Maskless Tourists in Japan Trigger a Debate Over ‘Face Underwear’
Should the country look to the world for advice, or the other way around? Both visitors and residents have something to learn from one another.
The enduring preference for masks, or “kao pantsu,” in Tokyo.
Photographer: Yuichi Yamazaki/Getty Images AsiaPacWith the borders finally open, foreigners arriving in Japan are noticing some things here are different. Dining out is a bargain, thanks to relatively low inflation and the weak yen. Once-familiar areas are now unrecognizable thanks to a building boom. And mask-wearing is still almost ubiquitous, even outdoors.
The Japanese public still prefers to mask up, despite increased prodding from the government to let their guard down a little. For many visitors from the West, for whom masks have become a long-abandoned battleground in the culture wars, it can be slightly disorientating.