In spring, Japan's thoughts turn to . . . surgical masks
Even before the global flu scare, they were all over, for reasons both serious and not.
TOKYO - Everyone in Japan, it seems, is wearing them. And that was before the swine flu outbreak in Mexico sent a chill around the world and made the surgical face mask an essential part of that nation's fight to halt the illness.
It is impossible to go anywhere in Japan this time of year and not notice - the Japanese love surgical masks and wear them just about everywhere they go.
This year's most popular is the N95 model by 3M, a thick and nearly impregnable face mask with a noticeable nose groove and extra breathing space. The heavier-than-normal mask runs up to about 3,000 yen ($30) at stores.
There are other specialty types.
Masks made for people with glasses. Masks designed not to smudge makeup. Kids' masks, with colorful cartoon characters such as Hello Kitty or Mickey Mouse. Models even advertise them in TV commercials - in one, a tall woman walks gracefully through the city, her bright mask shining at night.
Japan in the spring gets a double whammy of influenza germs and cedar pollen - leading to runny noses, watery eyes, and coughing. The masks are primarily to protect against the pollen. But, perhaps even more important, they are a show of consideration for others by demonstrating that, if you are ill in public, you are trying to keep your germs to yourself.
"Japan is fastidious to the point of being obsessive," said Kyle Cleveland, a cultural sociologist who teaches at Temple University's Tokyo campus. "People are willing to acknowledge and recognize the value of not making their coworkers or classmates sick."
Not all agree masks do that, particularly regarding the flu.
Tom Lomax, a British surgeon at the Tokyo Medical and Surgical Clinic, does not recommend masks to his patients, who are mostly Western. He said the value of such a prevention strategy is difficult to measure because most information comes from companies that are marketing the product.
"Rather than being based on any hard scientific evidence, it's passed into the culture," Lomax said. "I think it reflects people's awareness that they're part of a group."
For pollen, however, the masks are a buffer against what all agree is a major problem.
More than 25 million Japanese people, about one in five, suffer from pollen allergies, which became a national cause for concern after World War II, when the government subsidized the costs of planting scores of cedar trees in mountainous areas.
After the trees matured, the wind began spreading storms of pollen throughout the country, especially affecting densely packed cities. Now, the daily pollen count is part of the routine weather report.
Health companies have spun the hay-fever problem into gold.
Sales for both long-lasting and disposable masks have sharply risen in the last three years, showing that they continue to be a ubiquitous, recession-proof commodity.
But some wearers say that, more than a health issue, they wear the masks almost as a fashion statement. By wearing a mask, the thinking goes, you are showing that you are being socially responsible.
"It comes from kindness, thoughtfulness - Japanese characteristics," said mask-wearing Shuichi Yamamoto, a surveyor, who was standing near one of Japan's busiest intersections on his way home recently. "Wearing a mask is socially constructive. If I get a cough, I should have to wear a mask because everyone should think of others."