear masks because of hay fever or allergies.
Japanese is a homogeneous society where conforming to the norm and having consideration for others to not disrupt harmony (meiwaku wo kaketakunai) is the way of thinking.
There is no mandate, no law, no fines in Japan to promote one or the other so left up to society to choose. Those who are not Japanese or from Japan do not understand so the disease is ignorance of assuming what you do in your home country applies everywhere else. Use common sense, I don't wear a mask walking alone with nobody around or even in a public place if I am not in an extremely crowded setting. Look at the Argentina crowd PACKED no masks, sporting events in the west PACKED no masks. In a packed train in Japan not to wear a mask I find risky and so my choice to wear but outside usually have it pulled down below my nose if in a shop which is not crowded.
What is more dangerous are the muppets who become confrontational either because they are for or against and endanger others....such as on airplanes, in a line at a store which you see all the time going viral.
I am both Japanese and American and grew up in both countries so best to respect values of a particular country. As they say when in Rome do as the Romans while still being able to hold true to your own values. At the same time being respectful?!!!!
Stephen
@BT - A well written and considered response but the ‘When in Rome’ argument only goes so far. Mask wearing has become a total obsession here to the point of absurdity. It’s like being in a gigantic sick ward only there’s no science to back it up.
zulander
We have yet to hear of anyone being refused entry/service etc for wearing masks, while the opposite is true. So I think you will find the mountain makers from mole-hills are the mask-zealots, and now they are gaslighting anyone who voices an anti-mask opinion as "making a big deal" about it.
Tom San
Thinking outside the box so that the box does not close in around you.
El Rata
You guys still wear mask outside of a work setting? I last time wore one on a flight 2 weeks ago (sponge mask as a chin guard though) Nobody has said anything to me.
smithinjapan
"If wearing masks was only for one year I think many people would've taken them off, but it's been three years so they're here to stay."
No... they are 'here to stay' because the person beside the person wearing one won't take theirs off, so neither will that person. Most people are unable to act of their own volition here. On the flip side, I guarantee that if a person entered a restaurant or place where no one was wearing a mask except them, they'd take it off immediately.
If you want to wear them please do. If shops wan to impose rules where you must, then please wear them in said shops/stations/trains, etc. If you don't want or need to, please don't. Who cares what others think? Until you stop caring what others think, it will indeed remain a masked up and uptight society.
painkiller
But aside from in fiction, what is the prospect of Japan finally returning to a maskless world?
Who knows?
But Japan still has the highest infection rate in the world.
And can't blame Japan completely; they had the WHO giving wrong advice, but thankfully Japanese listed to medical and global health experts instead,
https://www.businessinsider.com/who-no-need-for-healthy-people-to-wear-face-masks-2020-4
Aly Rustom
In other words it will ALWAYS remain a masked up and uptight society.
falseflagsteve
I find wearing a mask beastly and incredibly annoying. I no longer wear one anywhere at all except on domestic flights where I use the Pringle eating trick and don’t wear one for the majority of the time.
Tom San
You will learn to love your mask.
rcch
… my previous post was about social pressure and some of you are still saying that people should “make a stand” and… “who cares what others think”?; smh; it’s easier to talk…; like I said, the J-gov are the ones to blame; the message needs to come from the top; government officials, CEOs, teachers, etcetera; because(!)… this is Japan, probably the most robotic nation in the world.
virusrex
Mask use has seen a rapid evolution during the pandemic, at the beginning the recommendation was to prioritize it for symptomatic people, specially in hospitals because that is what the scientific evidence indicated, but afterwards the combination of two very important findings changed it, one was that asymptomatic people were an important source of infection, the second was that wearing a mask clearly reduced this (not only for covid, but for other respiratory diseases as well, thus the near extermination of influenza season). The change of recommendation do not come from mistakes but from doing precisely what scientific findings are meant to do, improve our understanding and the measures we can use.
Now the shoe is in the other foot, mask use recommendations have been optimized and the variants currently predominant are much more difficult to control, so the efficacy of any measure decreases a lot unless they are all used together. Fortunately having the general population highly immunized and the lower risk of complications from the variant means the control of the infection is now secondary to the control of the complications and deaths.
The problem is that people got used to a simple and convenient measure that is not so indispensable now, so for many it is just more inconvenient to be taking their masks on and off according to the level of risk and just keep them on, that can make a lot of the 77% that used them for their efficacy, and this then becomes social pressure for the 49 and 42% of people that use them for manners and pressure to conform, hardly surprising in Japan.
Highlander in Tokyo
"Masks are like pants, you don't go outside without your pants on". That's what one of my Japanese coworkers says. It sums up the same points made in the article. Masks are worn in Japan to fit in more than they are worn to protect against a virus. It's also becoming comical. For example, I recently traveled by airplane to Kumamoto. The airplane announcement said to maintain 2 meters distance while boarding and un-boarding the plane, but I was sitting less that one meter from the person in front and behind me, and even less to the person next to me. Then everyone removed their masks at the same during the drink service.
Bob Fosse
My opinion on this is simple:
If you want to wear a mask, fine.
If you don’t want to wear a mask, fine.
Just stop banging on about it.
Paustovsky
I find that the 'always wear a mask' people and 'never worn a mask' people occupy the same place on the incredibly dull spectrum.
Fredrik
Well, if you DO wear a mask, please keep it ON when you cough and sneeze! Otherwise, why bother wearing a mask at all?
Strangerland
That's what's nice about Canada. They aren't required here. Some people wear them, some don't, no one says anything either way.
ClippetyClop
Back during the initial HIV emergence I wore a condom 24 hours a day until it started to hurt my ears.
Blitzwing
The prospects of the mask nonsense not going away anytime soon is pretty depressing. I miss seeing people's faces. I try to lead by example and don't wear a mask except in the gym and during meetings at work. Of course, the damn thing doesn't go over my nose.
All we can do is lead by example and hope that slooooowly more people will opt out.
Also, you will own nothing and be happy.
Oh, and, you will eat ze bugs :P
Andy
It's simple, Japanese are very subservient people, their education has taught them from an early age, not to think as an individual and never look outside of the box. Face coverage is just one example.
John-San
I was watching a video it took at the MBL ball game season opener at Tokyo dome. Out front on the concourse , Comiccom was on also. This was March 2019 pre covid in I noice that 10% of the crowd were wearing. masks outside and inside the Tokyo Dome. So it was a very mix crowd but mask were being worn Pre covid. So it not even a problem in Japan only to non residents because their complaining is unusual for a person who been living in Japan since before 2019 not realising mask wearing was thing way before covid. So there the door tell. your story walking.
Numan
I went out for a really nice dinner last weekend. Two native women from Shanghai at a nearby table was complaining because they wanted to walk around Japan with no mask. They were talking about wanting to be seen. I guess they were hoping to find a rich husband to save them from the CCP! This was all in English because they were talking to the bartender at a well-known restaurant popular with foreign clientele.
1) Honestly, they look a little below average by Japanese standards.
2) No one wants tourists bringing new Chinese-born strains of COVID-19 to Japan because China is going through another outbreak!
Mark
Somewhat DEPRESSING but got use to it.
tora
Japan has become the land of the mask. This will become like in some Islamic countries where women are covered up from head to toe. It's just the way it is.
Visitors will get eventually used to the new Japan and mask up out of respect for the local culture just like they do elsewhere. And the world will go on.
Pre-2020 Japan ain't coming back. Very unfortunate.
tamanegi
I think your right @tora.
Maybe Japanese clothing companies could create some kind of headwear or fashionable item season by season that incorporates a mask or nose and mouth covering.
Then people wouldn't have to wear napkins on their faces and they could wear masks for the rest of their lives.
Chibakun
It fits the western stereotypical image that Japan is wired.
Alex
I'm so used to it now its like wearing undies lol
Bob
I can imagine it now - Sapporo 2030 winter Olympic. “We request that you wear a mask to help prevent the spread..”
Alex
Sorry, but mask-wearing on crowded public transport should be mandatory. You can take it off when you're out of the train - but when you're on, it's the very least you can do to show some courtesy to your co-riders.
brouhaha
REDWhiteBlue
I know they didn’t wear masks but how do you know that they didn’t have a beer? It was freely available in many places.
I just feel sorry for the tens of thousands of trees felled to make the billion-odd masks that people in Japan consume each week.