Friday
May292009
Behind the Mask
Friday, May 29, 2009 at 5:51PM
Anyone who's traveled to Japan and spent time in the country - particularly during flu season - has likely seen dozens if not hundreds of denizens of Tokyo, Osaka, Yokohama or other cities stomping around town wearing what appear to be surgical face masks.
I've heard a lot of people who've spent brief periods of time in Japan comment about this trend in modern Japan, often wondering what's the deal with the masks.
Hello Kitty wards off the flu
The hows and whys of this Japanese trend have just as much to do with attempts to fend off the spread of the common cold as they do with coping hay fever.
Due to the current, global media panic over the H1N1 Swine Flu "outbreak" however, if you live in Japan or have been there within the past month, you've likely seen a great deal more people walking around wearing these protective masks.
A recent article posted on the Japan Times website not only explains the reasoning behind Japan's general use of gauze masks but also explains a bit of the history of the trend: [Japantimes.co.jp].
One thing I was happy to read in the article was a quote from a manager of one of the health care product manufacturers who makes these things who goes on record to state that, despite what some may believe, wearing these disposable masks will in fact do little to prevent you from catching a cold (however, they will help reduce the likelihood of flu sufferers from infecting other people).
Despite this, due to the recent Swine Flu scare, sales of protective masks in Japan have seen a sharp increase in recent weeks.
I still think the best part of this trend is that you can always co-ordinate the whole mask look with a pair or Ray-Bans and a 2,000 yen construction helmet from Japanese hardware store, Konan to look like a biker outlaw.
Note that bonus points are awarded to anyone who caught the musical allusion from the post title.
I've heard a lot of people who've spent brief periods of time in Japan comment about this trend in modern Japan, often wondering what's the deal with the masks.
Hello Kitty wards off the fluThe hows and whys of this Japanese trend have just as much to do with attempts to fend off the spread of the common cold as they do with coping hay fever.
Due to the current, global media panic over the H1N1 Swine Flu "outbreak" however, if you live in Japan or have been there within the past month, you've likely seen a great deal more people walking around wearing these protective masks.
A recent article posted on the Japan Times website not only explains the reasoning behind Japan's general use of gauze masks but also explains a bit of the history of the trend: [Japantimes.co.jp].
One thing I was happy to read in the article was a quote from a manager of one of the health care product manufacturers who makes these things who goes on record to state that, despite what some may believe, wearing these disposable masks will in fact do little to prevent you from catching a cold (however, they will help reduce the likelihood of flu sufferers from infecting other people).
Despite this, due to the recent Swine Flu scare, sales of protective masks in Japan have seen a sharp increase in recent weeks.
I still think the best part of this trend is that you can always co-ordinate the whole mask look with a pair or Ray-Bans and a 2,000 yen construction helmet from Japanese hardware store, Konan to look like a biker outlaw.
Note that bonus points are awarded to anyone who caught the musical allusion from the post title.
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