Masking season

did the photographer say "cheezu"??

There is a huge increase in street litter due to these wretched masks. People drop them, nobody picks them up. It's a wasteful, and mostly pointless item, and really irritates me.

Stupid masks.

There is a huge increase in street litter due to these wretched masks.

Really? It's not an exaggeration to say I don't remember ever seeing one littered on the street. I don't know why someone would - they wear them outside and take them off when they get in. It's like ripping off the condom half way through sex - makes no sense.

"...and mostly pointless item,"

Exactly. The masks give absolutely no health benefit whatsoever. They serve simply to give the wearer an added layer of anonimity amidst the concrete urban jungle; and salarymen like their anonimity, don't they!

Pollen season has come. Mask is good for pollens, dust,,,etc. I don't cough while wearing it.

Any gaijin will never get the idea of how these masks work. It's a manner to wear these if you have a cold. I would like people to wear these masks instead of being coughed or sneazed at.

Masks are useless for stopping viruses, which would fit through the weave of the fabric like it was a chain link fence. But they are useful for stopping spray from going either direction. They're also helpful for moisturizing the air you breath in.

I am a "gaijin" that "gets" the masks, @F-Zero ! You shouldn't paint people with such broad strokes ! The "You wouldn't understand, you're not Japanese !" argument just doesn't hold water any longer ! @Strangerland - I too, do not remember seeing even one littered in more than twenty years of living in Japan !

It's a manner to wear these if you have a cold.

Non sense. If you are sick with a cold, stay home. If people would have the beginning of good manners here, they would stay home and save others from catching their viruses. I am sorry but I find it extremely rude to show up at work for example and in front of others while being sick.

And what about those masks? They are quite useless. Even your argument of wearing them when people have cold does not hold water. Viruses responsible for common cold or the flu are known to be mainly transmitted by skin contact with people then touching their face by which the contamination takes place. So those masks make things even worse as sick people manipulate them with their hands, then don't wash their hands, and then deposit their germs everywhere in a office for example.

On top of that, they are just ugly and it is really annoying to see so much people wearing them as they make them look silly and even more unexpressive than they are already without mask.

I too, do not remember seeing even one littered in more than twenty years of living in Japan !

You can't be serious. I agree that most cities in Japan are quite clean but saying that you've never seen one litter in the street is an exaggeration. Just go to Shibuya, Shinjuku or Roppongi to convince yourself just to name a few crowded places in Tokyo.

Masks when used properly are fine for sure, but I dunno about all the hiding...like as if we weren't withdrawn and quiet enough here. When I go to work and see all the (unstick) kidz, some 4-5 years old wearing masks purely because they like it, well that's gunna become an issue later on in life.

I had a good chuckle yesterday when I watched a guy on the train start drinking tea with his mask on... or trying to. Masks are 100% pointless, and in fact increase the chance of both spread and catching in a lot of cases, given the amount of times people adjust them, cough and sneeze with them on, then handle escalator rails, doors, etc. Maybe they help Japanese in a way because very few people bother to cover their mouths when they cough and sneeze, but still. At my niece's school it's become mandatory to wear masks this year because so many parents demanded it, and they've never had a year with more people staying home with colds and the flu AFTER the practice was put into place. Even if you want to chalk it up to coincidence, you are only admitting the masks are ineffective.

@daito - Don't cherry pick my words, please. As I clearly stated, "I DO NOT REMEMBER . . . . ". Looks like you learned an idiomatic expression. I lived in mostly rural parts of Japan, but consider myself to be well-traveled there. Enough to know that there is hardly anything you WON'T see in Shibuya, Shinjuku, and especially Roppongi !

I don't live in a crowded Tokyo place, but I saw two masks littered on the ground just today. At a bus stop. So I'm sure Mr. I-Have-a-Cold touched straps and seats whilst spreading his viruses. Too bad he doesn't know F-Zero because we Japanese know our manners.

I agree that most cities in Japan are quite clean but saying that you've never seen one litter in the street is an exaggeration.

It's not an exaggeration. I don't ever remember seeing one littered on the ground. I'm sure it's happened, but I definitely haven't seen the 'huge increase in street litter' from the masks that was claimed.

What a useful item the mask is. I'm following the recent trend about mask, called "date-mask." Currently, wearing mask doesn't just mean you're having a cold or protecting against colds, but means one of the fashion. These days, mask comes from some kinds of color such as black, pink, green, etc, not just white. Also, mask is useful for people who are lazy. Honestly, shaving off your beard, making up your face, caring about any pimples are troublesome, you know. So, with mask, you can reduce your time to care and spend these deduced time to others. I've also been adopting this idea for a decade, and works very well. But only disadvantage I think is that wearing mask for several months makes your friends or colleagues forget your face below the eyes.

kwatt: "Pollen season has come. Mask is good for pollens, dust,,,etc. I don't cough while wearing it."

That's very true! Although the whole "minus ion" built into the mask is an obvious scam.

Strangerland: "It's not an exaggeration. I don't ever remember seeing one littered on the ground."

You know, you often say "I've never seen this" for things that are pretty common place. And the person is correct, there ARE a lot of masks about on the ground. Some are not necessarily litter -- they may have fallen out of a pocket, or come out of a package when pulling out a new mask (with more than one in the pack) -- but they are definitely there.

F-zero: "Any gaijin will never get the idea of how these masks work."

Yeah, because it's as unique to Japan and Japanese as the four seasons.

"It's a manner to wear these if you have a cold."

No, it is the expectation of a few, who therefore direct their expectations on society and claim it is law, or at least an unwritten one.

It seems that Japanese ojisans (old men) should wear mask all the time. Ojisans sneeze loud suddenly all directions. I worry during pollen season when Ojisan sneezes before me in train, bus, sidewalk, etc. They don't care about anything when they sneeze. Why not put hand on mouth?

kwatt: "They don't care about anything when they sneeze. Why not put hand on mouth?"

Agreed. It's disgusting. It's not just ojisan, though. Anyway, putting your hand over your mouth and nose should only be done in an 'emergency' (ie. if you have a sudden coughing/sneezing fit with no way to block it besides). Ideally you have disposable tissues and can avoid handling them too much after, but if not it is best to cough or sneeze into the crook of your arm or else upper sleeve. Not ideal, as it will catch some of the virus/germs, but if these ojisan or others sneeze into their hands and then touch the handles/bars on the train it would be even worse than a mask in most cases. This is the main reason why I think masks in themselves are not bad, but people thinking they are a panacea for prevention or spread is ridiculous if they give up on etiquette after. Sneezing into a mask, then touching it, adjusting it, and coming into contact with other things renders any attempts to avoid spreading pretty much meaningless.

I wear a mask whenever I'm on a plane and I'm glad I wore a mask every time.

As every year the people with the irrational fear of masks keep appearing...

The same as every other health measures mask are extremely useful when used properly and do help preventing contagions, I still keep wondering why people keep treating them as some especial things that never works even when used properly.

Its exactly the same as washing your hands, if you do it properly it helps a lot, if you don't do it properly it has no value, but then again I don't see people giving bad advice like "people should just stop washing badly and just never go to the toilet nor touch anything".

I hate wearing them, but i use washable masks due to pollen allergies;(they really help combined with eye drops and allergy symptom medication). Colds and so on...avoid public transport whenever possible. Wash your hands. Ride a bike to work...even if you are 10 kms away, it's not so tough.