Why do people in Japan wear masks?

I've heard a lot of people wonder this and many people on the internet ask it too. So I'm here to answer any of your quieries and concerns.

First of all, the most typical mask seen is a white surgical looking mask (see left). However, there can be many different types and colours, and some may even have a certain scent about them, but we'll get to that later.

Before I go on to state the reasons why they wear masks, here's a bit of the history behind mask wearing. Ever since the 2002 SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) outbreak and 2007 bird flu pandemic, masks have been used in both Asia and the US. Yet, the traditional facemask originated in Japan durring the substantial spread of influenza, killing 20-40 million people around the world (more than World War I!). There were outbreaks of influenza on every populous continent, including Asia. So in an attempt to not catch or spread the disease, people covered their faces with scarves, veils and masks. This method became prevalent after the disease spead to many parts of the world, until it eventually faded at the end of 1919.

A few years later, the Great Ranto Earthquake of 1923 struck Japan causing a total of 142,000 deaths. After the earthquake the sky was permeated withsmoke and dust, hence the air quality dropped for a few months. Since then face masks became a typical accessory on the streets of Tokyo and Yokohama. Anyhow, Japan's true love for facemasks began in the second global flu epidemic in 1934 which lead to them being worn regularly during the winter months.

Many people think that the main reason that Japanese people wear masks is because of disease of polution, but actually they are mostly worn in winter because of the cold. During the beginning of winter you will see boxes and boxes of masks in every store. They are to be worn every single day. It will protect your face, lips and throat from going dry and horrible. But actually the temerature in Japan may not be that cold in winter, it may be because of the lack of humidity in the air that it is so cold. There is nothing in the air, it is so dry that your skin can peel and your nails can go brittle.

The next reason is Spring allergies. In Japan allergies happen all year round, but generally in spring. Hay fever in Japan is most commonly caused by pollen from Japanese sugi 杉　(aka cryptomeria japonica) which most people are allergic to. So masks prevent any pollen from getting into the nose. It also hides runny noses and prevents sneezes from going everywhere which isn't very pleasant to see.

Finally people who are sick/ill don't want to get others sick. In Japan it is very typical for

workers to go to the doctors, take their medicine and go straight back to work. Thus, when you work sick you have to wear a mask so you don't affect other workers. Not only do you wear a mask when you are sick, but to prevent getting sick. You may notice many people in banks, grocery stores and other places where they deal with a lot of people, will wear a mask. It also looks nice and sanitary if you are wearing a mask.

Some of the less common reasons for wearing a mask is to cover skin blemishes (pimples/spots) or if you don't put on makeup. And for men some work places do not permit them to have a beard and so if they didn't shave they can hide it with a mask.

Surprisingly a lot of people wear masks for fashion! There are many different types of cute masks, even the classic white mask is considered cute to some people. Some come in different colours and sizes. Male sizes are usually blue and womens pink, so even if you can't read Japanese it is easy to find the right size. However, becareful not to get a mask that is too big, or you may end up looking like Kuchisake Onna, a Japanese urban legend (She is said to wear a big mask to cover her grusome face!). Masks can also have different smells like flowers and fruits. There are also special masks called Nodono-ru masks which is a wet mask that has some kind of filter in so that you can breath in the moisture and these also have a scent like mint or citrus.

So if you ever see a Japanese person wearng a mask now you know why!