Hello fellow Japan-dwellers! I am genuinely curious when you will feel comfortable taking off the facemask. Hopefully you already do so outdoors, but when will it be OK to stop indoors? I still generally wear mine in the trains, or in an elevator when someone else gets in, but i just can’t help feeling silly putting it on to step into a restaurant, only to remove it at the table. I have no political or ideological horse in this race, I am just tired of the way it feels, and having a constantly-steamed face!
Please share your thoughts and experiences!
37 comments
Primarily when I’m on my bike.
Hiking / walking in sparsely populated locales.
Mask goes on when indoors shopping, navigating crowds etc.
I feel like it might take years until people stop wearing them in trains or stores. Social pressure of being *that guy* who doesn’t wear a mask is too high and nobody wants to take the first step.
At least my office doesn’t require masks anymore.
Only mask on trains and in stores. exercising or even in the office I don’t wear a mask.
Just take your mask of if it bothers you.
It’s gonna be a while with the social pressures and I believe many people covid aside like the privacy it gives them on public transport. Headphones in and mask on not many will bother you.
For me I don’t generally use it outside at all, Biking, walking etc. If I go to a small izakaya where the tables 1 meter from the door if it’s off outside I won’t usually put it on.
Supermarkets, drugstores, doctor, etc. I’ll use it mainly because lots of older people and I don’t want to be that gaijin.
Personally I don’t think I’ll ever stop, I like the extra bit of distance between me and the rest of Tokyo.
Also haven’t gotten sick once since the start of the pandemic, I think the mask helped.
Nope. And I wear mine outdoors as well because I long ago found that a nice decent thickness mask with a pocket for disposable filters is leagues better than the disposable masks; doesn’t get all sweaty in the summer and doesn’t fill up with exhale condensation in the winter.
I would feel a bit more comfortable not wearing a mask indoors when an effective annual vaccine has been developed for all possible variants. This is not far off. The problem there is that not everyone will get the vaccine, so as long as COVID continues to spread and kill thousands a week I will still wear a mask.
Even so, wearing a mask has never bothered me. I found a KF94 that is extremely comfortable and effective.
Mask off:
– Outside (unless heavily crowded like queuing back to bsck)
– Eating or drinking anywhere
– At home or around shared spaces (only like 8 rooms in my mansion)
Mask on:
– Trains
– Shops
– Basicly anywhere with lack of airflow where I’m with other people.
Since covid is spreading fast here (even if it is the weaker variant) I still feel like people should wear them when around other people.
Right now if I’m outside of my house I wear a mask and keep it on unless I’m eating/drinking. I even wear a mask when I’m out for my daily run but that’s more because I want to burn extra calories.
When will I personally feel comfortable with not wearing them?
Probably when I start seeing more people without masks than with. A lot of people will say with that mindset prevalent amongst most people nothing will change but the thing is I just don’t feel uncomfortable with it on. It’s like wearing socks. A hat is more uncomfortable for me.
That being said there are people who would stop wearing them the first chance they get and I’m already starting to see less masked people everywhere. The fact that it’s getting a bit chilly and they are forecasting a colder than usual winter may keep things from going back to pre-pandemic ways too soon though
Agree that it will take years for Japanese to remove.
Glass separator at shop will stay forever.
Myself:
Outside no mask
Bycicle: no mask
Office: situational but mostly no
Subway: still on, it is quite packed,
Shop: mostly
Konbini: just started to stop.
In Ikebukuro , I’d say I see 10% of people without mask outside (roughly)
And still see people alone in their car, who are not worked, still wearing their mask 😅)
It might fog up my glasses a bit sometimes, but I don’t find it uncomfortable at all. Maybe you just need better fitting masks?
I might just keep wearing masks outside the house indefinitely because it affords some anonymity and I can get away with shaving less often. I also haven’t caught a cold since we started wearing masks.
I don’t wear a mask anymore unless the business requires it.
Totally maskless for around 1.5 years now, except for whenever I went out while I had COVID.
Maskless outdoors, maskless on trains, maskless in stores, maskless at the gym. Feels good. I carry an emergency mask in my back pocket in case a store clerk gets all uppity about it, but that hasn’t happened yet.
I don’t wear them outside but I’ll wear them everywhere else. The second my gym doesn’t require masks it’s coming right off though.
Pretty much maskless now except for in stores. Feels nice.
Outside no, indoors most likely if it’s businesses.
I just saw this [https://japantoday.com/category/national/Japan-weighs-plan-for-ban-on-hotel-guests-without-masks-report#comments](https://japantoday.com/category/national/Japan-weighs-plan-for-ban-on-hotel-guests-without-masks-report#comments) , and had to laugh – the comments are more hilarious than the “plan”!
On indoors and out, on the train, at the gym, at work except in the office (I have my own luckily). Most people around me are the same. This is downtown Tokyo though, where you are never socially distanced.
To each there own. I personally prefer wearing masks.
I just got back from 4 months in Saskatchewan,Canada. Nobody wears a mask. The exceptions seem to be hospitals, Dr’s offices, and pharmacies. It was heaven, BUT, I went to 1 wedding, 2 funerals, and a high school reunion. All of them reported cases of covid. So it is still out there. In Canada anyway, nobody seems to care. On to Japan, I wear a mask when I go out, I do not wear a mask on my nightly 40 minute walk. I have seen a few people on the train not wearing a mask, but it is rare. Same with daytime outings to go shopping,etc. I see a few people not wearing masks. I don’t want to be ” look at that fuckin’ guy (jin)” not wearing a mask. I will continue to follow the party line,wear a mask, probably forever. Covid is not going to disappear, neither will wearing masks in Japan.
Honestly in the winter and colder seasons I like them cause they keep my face warm and more humid. I wore them often even before the pandemic in the winter. So now that it’s cooling off, I probably will wear them until at least next summer. Next summer I’ll see how things are going and what people around me are doing, but I think they’ll be a habit for most people for a while yet.
I don’t wear them outdoors and only wear them indoors when I’m somewhere the staff complains.
I work part time at a pretty high rated restaurant in my city, where it’s fully crowded everyday and none of the staff wears masks. No customer has ever complained, no one has ever gotten COVID.
I’ve been basically maskless the entire time. I keep one in my pocket to go into stores/work places, but even in my office where there are tons of signs saying “wear a mask” I barely do. I can’t stand how much moisture collects in the damn things, makes my beard super itchy.
I teach a lot of kids as well as community classes with elderly students, so I will continue wearing my mask indoors. Far fewer than 1/2 of kids have even gotten their first shot, yet, and preschools and kindergartens around me are passing around COVID like candy.
I take mine off when riding a bike 🚲, except around the station or where there are lots of people. Don’t wear it at the allotment, either, but pretty much wear it everywhere else.
As someone else said, I haven’t gotten sick since catching the flu right before this all blew up (2/2020). Not even a cold or fever.
I’ll keep wearing one as long as I’m afraid of long Covid. I don’t mind wearing a mask.
Already mostly stopped. It’s over.
people in Japan really need to let it go. I don’t wear one anymore, and after traveling abroad in the US and other countries, I immediately noticed no one wears one anymore. But people in Japan hate to look/feel different so unless the government forces them to stop wearing it they will all continue to wear one. In my experience, you can go anywhere without one in Japan
I have horrible social anxiety so I’m glad to keep it on.
I’m not overly pro-mask (although I would wear one pre-pandemic if I was under the weather), but I wouldn’t say I’m anti-mask either – especially compared to others.
I guess its mostly just a combination of reading the landscape (trains, crowded events…) and convenience/laziness. If have to wear one for work/wherever I’m going, I may as well put one on and forget about it.
Once (if?) going maskless becames a majority, then I’ll probably ditch it. Been a shame to keep the ‘stache out of the light for so long.
I always take mine off when im outside.
Unless I am at a place like shibuya crossing.
Stopped masking outside completely this summer. Now I’m no longer masking indoors unless specifically asked by staff.
I only wear one in places that absolutely require them
I got Covid somewhere between leaving Haneda and landing back home for the summer. I know re-infection can definitely happen, but the combination of the vaccinations, very mild symptoms and the subsequent bit of natural immunity certainly made me less worried being in an unmasked country for the rest of my vacation. I loved walking about in the sunshine and fresh air unmasked without the pressure to not be that gaijin which tbh is the main reason I have worn them in and outside for nearly 3 years here.
So, to answer the question, I’d only feel *comfortable* taking it off when I see the majority of Japanese doing so. I can’t see that happening for a long time as many seem quite happy to use them for aesthetic, social and psychological purposes perhaps as much as for medical protection ones.
My thoughts are I’m so sick of these stupid posts.
> Hopefully you already do so outdoors
So you’re anti-mask, let people do what they want.
> or in an elevator when someone else gets in
So it’s due to the pageantry of wearing one that you do, not that you care for how they protect people.
> but i just can’t help feeling silly putting it on to step into a restaurant, only to remove it at the table
There’s obvious gaps in logic (case and venue pending), but there is obviously less risk of spread even by partially wearing it in public spaces (*such as a small elevator*)
So my thoughts are you can do whatever you want within the regulations, but I’m personally sick of anti-maskers trying to push their agenda onto people, and especially a country that’s had masks for decades (maybe not to this extent, but masked people have always gone into restaurants too).
UPDATE:
> I have no political or ideological horse in this race, I am just tired of the way it feels, and having a constantly-steamed face!
Your language says otherwise. Though I recommend a lighter more breathable mask, try a couple. I’m a foggy glasses wearer who found relief in different masks and adjustments. Otherwise, you do you.
I saw an anti mask protest in shibuya last week and some onlooker threw a glass bottle at them. I quickly cleared out but it was interesting to see none the less.
I only ever really go maskless the 100 meters before my house because the stares out in the streets do my head in
It’s weird but I didn’t mind it until I went back to the USA in August and didn’t wear a mask for 2 weeks. Now, I can’t wait to get the mask off.
I don’t wear one outside at all. Indoors I do. 7-11, trains, shopping anywhere, restaurants. Inside the restaurants though, as soon as I order, it’s off for the remainder of the meal including drink time, then back on to pay the bill, then off as soon as I’m out the door.
As to when I’ll be comfortable ending this – to be fair the COVID numbers are pretty high here. I’m ok to do this until we get through Omicron. I can see us going through to next Spring (there will be a wave this winter). After that, I hope people ease up because I don’t want to be the “rude” guy, but my wife tells me that some Japanese girls she knows actually want to keep the masks in perpetuity.