We’ve all had a rough three years with COVID, which forced us to stay home and avoid social interaction, then pay too much for graphics cards. Worst of all was being required to wear face masks in public, which was not part of daily life outside of a few Asian countries. Happily, Japan has finally dropped mask requirements, making mask-wearing optional in public, as Japan struggles to return to normal.
Japan Finally Removes Mask Requirements. Why?
Seeking a “full return to normalcy,” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has re-classified COVID-19, allowing citizens to use their own judgment about whether they need to wear a mask in shops and other public places. He even surprised reporters by showing up to work without his mask on, something we haven’t seen in three years.
While most of the world has moved on from wearing masks — to the shock of Japanese people when they visit Hawaii or California — Japan has kept mask rules in place when people are indoors or using public transportation. Official guidelines had removed mask requirements when outdoors, as long as people are keeping two meters away from others.
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What this means is that if you’re planning a trip to Tokyo or Kyoto, you can proceed knowing that you won’t be required to wear a face mask all the time. Of course, you’ll still need one in your pocket for special situations, such as visiting a doctor or walking inside a business that specifically requests you mask up.
What was Shinjuku like during lockdown? Read my blog post here!
But suddenly allowing people to use discretion when wearing masks doesn’t mean they’ll disappear overnight. I was happy to remove my mask at the gym yesterday while working out…but I was the only one doing so. It takes quite a lot of courage to be the only one without a mask on, especially when I’m always the only gaijin, too.
I’m extremely happy that the government has made this change, and not just because I hate wearing a mask as much as the next American. No, I’ve long believed that Japan was prolonging its own battle with COVID by being “too good” at controlling the virus, while sloppy, mask-hating America built up its immunity much faster.
Why Did Japan Already Have a Mask-Wearing Custom In Place Before COVID?
That anyone would willingly wear a face mask before the pandemic forced them to must be unthinkable to people outside of Japan or Taiwan. When I arrived in Japan back in 1991, I wondered why Japan had so many surgeons walking around…but it was just the 20% or so of people who preferred masking up in public.
As I wrote in a 2018 blog post, the reasons Japanese people acquired the custom of wearing masks in public included:
- Wearing a mask gives you a general feeling of hygiene while in crowded places.
- Etiquette. If you’ve got a cold or allergies, wearing a mask politely warns others to keep their distance from you.
- Privacy. The morning commute is a little better if you’ve got a physical barrier between your face and others, creating a “social firewall” that protects you from being approached by others.
- Anonymity. If you’re going out to buy hentai doujinshi, sometimes you need to disguise yourself, and a medical-style face mask is perfect for that.
- Women don’t need to put on make-up if they’re going to wear a mask all day.
- In Asian countries with high pollution, wearing a face mask can help filter the air people breathe.
Thanks for reading this blog post about Japan finally rolling back mask requirements. How did you feel about wearing a mask during the COVID crisis? Tell us your comments below, or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or TikTok!
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