Why You will be Forced to Always Wear Masks in Japan
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- čas přidán 31. 05. 2024
- This year is again a very hot summer in Japan! But if you walk on the streets of Japan, you will see something very surprising. Almost everyone has masks on.
With temperatures reaching as high as 40 degrees Celsius on some days,
why don’t most Japanese people remove their masks? Even the government has issued a notice that it is okay to take them off when outside to avoid heat strokes. This is a problem not just for the Japanese, but for anyone who is planning on coming to Japan someday in the near future.
So today, I will first take a look at the current Japanese perceptions of masks by looking at some survey data. Next, I would like to discuss the reasons for continuing to wear the mask and its disadvantages. Lastly, I will also share how Japan is struggling a lot to try to solve this situation.
By watching this video till the end, you will be surprised at how much you can learn about the characteristics of Japanese people from just talking about masks, and how wearing them forever can be harmful to the youth.
After watching this video, please let me know in the comments about how masks are treated in your country, and how you think Japan should try and solve this problem.
However before I start, I do want to make it very clear that I am not here to say that we should never use masks and that it doesn’t have any benefits. My point is that we need to properly choose when and where to put masks on, for them to actually do more good than harm.
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[Timecodes]
0:00 Let's START!
02:15 What Japanese Think About Masks
04:37 Why Japanese Won’t Take Off Their Masks
12:04 Disadvantages of Continuing to Wear Masks
16:31 Is There a Solution?
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That’s interesting to hear. The old folks around me were the complete opposite of fear, especially during 2021-2022. They always said to me, “You’re young! Why are you so afraid? I’m old, if it’s my time to go, it’s my time to go.” It was wild hearing that from them but also amusing.
I've read seniors would rather die surrounded by loved ones than die alone.. One of them tried to run away from his senior home by tying a blanket rope and it ended up strangling him
Unless you're putting on a fresh mask multiple times a day, your mask is likely dirty, wet/moist and not doing its job properly
Yep... They only have a use life of a few hours.
Has nothing to do with reality. We all know it's nonsense.
Japan doesn’t act on what is true but what they believe. It’s one of my biggest frustrations of working here.
@@gottagowork yeah it's one of those things where nobody noticed any decrease in population and the overall death numbers haven't changed. So, it's basically a media made up fear mongering big pharma political scam. I guess I should put on my tinfoil hat? If the vaccines work... Why didn't they work? (Asking for a friend)
@@gottagowork look up the statistics of masks preventing the spread. Didn't help
I have two stories related to this topic. Shogo is completely right about Peer pressure being the main reason for mask wearing. I teach at 5 Japanese schools and each one has different restrictions on mask wearing based on peer pressure in that school. However, my other story talks about a possible change. I recently got on a car accident on my way to Kyoto (everyone is fine) and had to speak with 7 different police officers. I didn't wear a mask, as I was in shock. Half of the officers stopped using their masks, I'm not sure why but maybe it was a combination of rules allowing maskless-ness in heat and someone following those rules (one officer keep getting water for everyone and mentioning the heat). I'm looking forward to the next semester of school to see if things get better. Here's hoping they do!
It seems to have been the case here in the US as well. My state was relatively compliant with masking and it took a few months for the peer pressure to subside. Little exchanges like yours were common until we adopted a "live and let live" mentality. While it certainly is more pronounced in Japan, I think practicality will win out in the end.
Sounds like a tough situation you got there. Can you say how different rules are in your schools? Are they allowing in one, while another strictly forbids taking it off?
@@Parcha64 live and let live should also have its limits too, we cant just let others get harmed because its not my problem
It's not just a Japan problem; it's a human problem. People naturally don't want to stand out as the majority of people are hardwired in their brain to be followers. That's how they are born. And that's not a bad thing, being a follower. Leaders *need* followers. But who you choose the follow is what's important. As soon as people see others without a mask, several will take it off because they feel it's psychologically to do so since they didn't "start" it. Which encourages more and more... it's a domino effect. It's why setting an example is so important.
@@TBButtSmoothy People got sick and died from illnesses before Covid you know...
One thing you did not mention is early childhood development. Of course teenagers have suffered, but for very young kids they basically have never seen faces. At least not outside their family. If you never learned how to identify faces in public you are just begging for social issues. Babies and toddlers are very impressionable and need to be exposed to other people early on. They may not be able to relate to others at all of this keeps up! I know there aren't many babies in Japan, but that's the problem! If you only ever think of the elderly there's no purpose in bringing up a new generation and your society will die.
Yep. Toddlers need facial exposure more than anyone, and keeping them from that will stunt their emotional maturity for the rest of their lives, if not make them into sociopaths because they can't fully grasp expressions.
not just expressions, but they're finding it causes speech impediment issues as well. The growing infants and toddlers can't see peoples' mouths as they talk, which is an important part in learning how to speak. They can eventually figure it out but without that guide, it takes longer and their enunciation is off.
As a early childhood teacher, I totally agree. I wonder what will happen to children’s development in the future. Babies and toddlers learn social skill from looking at faces. 10 years from now well have a bunch of social awkward children running around since they have a delayed or even no development to those social skills early in their childhood. Also learning to read lips and learning languages are gonna be super hard for the next generation.
Children’s development is more important than elderly’s safety. Children are the future, the elderly has given most of what they can contribute already. As a parent, if you care more about yourself than what’s best for your children then there’s a big problem.
Don’t worry I’m already in a relationship with 10 different Japanese women. I will become the Genghis Kahn of Japan and spread my seed to as much women in japan as possible ❤️
So basically, since a lot of people do want to take them off in Japan but there's a virtually equal number who want to keep them on, the mask situation has just become one giant Mexican standoff. Amazing.
Terrible timing too. Right before this all happened, I was planning on moving to Japan. This may still happen but I think I will hold onto the tens of thousands of dollars it will cost me to relocate there until I see signs that attitudes toward this are changing.
@@dairenn Yeah, you might want to wait. Wages are stagnant (some are even going down), cost of living is going up a bit, and the number of jobs for foreigners (other than low end teaching jobs that barely pay a living wage) is much fewer than before the pandemic.
Also, unless you're shipping large furniture to Japan, which I don't recommend, moving to Japan doesn't cost tens of thousands of dollars. You just need start up costs for an apartment if your company isn't providing you with accommodation and living costs until your first full paycheck (in Japan you get paid monthly for the most part, and the pay is based on the previous month's work, so if you move in August, your first full paycheck will be in October). I came to Japan with $4000 to start up and I was more than okay the first two months.
People should go to Japan and shout at them for letting the team down. Masks off!
@@rosehip5101 provided you’re able to get them to listen to foreigners
@@dairenn Is it the same in korea? No clue tbh
IMO Japanese seem to care too much about what others think, "fear of not fitting in", which is not healthy.
No individualism is really not healthy indeed.
@@nebpr0 how?
Americans have a lot of that, too.
@@HYPERxSONICxFANx2012 just look at the collapse of morals and society that is the USA. That's what happens when people care more about themselves than their fellow countrymen. I think a happy medium between individuality and collectivism should be observed for a healthy society 😊
@@seigyokuprincess i don't conform. i just do what i want
Key word of the day: Gerontocracy- rule by old people (mainly men). E.g. "Japan is such a gerontocracy. Elders still haven't realized that in order for true harmony to be achieved they need to step aside."
Yes, but i think that’s a worldwide problem, you see how old are all the top politicians all over the world?
@@herikdesouzaarai6782 Yes, but Japan is a Confucian society, which means hierarchy is solidified and stagnant by age. You're talking about politics, I'm saying all of Japanese society is gerontocratic and it permeates everywhere.
Ok, so you want Japan to become like Europe and USA now? Country flooded by mgrants and bs leftists propaganda?
Don't you think Nihon's rule of society is extremely archaic, obsolete, outdated? Shouldn't Nihon's kotei, the JPN emperor or the prime minister handle the face masking situation for the nation of Nihon?
In the US we have congressman who have Alzheimers. Our president is to old to hold that office.
You also need to mention the ecological effects of masks. There was an article recently about the coming ecological disaster of people wearing masks on a daily basis. It's not having a great effect on the environment, and it infuriates me how so called ecologially conscious people ignore this issue.
Yes thank you! I read an article recently on how disposable masks are destroying and killing off bird populations across the globe.
I mean...it's been a known issue since the summer of 2020 when they begain washing up on shorelines and being found around in nature. Because of careless people just discarding them where ever
they didn't care in the first place, that should be plain as day.
@@Roxadus460 there are people getting polypropylene in their lungs too.
Amen to that!
That mask aspect regarding children and teenagers preferring to keep their faces hidden is tragic.
I love living in Japan… but I am really quite exhausted wearing them. Masks are really stressful and I have a lot of anxiety thinking about if and when I’ll be able to show my face again. I’m starting to lose hope that it will happen unless the government intervene. My skin is suffering… I can’t communicate naturally… and I feel like my connection to people is slowly fading. :(
Then do not wear it...
I live here. Take it off. It’s okay.
@@Anna-li8dy I can’t at work.
@@krissydiggs then, depending on location of your office, take off and take on mask gradually 🤔
Oh my gosh... Take the mask off please. If company says anything to you, you should sue the company. It is so sick in here.
Thank you for the insight!
Here's a little extra piece of information about sun glasses and why they're used a lot more in the West. Those with paler eye colours are more likely to be photosensitive, which sun glasses can alleviate. Those who suffer from photosensitivity can be in physical discomfort or mild pain when it gets too bright. This applies to both sunny and simply bright days where the sun is partially blocked, because the brightness of the sun is still reaching us. This is because pale eyes (grey, blue, green) have less melanin in them to protect against the sun. Sun glasses become one of the easiest tools to minimise brightness, as they will protect your eyes even from the brightness that bounce on pale or highly reflective surfaces, such as water, white or pale walls or a lot of glass or mirrored glass compared to hats that protect you from the light coming from above only. You don't need to be properly photosensitive to feel discomfort in very bright weather though but you have a much easier time to become bothered by it if you are photosensitive.
A sign of photosensitivity that's not related only to your eyes is that you might sneeze when looking up at a clear sky during a bright day or at a very pale or reflective surface.
Ahh, I’m photosensitive but didn’t know it had to do with having lightly coloured eyes 🥺 my eyes are green, so it makes sense! Thanks for sharing!
I sneeze when I just go out into the sun from indoors, ahah. Looking up into the sky is pretty much impossible without shielding my eyes from the direction of the sun.
This stuff is even more convoluting in India. Where mask mandates come and go like it's nobody's business. Just recently, our state had applied a fine for mandate after removing said mandate a few months ago. Which makes you question - when exactly are we allowed to just live free? We have vaccination and precautions placed in effect, yet these mandates are still in effect. Makes you (or at least me) question - just what exactly is the Government trying to achieve here. Nothing shady or alarming, I'm sure......
It's always about power and control, that is human nature.
This was a fascinating video. I was puzzled as to why so many Japanese people are still wearing masks, while the great majority of the people in my country (Canada) stopped wearing them as soon as they were no longer forced to wear them by the authorities/government. This video really helped me to understand (and to some extent, accept) how things are in Japan. Thanks. :)
In the old days they would say things like 'the emperor eats meat', or 'the emperor eats bread', and, incidentally, the emperor still wears a mask.
You should have forced your Government to step back !
@@FRITZI999 the government has actually allowed people to not wear masks.
It's the people that keep using them.
Foreigners in Japan are also still wearing masks.
It's extremely disconcerting and anxiety-inducing to still see people in Japan masking up when they are completely alone outside or on a bike or even in a car. To me this is a sign that things will not change here for a LONG time and I don't want to wear masks for the rest of my life. For my mental health I've stopped wearing them everywhere outside of work (where I am forced).
You'd probably have been surprised to see how similar the situation was when the outdoor mask mandate was lifted in Massachusetts (yes, we actually had one, and I don't think it was based on science at all). When they originally lifted the mandate, the vast majority continued to wear masks outdoors for about a month. When asked why, people would say things like "I don't want to look different", "I don't want people to think I'm an anti-masker", and "I don't want to look like a Trump supporter".
@@drensberger That's interesting but only one month? The Japanese are easily going to do this for another two years.
I'm the exact same. I take my mask off as I'm walking out the door from work in the evening, and don't put it back on until I'm walking back in the morning of the next day.
Here in the Philippines, masks are a thing in the urban setting when you are sick and are in public. It became more mainstream because of the pandemic.
Usually we don't wear masks unless needed.
Which is how it's supposed to be. Masks, quarantine, those are things for the ILL to do reduce the chance of accidentally getting another sick. Not those who are fine.
Literally never needed.
I live in Tokyo. I have to wear a mask provided by semiconductor factories for work almost everyday. But my nose is fairly big and most masks in Japan don't fit my face. It ends up causing me pain...
I have to take a break from wearing a mask as much as I can to mitigate this discomfort
As others here have mentioned, there's also significant harm to early childhood development. Lockdowns restricted the child's exposure to society beyond their family, leading to lower immunity development and increased separation anxiety after businesses and childcare centers opened up. And when the child does get sick, many healthcare centers will perform COVID swabs in the child's nose. My sister stopped taking her daughter to the pediatrician when she'd get a runny nose because every single time they'd been in they'd shove the swab up until she cried, and my sister wasn't willing to add a sixth visit to that trauma. My niece was born a couple months before the lockdowns hit and like many other toddlers now, has only grown up with people wearing masks and she's part of the uptick in toddlers in speech therapy.
Oxygen to a child's developing brain is a major issue also its immune system seriously so many have not got a clue what there talking about.
Oh so sad ;(
Dear Shogo I have 4 questions
1 why is the idol industry so toxic and how can it be fixed?
2 How much Japanese does a foreigner need to know?
3 What are some of the best places for sightseeing?
4 How do the Japanese view the physically/mentality challenged?
Number 1 and 4 are interesting topics.
Well for #2 it depends on what you are planning to do. If you are a tourist, if you can order food on your own it is more than enough and you probably not even need that.
If you want to stay in Japan and you dont know Japanese and don't have someone day-to-day to help you with the bureaucracy, you are f*cked.
Around 21:00 where you talk about how you are still a part of the society and don’t want to trouble others is exactly why this “problem” will continue. The number of masks decreased because a few people REALLY didn’t want to wear them, so they never did, regardless of social pressure. Friend of those people who were more considerate would take masks off when around them. So small groups of people would interact maskless. This would broadly expand so that businesses and other social gatherings would gradually have more people just not wearing masks. Many places would have requirements that went ignored because people stopped caring. It’s hard to not care what others think, but if you want change, you have to set an example.
As one of those who refused to wear a mask since the beginning I agree 😁
There's one other fact about wearing a mask and that is that if I person is hard of hearing or does not hear well they might read lips and they'll be able to hear with their eyes. And if you're wearing a mask all the time it becomes very difficult to understand other people because of that
My hear is so bad.. What you said is spot on🙂
So you ask WHAT? WHAT? repeatedly and stumble closer to the person speaking.
@@statesrights01 as is mine. And yes I would have to lean into the people so I can hear what they are saying.
You can get masks that are see through to help those hard of hearing or who are deaf.
Unfortunately one of the downfalls I've noticed about Japanese culture is that people with disabilities are either neglected or seen as a mark of shame or cursed. It is not uncommon for parents of children with disabilities to hide them in their home. People are shamed for even getting a cold.
When you first mentioned the 5 disadvantages of mask I was like, “ I had every single one of these” when I was working at my old job , I was pretty healthy before this job, but working there for 6 days a week wearing a mask. It took a tool on my body and I am fairly young.
That’s crazy how we are all different. I did so much better after the year I wore one. I felt much healthier. Now that we aren’t wearing them, I’m back to being sick…
I don't feel like masks had any effect on whether I got sick or not, but everything else Shogo listed, I have experienced when I had to wear masks during my 8-hour shifts. I refuse to ever do that again.
I live in Japan and refuse to wear a mask when outside. I don't care about social pressure
High five, my dude!
I would do the same.
same
@@ASHERUISE /)
Where i live (São Paulo, Brazil) masks are still quite common in everyday life, about 30-50% of people on the streets wear them and they are mandatory in a lot of indoor spaces such as public transit, schools and many offices. It's interesting comparing it to the situation in Japan, I can definetly see a lot of similarities, such as the "masks as underwear" thing, personally, i don't know the faces of a lot of the classmates i've been with for over half an year and i feel quite shy and exposed without a mask, i've normalized quite a bit identifying people based on the upper faces and tho it hasn't happend to me personally i've known people who didn't recognize each other maskless.
But there are also a lot of the aspects of the Japanese mask situation that don't apply to here such as the peer presure, on the streets no one is bothered regardless of whether the ones around them are masked or not, and on the spaces that do require masks, people often take of their masks only to get told to put them on by whoever is responsible for enforcing rules there, there isn't a pressure to put the masks on but it seems to have been normalized (especially among the youger generations that are each more shy than the one that preceded them), and the people who do wear masks on the streets are quite adamant in not taking them off, i myself don't take note of it anymore, i just notice it's happening when i see someone from abroad or from out of town talk about the current mask situation that i notice that what my city is going through is unusual, i wonder if this normalization of masks is going to survive into the future here and become a distinguishing mark of São Paulo in the years to come.
westerns and asias difference in expressing their emotions is such an intersting topic! when masks were mandatory in my country I remember not to be able to understand peoples emotions; it was because I couldn't understand from their eyes 🤯. Could this be also why there is so many eye movement in japanese tv and anime?
Interesting point! Japanese culture and communication is ‘high contextual’, which means that non-verbal communication plays a bigger role. Living in Japan, I personally haven’t had any problem at all gauging how people feel while they wear masks
Considering that Japanese hide their real emotions behind their tatemae 99% of the time you won't understand them even with masks off.
Anime is mostly just an adaptation of manga and manga is static, so doing overly exaggerated expressions transmits what character feels better to the reader, especially when done for comedic purposes.
West isn't that different actually, just look at lion king animated vs lion king live action and tell me which you like better. The stylized 2d characters oozing personality or the no expression boring 3d ones.
in most situations hiding your emotions is a lot better, or displaying it in your voice
Masks are really different between states in America. I recently moved from California, where almost everyone was masked all the time despite the mandate being lifted. I moved to Arizona, where almost no one wears a mask. I stopped wearing a mask too because I didn't want to stand out. The peer pressure exists in different ways in both cultures.
You can wear what you want in the US. The issue I had was there was a group of people telling ME what to do with MY body. I don’t like that. I don’t need to wear that crap because I’m a healthy person.
For others, who are weaker or just want to wear them, that’s fine. Just don’t MAKE me do it.
I know from experience that Japan has a huge problem with all the waste from single use items, and masks are another component on that giant trash pile.
What's to be done with all the BIO-WASTE worldwide???
Excellent video, Shogo, and you seem to be one of relatively few Japanese who have the courage to publicly say what you think.
I live in Japan with my Japanese wife and baby, and we almost never wear a mask, for the reasons you explained. I will fight for my child's right to remain unmasked, as wearing them will impact his development and instil a sense of senseless compliance for the sake of harmony even when the scientific evidence shows that on balance, the risks of mask wearing outweigh the benefits they provide in relation to this disease.
I really worry about the future of Japan when this mask wearing has become culturally ingrained for no reason other than fear and keeping harmony above all else, even when doing so contravenes the truth.
I've always wondered this and I'm so glad I finally get an answer!!! Thank you Shogo!
These videos are always so cool and informative. Thank you for creating them and sharing your time and expertise.
Welp, there goes any hope of visiting the Sunrise Kingdom ever. Concern for the health and safety of others is natural - government mandates for "your" health and safety are not.
We will always have diseases and illnesses with us. There is no "defeating" COVID or any other disease.
And attempting to remove yourself from the Animal Kingdom has consequences.
No defeating disease? 🤔Explain then why smallpox has been eradicated, plague is not the scourge it once was, and why most countries don't have endemic diseases like diphtheria or masses dying from tuberculosis?
Thanks for always providing great content Shogo-san! I was curious though, does the constant mask wearing carry over to Rural Japan and farming villages as well as in the cities? Here where I live (rural southwest Idaho) we never wear masks mainly because the population is not very dense.
It does and even more fervently.
I see people work by themselves in their gardens plus bike around by themselves all while wearing masks in the heat of summer.
This is in the south of Osaka.
“The nail that stands out gets hammered down”
I lived about 45 mins drive from the city of Hiroshima in a rice farming area, I would say there it was very slightly less mask wearing, & I mean very slightly. Mostly people keep them on & pull them down under their chins so they could pull them back up as needed, which is what I did a lot as well. Now I'm back in Tokyo & the difference is more people wear masks as normal (without pulling them down even while social distancing)
it shocks me how with such densely populated cities Japanese people can still wear masks, in Argentina i dont remember since when we stopped using them for everything except for going to health centers
I know Japan has the oldest people on average but messing up peoples future and health for some votes with older people is messed up, the young is the future those older people won't even be around for 50 more years, but the younger generation will it's like the older people don't care about the future of Japan as long as it's not affecting them now.
I've thought for years that Japan is where I want to stay for life. I've been here long enough and I love the country. However, I don't know how much longer I can live like this. If this doesn't change at some point, I don't know what I'll do. Can't afford to live back home and can't mentally take living in a country full of faceless people forever.
Wow l thought l wanted to go there.. what is the mask situation now .. can a foreigner not wear one?
@@michaelg6641 - I don't really get what you mean by "can a foreigner not wear one" (because of course anyone can wear a mask), but the situation is this: Japanese people are scared shitless to be different than anyone else in any way. Therefore, no one wants to be the first to take their mask off. Because of that, no one is ever going to be the first to go back to normal. Still hoping that they might go back to normal life eventually but I'm not putting money on it.
@@atomicphilosopher6143 The question was straightforward.. can a foreigner NOT wear a mask if they dont want to... Or will you be ostracized by them, or is it mandatory? Does everyone wear one in everyday life still? I didnt ask if a foreigner CAN wear one, that much is obvious.
@@michaelg6641 There was never a mandate to wear a mask in Japan. That's why a lot of foreigners don't wear one, but most Japanese people will get mad at you for not wearing one.
I would love to visit Japan again, but not if I have to wear a mask.
You literally don't have to.
From this video it doesn’t seem like you’ll have to. Free choice dude.
Is irony that closed mindset, traditionalist mindset, was created to protect Japan culture/country, but nowadays + to much shyness, unwillingness to change, is what's 💀 it. 😅
Fantastic content as always. One thing I would say is that a 'conclusion' tends to have some new idea or result. So, rather than 'Conclusion', I'd probably call the last bit the 'Summary'.
I work in a casthouse and have to wear masks quite often, to protect me from fibers that might break off of old insulation mats. The worst thing about the covid masks is the lack of an exit valve. Wearing an FFP3 mask in 50C while working hard is nicer than wearing a basic FFP2 mask while shopping. (FFP2 is similar to N95 and FFP3 is similar to N99)
but with an exit valve, you do not protect the people around you.. only yourself, which is a thing while working but not in a crowded subway...
@@lannifincoris6482 yes. However, if everyone wore a filtering mask, would that still be necessary? Secondly, if an adult consciously decides not to wear a mask, why is it my responsibility to protect them? Workers in hospitals and care homes must protect their clients, but everyday life is different.
@@blarfroer8066 1)a) Yes; even your FFP3 mask is not 100% effective at blocking the Virus, plus it can still get in through your eyes, which drain right into your nose, so unless you're arguing that people need to walk around wearing bio/chem-grade gas masks or self-contained breathing apparatus, nothing can fully protect them from the virus you want to have the freedom to spread. Also, your valve likely makes you more dangerous than a person without a mask, by compressing your exhalations into a narrow exit path that travels farther toward other people with a higher concentration than normal breathing would.
1)b) Those "filtering masks" cost 10 to 20 times as much as and are less available than the recommended procedural (surgical, paper) plus cloth mask solution. If the percentage of people who are "done with" masking gets above 90-95% (that would be 10 to 20 times the number of people), you might have a myopic economic pseudo-utilitarian argument that it's overall cheaper for society as a whole for the remaining sub-10% to wear the more expensive masks, if you only look at the mask costs and ignore the cost of hospitalizations, funerals, and lost labor from the inevitable further spread of disease. Combine this with the fact that the jobs that come into contact with more people more often and the people who are more likely to use public transportation and thus who need protection most, right below health-care workers, are low income, and you have effectively argued for a monetary and life-expectancy tax on the lower-class to trivially increase the quality of life of the middle and upper class.
2)a) If you're the only two people in the room and neither of you are ever going to be around anyone else and give your newly exchanged diseases to anybody else, I assume you are two consenting adults playing a variant round of Russian Roulette... oh wait, that's illegal, so I guess, that by the best precedent I can find, you should probably have the same legal responsibility to not do it as playing with a partially loaded revolver. You'll need to consult someone of your faith on the moral responsibility. But, y'know, two wrongs don't make a right, didn't your momma ever teach you that?
2)b) Just on the effects of masks on disease transmission, source control is more effective than destination control: Masks without valves limit how far away from the person the particles that get through the mask travel and therefore provide additional protection beyond the basic filtration function, so if we had to pick between giving a mask to an infected person or an uninfected person, we should always be giving the mask to the infected person, since that will protect the uninfected person more than if they wore it. (And thanks to asymptomatic transmission we don't know which is which, so we treat everyone as if they are infected) Our doctors and dentists have known this forever, which is why procedural masks exist with that name (they wear it during the procedure to protect the patient) and why visitors to an ICU have to be masked, to protect the patients from getting new infections brought in by the visitors.
Not only is source control more effective than destination control, universal control (both wearing masks) is even MORE effective than the difference between the two. With surgical masks, switching from destination to source adds about 4% protection and switching from source to universal adds an additional 12-16% protection. (So if you're doing the math, a masked person is about 15 to 20% safer when the infected person also wear masks.)
@@lannifincoris6482 nonsense if everyone Takes a mask
Thanks Shogo for an interesting look into Japanese culture with the mask situation, very informative. Please continue to share your thoughts on topics concerning the Japanese people. Thanks again and take care.
I've seen some research conducted by some universities in the US and UK on the effects of mask wearing and lockdowns on the development of children, both physically and psychologically and the results are worrying. The masks seem to really mess with childrens' ability to interpret facial expressions and will no doubt lead to problems later in life, this combined with lockdowns has caused there to be, on average, a 20 point drop in IQ in children 😳. If Japan keeps using makes too heavily and frequently I'm afraid it'll seriously impact future generations.
"Smart" phones alone already caused IQ points to fall across the board. It will only get worse combined with the slave masks.
Don’t worry, they’ll just reclassify the benchmarks that define whether the kids are special needs or not. The kids aren’t left behind if you move the goal post within their reach, eh?
@@jollygoodfellow3957 it's horrifying how much sense that makes
Hi Shogo
I'm from India
I have this best friend of mine who never takes off her mask, not even when the teachers ask to do so. It's because some boys (not all of them) make fun of her face and crack hurtful jokes about it. Honestly, She's a really nice person who always cheers me up when I'm down, she's also super cute. One fine day, when I was talking with her about some homework, one of those boys came to us and were acting super polite. They were like: "Hey Hey remove your mask!! I wanna see your face!! I was trying to defend her from them and also she shouted: "No!! Please don't!! Then suddenly, one guy managed to grab the mask pulled it real hard. Looking at her face, one of them said: Nice to see ya, RAT FACE!!
It really hurt her feelings. I was really BALLISTIC 😡😡
Ok..
In India, masks were not made that compulsory until the end December 2019.
Here's the evolution of masks in our country
1) Surgical masks
2) N-95 masks
3) 3 layer masks
And... so on (as far as I remember 😅)
Thanks
Love from India 🇮🇳
No. Masks were made mandatory from 20 March 2020 and that mandate was removed effective 4 April 2022.
Uhh.. Okay 😊😷
By "until the end of December 2019" I meant to say 2020 only 😁😁
I know right..
But thankfully, I taught those hooligans a lesson they'd never forget, not even in their sleep 😁✌
Hey. Hope you’re friend’s doing ok.
@@CloudyWolf713 She IS fine now.. (Thanks to me and my other friends)
You don’t need them unless you’re sick in public. That’s how it was before the beer virus. It should go back to that
All your insights are very accurate Shogo! I also live in Kyoto - since the government stated that masks were not necessary outside, I tried not to use it but then when you see that almost everybody is using masks you feel the PEER PRESSURE and makes me feel uncomfortable sometimes 😥 still, I’m trying not to use it when I’m outside walking in the street and just put it on when I enter any shop/store/office, etc. Surely this is a transition that will take a VERY LONG TIME in Japan, I guess
Yeah, same here in Israel, we put the mask when entering indoors for a long time, but now that they requirement was removed, few people are still wearing masks. But as u can imagine, no one care about who is wearing a mask outdoors. Indoors, when it was mandatory to wear a mask, many elder people became "mask police", pressing ppl around to put the mask on. I guess that if they could, they would press others all the time?
In Germany we don't have any rule of wearing a mask atm. Honestly i prefer to not wearing a mask at all. We never had this before COVID therefore we're absolutely not used to it like in Japan.
I would love to visit Japan next year if the situation allows it and i really hope by then the majority of the Japanese cast the mask away so i can do it also. I can't imagine wearing a mask for 14 hours (during the flight) straight. :( I know this is kinda rude i guess but i really dislike masks for some reason. Especially since i wear glasses and it's so uncomfortable to wear both of them at once. Thank you for your video!
Yeah, wearing glasses is almost impossible to feel comfortable wearing a mask, outdoors in special. In Israel we don't have any regulations now, out elder people in special still do wear masks in closed places, as the theater or the cinema, our family did wear masks in flights now in the summer, although is not a requirement.
Wearing a mask in hot humid weather, is a nightmare, with lens in special.
He mentioned that western ppl wear sun glasses, of course!, that's because unlike the Japanese people most of us have light eyes (no enough melanin) thus, our eyes are sensitive to light.
When we had regulations to wear a mask outdoor here in the summer we made sure to take a open drink bottle with us, because then, it wasn't need to wear the mask
I think it becomes a huge mental health problem if you can't face someone else without wearing a mask!
No it doesn’t. Especially as people wear clear face coverings as well.
@@SS-yj2le I think she means the people who get anxiety when people see them without a mask on.
thanks for this video. I have actually moved back to america with my family. I have 3 children in elementary school and i didnt want them to grow up in a country that forced them to wear masks everyday. This is what prompted my family to move back. I even bought a house in japan. Before all this happened, I thought Japan was a great place to raise children, but I got a lot of push back even from gaijin to conform. they were more concerned about their wallets and didnt have children. I really feel terrible about what this generation of Japanese children have been put through.
I went to Tokyo and did not wear one. No one asked me to wear one inside or outside. In Akihabara there were many Japanese people not wearing them either.
I wished I could have experienced Japan before the pandemic but I never had the opportunities to do so and I could never win scholarships or pass job interviews like JET. I applied to Interac and passed the application stage. I might just cancel my application. I had a childhood dream of living in Japan and to work for the animation industry over there. I don't wear a mask. Even if I wanted to, I can't because it triggers migraines and motion sickness. I have sinus problems and nasal congestion and it's hard to breathe with something blocking my nose. I don't think I can wear a mask 24/7 and then you're not getting paid a lot and problems you might have with the company/school etc. I just don't know if all of this is worth it.
I had a wonderful 3 weeks voyage to Japan in 2017. People then didnt wear masks. That is what puzzles me the most. Dont they think back and ask themselves, how could we survive without masks before?
@@markuskimmich7436 Thank you for your reply!
My advice as someone who's lived here for years is to only come here on vacation. Most people here are so righteously indignant about mask wearing, but they won't tell you directly to your face. I just saw a recent video where a Japanese woman was complaining that she wishes foreigners would "follow the rules" and wear masks on the train. Mask wearing is a cult here. Not going to end anytime soon.
@@orobas7785 If they dont end this mask cult they are going down as a people.
I am the same with you on when I wear my mask. If I am inside then I will wear my mask for safety. But when I am outside I don’t because it is so hot and humid right now especially in the country side.
Same! It's been so hot and humid since June. The hottest summer in my 6 years in Japan so far. It's so hard to wear a mask when it feels suffocating because of the heat and humidity from breathing (+weather), and my rosacea doesn't like it at all. Wearing a mask makes triggers my rosacea and makes my skin break out and so itchy (sometimes feels like it's burning). 😩
Safety? If you do not have covid, then there is no point for you to wear one.
@@coralie288 I've been in Japan since 2012 and this summer has definitely been the hottest (thanks global warming). 2018 was also really bad. Up until 2018 I found Japanese summers hot but tolerable.
I live in Japan and you're right that like 99% of people when you're walking the streets, or in public spaces, will be wearing masks.
However, people are much more lax about mask etiquette here. What I mean by that is what Americans call "dick nosing" so having your nose pop out, or "chin-strapping" wearing your mask around your chin isn't something people call out here.
In America people shout at other for doing this kind of thing. Here I would never shout at other people much less strangers about this and likewise other people never, ever police my lax mask etiquette.
Another "spot on" video. Thank you, Shogo san.
I'm in Kyoto now and feel like I'm going to pass out while wearing a mask outside. It's insane to wear a mask outside in this heat. There is not a single case of covid traced to outdoor transmission worldwide.
That's not true. But it is rare enough that unless you are in like a mosh pit for an hour or something the risk is so low there's no real need.
it's insane to wear one, period. It's there to kill you and make you obedient, no other reason.
Fun fact: the ministry of health quietly changed their site and it says you don't actually have to wear one. They also mention to not wear them during super warm times.
There is not any evidence of "transmission" either inside or outside nor is there any evidence of "covid cases". You wouldn't argue people are "catching" the heat from each other leading to sweating? If 2 people were sweating it wouldn't be evidence of "transmission".
Interesting videos as always !
As a university student in Japan, I would say a lot of people are still currently using them.
I usually take it off outside or if I'm alone inside, but it's not the majority. There are still boards between tables at the cafeteria.
I can definitely see how uncomfortable it might be for foreigners if everyone wears masks. I have been studying in that university since April, but there are several students in the same class whose faces I have never seen which is definitely frustrating.
One big Social experiment amongst other things
I used to love watching the walking tours of Japanese towns but I can watch them anymore seeing everyone in a mask. It looks so oppressive.
Same feeling.
Thought it was just me, looks like something straight out of a dystopian film.
@@MauriceMossisitnot I feel like online there are a lot of trolls, bots, for example on reddit, I could swear a lot of the way they get the whole thing operating is to have twitte, reddit and yt bots. Maybe there's a reason they got rid of the old decentralized forum model.
Also, for some reason a lot of your superficial types of women and computer nerd type of guys are really really supportive of masks. Them and what I call the 'A plusers', the women that got all straight A's in hs and university, are establishment types and are trying to get their 'A' on their report card so to speak by following all the rules.
I agree with your approach and do the same here in the US. I wear a mask in indoor venues and on public transit and when outside, generally take it off.
Shogo先生！ Thank you so much for your informative video. Could you recommend us books regarding the Japanese society?
In the US, as I’m certain someone has mentioned, we’ve more or less lifted the mask requirements (except for hospitals and doctors offices and the like), one of the biggest impact that many sited here for lifting those requirements was how it was affecting young children and their social development (at least, that’s the biggest reason I’d been hearing, but that may just be my own priorities making it the biggest)
There is no proof the masks have had any negative effects on anyone.
I’m already starting to see masks come off recently - not many people, but enough to notice. And that’s despite the huge spike of recent cases.
Give it time :)
Not wearing a mask Japanese and not wearing a mask foreigner is not the same thing. Japanese will want to stay away from a foreigner even if they wear a mask, let alone when they don't
My original deadline for relocating to Japan was 2025. We'll see what it looks like by then or if I have to push back the date to when I'm 46.
I hope so! I'll move to Japan next year and after not wearing masks for 1 year in my home country Spain it wouldn't be easy to bring back that habit :/
When I lived in Kyoto I was beginning to notice that, but since moving to a more rural town, conversely, everybody still wears them religiously.
@@HaohmaruHL . In the cities, im definitely seeing more and more young Japanese people with the masks off it makes me as a foreigner feel i can when im outside finally. I saw it often in Osaka and Tokyo. I think some may stay away with foreigners without a mask but the other half dont care and some avoid us either way anyhow 🤷♀️
Where I live it's usually common for people to instinctively follow the self-written rule of wearing them when they go to public closed spaces. If there is a church I want to visit I would put it on, if I walk around I just don't. This is more common in big cities and tourist places where inhabitants are more likely to do so, I noticed since I'm on vacation, but in my small town... It's rarer for people to be seen with masks on. Again it depends on what our government chooses to do, I saw it change ideas multiple times, from when it was mandatory to have an authorization to go around to now, not even having the requirement to be around with a mask. I'd rather use the surgical one rather than the ffp2, cause I struggle to breathe in the ffp2
If you struggle to breathe wearing a ffp2 in dry enough room temperature air (not heat wave humidity type weather - anyone will struggle in excess heat or temperatures so cold your breath freezes the mask) then please see your doctor about it as breathing issues is a symptom of serious diseases including COPD. Surgical masks are easier to breathe in and will be enough for many situations, but this is still important to speak with your doctor about even if you never again wear any ffp2 masks as it is an important symptom to take note of no matter if it's congenital or new.
Why would you torture yourself, teachers and my parents used to tell me how bad peer pressure was as a child and not succumb to it
I learned from this video, that I don’t have to wear underwear anymore. Thank you!
Here in Philippines, mask is still required to wear indoors.
Why tho. It makes no sense
@@remigiusznowak7277 The omicron subvariant causes long COVID in 4.4% of people who contract it, defined as an autoimmune condition causing one or more symptoms for at least two months after initial infection. Many people sustain brain damage from it.
Embarrassing
you mean in public?
@@remigiusznowak7277 Because we don't have the same level of high medical capacity as in other countries and most people would rather prevent sickness than go to the hospital because it's expensive. Prevention is better than cure. So, instead of risking it, we tend to just avoid (as much as possible) getting sick in the first place. A huge surge may lead to lockdowns and we don't want that since we're doing our best to revive our economy.
Me personally, I live with senior citizens so I use a mask outside (or at the office even if it's indoors) to protect them when I get home. Another reason I use a mask is I'm lazy. I can just go to work without make-up. Other senior citizens I talked to were also comfortable with masks and would rather use them even after the gov't makes it voluntary.
So far, I haven't heard a lot of complaints regarding mask use here in the Philippines, or maybe that's just in my immediate circles. Either way, as we ramp up vaccinations, I think maybe by the end of the year or next year, masks would be voluntary indoors or outdoors. For me though, I would wear masks as long as I could. I'm just more comfortable with it.
I’m currently in Paris and have seen many Japanese tourists. Interestingly, most do not wear masks (no one wears them here).
Pareil à Angers, 0 masque.
Some people here in Canada will never go back either.
But here people give you the "evil eye" for not wearing masks. It's awful. Especially for children
@@user-cr3pn7rk2v I will continue to wear it when I feel ill (like now. coughing but no corona) or there are many people around. otherwise I don't care and won't bother judging people. up to common sense if people want to help others or not
Can you do a video about how fault is assigned in Auto Accidents in Japan and why you better bring a Gomen Nasai gift if you are in an auto accident and the other person is injured or killed even if other guy is at fault?
I never heard of this. It sounds interesting, and annoying
My wife's boss was recently involved in a car accident where a Japanese driver made an illegal lane change to pass and then sideswiped/struck his car. We've seen some very unsafe native drivers in Japan and even one case of a guy nodding off with his head practically drooped against his chest on the Shin Tomei Expressway. Yikes.
@@arcturionblade1077saw a few of those situations in Okinawa but those accidents start with the words “My boss’s wife.”
I wonder how it would affect you if you was a foreigner and it was either a 50/50 or not your fault
My wife and I live in Japan. We were just talking about how we thought masks may never go away after Covid. Before a person would wear a mask If they were not feeling well in order to protect others.
But now it seems like it’s become almost cultural to have one on. I’ve even seen local farmers wearing one in their fields. I really do wonder if atleast for a generation that masks are just a normal part of attire for the people of Japan
If they are then I guess I will have to give up the plan of moving there I've been working on for the last five years and reconsider living in Florida after all.
That's freaking insane.
This whole "Japanese wore masks even before covid" thing... yes, a few did. If you visited before covid, or watch videos of life in japan before covid, VERY few people wore masks. Sure, you'd see it more than in Western coutnries, but let's not act like everyone was wearing masks all the time. From my experience, it was always a few people and mostly only on train cars.
I am living in Japan now and I think the whole masks on 24/7 thing is so sad and so unnecessary. I hope it changes soon and goes back to the way things used to be here. I absolutely think not seeing people's faces does so much more harm to the human mind than the weak coronavirus does to the body.
Finally someone from Japan that understands.
Japanese people should express their honest views and opinions on social media platforms.
very rarely do I wear a mask in Japan but Im not Japanese so everyone just ignores me. But it will take Japanese people not wearing mask to change society. YOU will be the change if there is change to come in Japan.
I remember in Korea I was the ONLY person without my mask on, And alot of people were yelling at me for it!
I can't wear them due to breathing difficulty so I had no choice but to ignore them ^ ^
Wearing a mask, I sound like a dying Darth Vader in his damaged suit x.x
Then wear a clear face screen. It isn’t hard. There is no reason you shouldn’t have something on.
There is no reason for them or anyone else to engage in a performative act just so you can feel virtuous and less anxious.
It was a national law here in Korea until just a few months ago, and even now it is required indoors. That might be why they yelled. Lots of Koreans have Asthma and other breathing difficulties yet still wear them. So having breathing difficulties isn’t a justified reason.
@@SS-yj2le Why should she be forced to and these clear screens also Impede breathing, so She should refrain from the peer pressure gain Thicker skin however I do realise that shes in Korea and these people don't hold back their feelings! 😂
@@marykatherinechadwick2518 Neither is wearing a mask if you have Asthma or breathing difficulties, that's crazy why would she intentionally harm herself to make other people feel safe? have you seen the latest ruling from the CDC they said that the Unvaccinated should go about their lives as normal as they've built up a natural resistance to the common cold or the Flu because they believed in their own immune system, now imagine that!
Fantastict video. It did a great job at talking about why japanese people are so eratinally hesitant to take maskes of even though the mortality rate from covid is only about 0.3 in Japan. Another reason why maskes are so dangerous that you didn't mention is that it pouts baby's behind developmently with there speaking skills because they can't see anybodys mouth so they can't copy. Maybe japanese people should talk about facts like these. If they did perhaps the elderly would be more lenisnt because they know how it negativly affect their grand children.
It also subtly restricts airflow, if you have very bad breathing problems it becomes very apparent.
Some future couples in Japan will end up being married for years without ever seeing each other’s faces…
Let’s be honest in 2023 there is NO BENIFIT to wearing a mask
I have been planning a trip for some time, and I know that you might not see this, but with the hidden gems that you have brought us, I thought I should ask. Are there any translation offices that would be willing to hire people who could assist with the translation work in Kyoto?
Google translate app with the camera feature does real-time translation and is incredibly useful. There is also a voice recording feature that allows back and forth conversation. I’d learn the basic words and use that app. Also become very familiar with the locations you’re visiting.
@@elissitdesign I think she was asking if there's a place that might hire her to help with translations
Don't bother. Most signs are in English. Also, many folks understand English, with a little prompting.
What are you translating? Because if it's just for a holiday...come on, get real, it should be obvious that you don't need that.
Thank you for your insight on Japanese society. I am definitely still wanting to study Japanese abroad regardless. I will do my best to be respectful. I'm not too worried about it and I try to not bother too much with what people think of me in general. Hopefully this won't be as big a thing by then though. Things should change indeed. :)
On another note, I will sometimes wear sunglasses to soothe anxiety, which is much like wearing a mask for the same reason. Avoiding direct eye contact is just more soothing to me. I found the finds from your research interesting. Thank you for sharing.
I know this video is from a year ago when Covid was still more prominent but I recently spent 3 months in Kyoto in spring of 2023. There was a mask "mandate" that was still going on and also was eventually lifted during my time there. After it was lifted, I noticed most people still wearing masks at first, but less and less each day as time went on. It is very clear just from observation while immersed in the society there that no one wants to be the first person to stand out from the norm. But also, people are willing to do things differently once they see others doing it.
Japan was an incredible place to be for many reasons but there are also plenty of societal issues that are obvious if you spend enough time there. I would still recommend visiting there to anyone who thinks they might want to. My experience was almost, if not entirely a 100% positive one. But I can also see how it can be a more challenging experience to anyone considering moving there longer, say for school or work.
I would imagine that most peoples biggest goal in moving to Japan would be to make friends and immerse themselves in the culture. I know mine was. I was lucky enough to have a friend who was already living there and through that friend, I made many more friends during my stay. But I can absolutely see how it would be very difficult to make friends if you are not as lucky as I was to already know someone who lives there prior to going. It's not impossible, my friend who introduced me to their friends, made those friends on their own. But that friend of mine also lived in the country for over a year before making any friends at all.
Also it's important to note that most of the friends that I made were either not Japanese or were Japanese people who had experience living in other countries, spoke English and therefore their personalities reflected more of their experiences outside of Japan. I did make friends with a few people who either had never left Japan or if they did, it was only for a short time and some of them spoke little to no English at all. Those people were also wonderful and always very kind but as much as I wanted to, I'd be lying if I said it wasn't more difficult to get closer with them as friends as it was the others. Between the language barrier (although I do understand and speak a small amount of Japanese) and the cultural barrier, it does become difficult to make friends with people who have a more traditional Japanese upbringing and cultural life experience. At least in the short term.
Thanks for your great explanations. You answered all of my questions that I had for a while. Now I have a better understanding of this. You are amazing as always 👏👏👏👏👏👏
Its interesting how these insecurities only exist in Japan. "People might realize I actually exist when I take off my mask.... yadaaaa"
Go back and watch the Japanese news for the last 2 plus years and you will understand that the people are living in Fear terrified, and will do anything not to catch the common cold or the flu, What do I blame it on the TV obviously the FEARPORN is both horrendous and blatant! it's like watching the Japanese people roll with a crocodile that crocodile aint letting go till it's had it's eway it seems
I mean... In Spain it happened the same and many teenagers were terrified because they had to take off the mask but... It just happened and now we're all fine
@@sc98_ Maybe because the news scared everyone unnecessarily over a virus Common cold or flu you have a 99.6999 percent of surviving from, this was a created Fear which garnered the reaction
@@sc98_ in morroco we stopped wearing masks actually what about u . How u doing ? Yall still wearing mask or Spain take them off recently?
Well...I never going there! I personally like breathing without a diaper over my face. If I do go then I won't under any circumstances wear a mask and people will either accept me for who I am and respect my personal choices or they won't and they can go away. Sumimasen my friend!
The comparison of wearing a mask to wearing sunglasses causing communication issues make more sense to me now.
As a westerner in the United States, I actually need to wear sunglasses while I'm outside. I have very light eyes (light blue colored) and because of that, my eyes are very sensitive to light. But when I have to speak to someone while I'm outside, I do remove or lift up my sunglasses so I can make proper eye contact.
Given the very limited effectiveness of masks, especially the types most people wear and how they wear them, the only real use for them is covering up faces.
Nobody wants to visit somewhere where everyone’s faces are covered up. It’s wholly unwelcoming and definitely makes already difficult communication even harder.
The best thing about everyone wearing face masks is that you can pretend to be a ninja infiltrating a rival ninja organization whenever you enter your workplace.
😂
I think there may be a mistake at 6:50 - how can only 1/4th of the population be 65 or older, while 1/3rd of the population is 75 or older?
In the US the CDC noted that developmental milestones of very young children were being delayed. They decided to just change these milestones till later so that a huge portion of kids would not be classified as retarded. The unofficial thought on the matter is that masks and social isolation is to blame for this.
The sunglasses-mask comparison was super interesting! I am western raised and I don’t consider someone in sunglasses especially difficult to communicate with (unless it’s a very serious conversation, but for day to day stuff, not at all). Masks on the other hand, well it’s just very difficult to me to communicate with them.
Yeah, I guess that many of us wear sunglasses, because unlike the japanese ppl, most of western people have light eyes, with no enough melanin, very sensitive to sunlight. Thus, we are use to people wearing sunglasses and we pay more attention to the mouth expression
Yeah that was really interesting. As someone from the east I can confirm that I feel the opposite as you!
Interesting item on the teenagers wearing masks a lot. I live in the U.S. now, and and my business is near a number of high schools. Most people around here are in their 20s-40s and don't wear masks ever, but I see the high school students wearing them even in the summer and when they are walking alone.
Or maybe they know there is still a pandemic going on.
@@earl_Feather We've beaten other pandemics before with vaccines or the worst way, natural selection which we are doing right now.
I read that standard masks don't help against particle matter, or do Japanese wear medical grade masks by default?
Ha ha, no. It's all just for show, getting the cheap masks or reusable masks. Only a small minority of people are actual germophobes. Most are just following the pied piper, trying not to stand out from the crowd.
As someone planning to go to Japan in November. I’m intrigued to see what to do and say.
And I have others like Gaijin Goomba, Paola in Tokyo and even
tghis video was 8 months ago but nowadays thankfully i see many ppl without masks
I am a Brit that has lived in Japan for past 5 years and I have rarely worn my mask since coronavirus started. many people must think i am a bad manners foreigner but i do not care. japan will most likely wear masks forever, it has become a religion here and most people love wearing masks.
yeh, stuff em. I came back in march '21 and i only wear them when i think the viral load is high: indoors when i cant social distance, when the ventilation is bad and on crowded public transportation. i havent noticed any scornful looks. but then again, don't give a toss. so thats why i havent noticed.
Well as long as you don't berate people wearing masks..it's fine..I personally still wear masks when I go on a train or inside buildings..but I never berate anyone who doesn't..but it still bothers me that people berate people for wearing it..I usually take it off outside though
When I vacationed in Japan the first thing I noticed is that the Japanese people rarely had sunglasses on. That and the lack of public trash cans.
Sunglasses have a bad connotation here, sort of like what Americans perceive of people wearing masks pre-pandemic, suspicious and more likely to commit crime. In fact, the Japanese don't wear the hood on their heads as that too also has a bad connotation. When Japanese people wear hoodies, the hood never lands on the head and stays at the neck and back.
Have a hoodie and kept wearing it in winter. Especially when the ice cold wind gets stronger its nice and warm to put the hood on. But I was angrily nagged by a Japanese friend so many times to take it off because I "would scare people around"...
Dang, didn't realize Shogo was based. Subbed.
I live in Shiga and work in Omi Maiko. They seem to play fast and loose over here. A lot of the old guys I know don’t care and don’t wear other than on the train, at the store, or certain places. But here at the guesthouse, it’s a mixed bag.
its the opposite in europe. i still wear masks and some people look at me strangely and say im paranoid. i respect decisions of those choosing not to wear them but its annoying when they dont respect mine
I only do it when I caught a cold and go to the drug store for remedies.
Dutch people always speak their minds so one day I had to get some mint crystals for my cold, and to protect others, wore a mask. I got comments that I was paranoid, so I immediately waved the medicine and said "getting this because I'm having a cold and I'm protecting you from it by wearing this mask. But if you're interested in a cold, come here! It can be arranged!" Then I took it off and kept waiving, encouraging them to come closer.
They ran away and hid in silence.
It's because we weren't respected. It's because even when we were compliant, we were screamed at, abused and accused of being inhumane or uncaring or asking how long this was going to last. It cuts both ways. It will take a very long time for the damage caused to heal, though I doubt things will ever be quite the same again and I don't mean that in a positive way.
@@Bunnyroo7 I want to play you a song on the world's smallest violin, but I misplaced it
@@backtoshellac6459 Yup. You just made my point for me. No respect, no consideration -- yet you expect to be taken seriously.
@@NiekNooijens That's a very karen thing to do.
Is the factor of microplastic being discussed in Japan at all? I mean, breathing it in through the masks, and also the amount of waste that all these masks create?
Or that they just don't work for airborne viral diseases. You get microplastics, lower oxygen, more stress and anxiety, your facial and emotional recognition suffers which is just devastating for children. All for no gain. All I have seen are very shoddy studies, yet people have been trying masks since the spanish flu to no avail. No military done studies either, even though the threat of bio-weapons and stopping them means they would have done research at some point. Every time I've seen a chart of cases and the point where masks mandates were introduced is when cases spiked astronomically.
New subscriber here-I learned so much in this video. Thank you!
Here in Chile most people still wear them, but you don't get the looks if you don't wear them, unless you are using public transportation like subways where it's still obligatory to wear them xD
In my “country”, Macau, we are obligated to use masks but sometimes the government just doesn’t enforce it all the time, also most police simply warn/ignore other than give a ticket/fine or other punishments. Wouldn’t really blame the police because they have other things to do other than tell people to put on their masks. BUT, last month, there was a huge spike in covid cases, we were obligated to use masks and police would even arrest or detain people who don’t have masks.
Edit: we also had to go to a center to do a mass test and also had to self test everyday
Jeez that's rough.
@@ASHERUISE that’s called authoritarian
I would rather die than keep living in that kind of fear
I was wearing a mask since 2018 (PM 2.5 mask for mouth and face in cotton, opaque, with respiratory filter.) because in the winter the air here in Milan (IT) is very polluted, I suffer from sinusitis and my nose became easly clogged when the weather is cold, I bought a 3 mask pack from A. and I started to wear it outside and on the tram, I usually took it off in the metro and suburban trains running underground. My nose was working fine all the time and after I started to feel the smells I thought Was I breathing this crap everyday without noticing?
working in the trade here in Canada, many to most people in sites don't want to wear masks. in winter, they take them off because indoors where there is heater, there are times that it is too hot that is similar to summer temps. i worked in the mechanical room and it is like 30 degrees inside and it is 0 or sometimes -10 outside. i also heard from others too that working inside wearing masks actually is similar to not being able to breathe, so they take them off. then it's summer here today. currently, no one wears masks especially indoors that the drywalls currently being built
then there's one story on my father's side. the minute he wears the mask on, everyone asks why he wear one and if he is sick or something :O wow
When you work hard the humidity in the mask tends to rise because of your increased breathing and sweating, and high enough humidity clogs up the face mask, basically. Like a wet cloth over your mouth and nose.