Ha ha! Surgical masks? Sure! I'd wear one! Lol. I thought the characters just wore those for fun in anime that I watch. Lol.
We do have people who wear mask like this over here in Singapore. I do not think it's really culture specific to Japan. The top 2 reasons for them to do so would probably be "They are sick and dont want their evil germs to infect others." or "They are not sick but dont want to catch any evil germs from others (or the environment)". When the Haze was over here, many could be seen with the masks. Of course, I was hoping there would be one that wear it because they have no mouth :p
i saw the same kind of thing in pakistan the last time i went there, except people were covering their faces to stop breathing in pollution when they were on the roads.
Seems that most people in the UK feel its their public duty to spread germs and sneeze on you. Yea great for others.....
Same here in germany, but some are to polite and decrease the spray radius using the hands, but maybe that's only because they think spreading it via hand to hand contact is more effective. ^^
Danny, I would refer on your own post, which is "Japan and smoking". I would not mind wearing a mask for health. Some countries like France banned smoking in restaurants and such because studies proved the danger of passive tabagism. But if the waiters wore surgical masks at the beginning, they would not have respiratory troubles at all... I wonder if besides that, major cities in Japan are that polluted and full of smog? I'm not sure. Any answer on that?
What about the eye-patch thing that Japanese school girls like to wear?
Well when I was in Taiwan, it wasn't uncommon to see every other person wear a mask because the air quality was just horrid. There was car exhaust EVERYWHERE and I found it very hard to breathe. I can't believe that L.A.'s air is actually cleaner than Taipei's.
I think that despite their odd looks, they are a great idea. In the UK, when one of your workmates have the sniffles, you are guarunteed that by the week after, everyone will have a stinkin' cold. Its a very considerate thing to do, despite the scary mad doctor image. Other than bike couriers, ive never seen anyone wearing one of those hi-tech ninja masks that you use though! They look well cool! Sub Zero/ Scorpion style!
I beginning to think the wearing of mask is spreading. No pun intended there... I have seen a few non-Asians in the U.S. wearing mask when sick. We do have a large population of Japanese here in southeastern Michigan. Although, I had seen many people where I lived in Florida wearing mask. I don't have a bad reaction to pollen in the spring or fall, but dust can set me off almost in the same way. Danny, when you wear your respirator mask in the spring, how do you decide how long and when to start and stop wearing it?
Mask wearing sofar is unique to Japan, simply becos of its culture and circu,stances. I cant exactly remembered when was that picked up as a national "practice", shld be ard the era after they build the lines, where commuters are so jam packed that they practically breathe onto each other faces. I saw reports of that on the news when I was a little kid and it left a very deep impression in me, its one of the thing which added on to my perceived image of Japan(ese) as an enigmatic nation(people) Peeps from Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia will wear masks when the slash and burn in Indonesia gone seriously out of hand while the wind blows in unfav direction. (Tourists beware)
Actually, there are a lot of Vietnamese adults that I know that still do it here in America. I think it's a pretty common and polite thing to do.
Near enough the whole of asia will wear it. Chine, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Japan, Korea etc. Somehow, that mask makes you look like a professional surgeon.
I would only wear a mask in public if I needed it.
People wear those kind of masks here too. I don't wear them though. But if I had your mask then I'd think otherwise. heheh
Makes me wonder sometimes if wearing masks really does help (wouldn't germs leak?). Plus, smelling your own breath for a few hours doesn't seem appealing either. Your mask, on the other hand, looks scary.
kinda odd, i see them on the news sometimes when they take clips in hk or japan. people wearing masks for some reason, i was like... okay. atleast we dont wear masks here in canada... well just in the hospital and that sars crisis. >_
I've never seen anyone in the US wear those masks in public. However, I've seen it quite often in Asian countries. Although, if I were you Danny, I'd wear that respro mask every day in public. That thing is badass!
People used to wear them quite a bit here when SARS started appearing in Canada. By the way, Danny my log-in is not working=| (I didn't get the confirmation e-mail) Cheers, Nick
Yeah, nearly everyone wore masks in HK and other places that were affected by the deadly SARS disease. Before that and even now, there are people that wear them though. Usually when going out because of bad air quality (e.g., too much exhaust fumes) and also just as you said, not to spread germs if they're ill. After all, why else are you told to cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough ;)
here in the north east its get really cold so i wear a neoprene mask to keep me warm when im out and about walking, yah they look silly but masks r good for many things, look at ninjas T.T
when i came to Japan thats one of the things i noticed i thought people were crazy XD
NickC1, yeah I remember those days. ^^ although I think it was only in the areas of Richmond and Vancouver. I suspect the trend was influenced mostly by Canadians originally from Hong Kong. ^^ Danny, you forgot 1 other reason: they might have been painting their gundams before going out, but forgot to take off their masks. ^^ kidding aside, I find that Japanese people seem to be one of the most considerate people around, wearing a surgical mask while going out so as not to infect people is an admirable gesture, moreover that it's practiced by the general populace. most other cultures wouldn't give a flying fig is the person next to him catches his or her germs. the worst I've seen was in one country where just about every person would hack and spit anywhere and even pee right in the middle of the sidewalk. :p
Marvin, that is so true. Us Americans are more self-centered and would rather care about themselves than about others. Another list added to why I want to move to Japan.. plus I could hang out with Danny. =D I wonder though, if you cough into the mask, won't there be a build up of bacteria? So you'd have to wash it pretty often then.
Actually, I have worn a mask when I was sick. People never gave me a weird look, but then again, I was at a Japanese eatery. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't get a weird look wherever I'd go.
You wouldn't need a surgical mask in the first place if you had a healthy strong immune system! In america, people are overmedicated using medicine to cure every little thing. Just wait until some super virus comes and your unprepared... and it turn your organs in to liquid! haha. This whole thing can be summed up: No i would not wear a mask, i get sick once a year! Grr.
Marvin The Philippines, right?hahah here, it would be an unusual thing to do if putting on a surgical mask when going out. People might think that you are crazy or sumthing to put a mask on while going out. IGNORANT, for short...
Ive seen a few people here wear masks at 1st i thought it was SARS.. but it wasnt really hahaha
Samejima, Somewhere in China actually. the place gave me the first and most astounding culture shock of my life. my jaw dropped down to the ground and my brain froze when a girl suddenly pulled down her undies and pee right in front of me. although now that you mentioned it, I know there are also some depressed areas in the Philippines that would probably fit the description I made earlier. ^^
I think its a great culture but few places practice it though .. the only time I do see people wearing mask in my country is during the SARS period and maybe when the haze gets too hefty ..
it's interesting how the way people wear masks here in Beijing...they would cover up their mouths, but leave their noses in the open air...sticking out from the top of the masks..
Nagi, I think those masks are disposable. ^^ Danny, Sorry if I'm adding so much clutter to your comments area. btw did you get the email I sent yesterday?
I have seen a poster whereby a couple, instead of wearing mask, they wore BRA. i cant imagine the guy nosebleeding into the Bra only to be discovered by his girlfriend when they got home and starts killing him.
I think westerners should adopt this idea so that people don't spread the viruses around whenever the cold season hits...
One thing I read about Japan is that forestry service has a policy of replanting all the decimated forests with cedar trees. There are lots of places you can go in the country-side where you see forests of cedars planted in neat rows. Cedar of course has lots of pollen, so all the poor chaps who get hayfever get it extra bad.
Seems Like a good idea and I think I'd do it if I had to. In NY I've seen people wearing them, but from what I remember they were asian, so I don't know if that makes a difference.
Hi, In Brussels I saw a few (respro masks), mostly bikers to avoid inhaling car exhausts...some folks too but less than bikers..it's still quite uncommon here... I would'n mind...however my mask should then be equipped with a voice chip kind'a like ......shhhh, shh, LUKE...I AM YOUR... oops there I go again ^!^
Seen some people do it in TO..whether or not i would...hmm probally not..not a surgical one.
I can give you input from two cultures, one from Eastern Europe (where I lived fro 14 years) and one from USA (where I live now). It is not common in these two cultures to actually wear masks to prevent spread of your own germs or from getting other people's germs. I actually knew about this Japanese thing a while ago. I did see women one time on a public bus where I live with a mask on. No, no one was actually staring at her, but still she is the only person I ever saw and she was Asian. It’s possible she was from Japan.
I admire how (most) Japanese people feel responsible for the wellness of their community. The people in the States can care no less about sneezing onto someone.
when i was in Tokyo I wore the mask for a couple of days just for the hell of it -- only because I knew I'd never get a chance to go out in public like that anywhere else.
When i went two japan two years ago, i wore a mask just for the fun of it.
Danny, There s no more adsense on your blog???!? Something wrong?
at 1st I thought it was strange, but now I think its very considerate!! I think other countries/Ppl should do the same!! BTW, your mask looks cooler than cool ..........
To us it just looks plain silly to wear. We're not so keep on hygene = /. But in HK some people will wear it.
Have you gotten any models lately? cause i havnt seen u post much about models lately.
No Name, No Gunpla lately but new figures at the end of this month. k.c.a, Having a bit of a problem - working on it now. Edward, When I stop sneezing in doors is when I dont need to wear it anymore ^^; Zer0, Not too sure but it looks cute. D_Blade, The air here seems to be clear form my point of view.
i would tottaly wear them, getting sick isnt fun! also keeping your germs to youself is a nice thing to do.
And one more place people wear mask in public place is HOng Kong. Few years before they had the SARS dicease, so everybody wore mask on the street. Becasue everybody was afaird of getting infected.
fans of japanese punk rock bands in the 80's would sometimes wear surgical masks. Usually black ones.
I have a surgerical mask, but it's cover of blood... not mine, i use it for paint or spray my gunpla. Use it in public yeah for the fun ^^. But in france this action was considered like act of crazy, or act of stupid man... but it's a good idea for protect himself against the pollen if you have hayfever (hayfever i don't know before that was mean "rhume des foins" in english ^^ thank danny in your site i learn a lot of word ^^)
ya i believe it's a japan thing. people don't do that in singapore. it'll attract weird stares. ^^,
kinda curious i`ve only spooted foreigners to do that in public here in my country i think it depends of the culture perception....however, really nice infering you did in the posts but i don't think they are wearing them because they are aliens XDDD
Well I think this is only common in Japan, I haven't seen anybody wearing one outside a hospital, in Germany. But it is a pretty interesting idea, maybe we should start to do so too.
Funny, even in the office!
It might be common in Japan, but it certainly isn't isolated there. Many other Asian countries have the same practice as well.
I kinda wish people here would do that when they're sick... sitting beside someone coughing up a lung and not covering their mouth for a whole class during school isn't fun.
I mostly see people wearing the masks who are Japa
