Not at schools, unfortunately. Got told I still have to wear one.
Saw schoolkids waiting for bus this morning: masked.
Bus driver: masked.
Went to grocery store later in the morning: everyone masked, employees and shoppers.
Absolutely nothing changed, at least not in my inaka.
You still have to wear them in medical and dental clinics and government offices. Stores and restaurants will be optional, depending on the stores and restaurants. They may also still be required by order of the spouse.
I saw fewer people wearing them this morning – it’s going to take time but right now many people are suffering from allergies apparently until end April.
Well, not nothing has changed. I bet we’ll be getting even more of these threads now.
How did you even get in a door
I’ve been wearing my mask in my pocket all morning.
It was no different today than usual
Yeah I get really offended by how other people decide to protect themselves also.
People think they look better with a mask. A lot of self confidence problems exacerbated by the pandemic.
What did you expect? The vast majority wears them because everyone else does, so it’s gonna take time until enough people work up the courage to stand out, before everything will finally go back to normal.
Did morning patrol at school, then took reasons and a plane this morning. I’d say slightly more people aren’t wearing a mask today. I think it’ll increase steadily over the next couple of weeks, and then a lot more will come off once the pollen settles down
I…. can’t wait until these posts become a thing of the past. This whole mask thing has brought out the absolute worst in people. Borderline intolerance. If you don’t want to wear the damn thing anymore, don’t. If you do, go ahead. Nobody should care what anyone else does at this point.
‘Indoors’
Around my home station I barely saw any more people not wearing them than usual, even outside where like nobody else is around (even the cyclists were wearing them which is insanity to me lol). But Shimo Kitazawa even just in the station a lot less people were wearing them. I guess depends on the demographic/area. I think a lot of people are kinda waiting to see if other people won’t wear them and gauge how it is and what’s going on first before they stop wearing them on the first day. I saw a lot of people looking at me with looks that almost looked like curiosity or envy (rather than like pissed off/disgusted looks)
Personally I wore mine inside the train and it seemed like most people, even ones who didn’t wear them elsewhere did the same
Could also be hayfever, pollen allergy, the sniffles, whathaveyou. And why not; this is a relatively free country. People can decide for themselves. Live and let live!
3years of something wont change overnight haha. Ive seen a lot more not wearing them though
Just wait till it’s summer and too hot to wear one.
I get the joke, but the rule changed…today…not everyone is comfortable with it. Japan never had a huge opposition to the rule in the beginning anyways (compared to the west). I think that by summer and hotter weather people will begin to lose the mask.
Reasons I am still wearing a mask:
1. Protect immunocompromised people who has nothing to do with a grown up man unable to wear a piece of cloth on his face.
2. Privacy
3. Hide the awkward first days when growing a mustache.
yeah well I commute to work for an hour and a half everyday, and in the train, everyone is sniffing and coughing (me included). Japan has been a mask society for quite some time. if you feel like the Japanese are being “sheep”, you must not have been in Japan for long.
They were never required in the first place. They were highly advised.
My boss was an early adopter with things like telework (yay), and today he was an early adopter with ditching the mask (unlike most folks at our workplace so far). I kept mine on today on account of the giant zit that appeared on my chin this morning (probably from wearing a mask, just in time for the new recommendations), and also I’ve gotten into a bad habit of just like blatantly grimacing at things from under my mask, I’ve been enjoying the privacy of being able to do that but it’s also become a bit of an unconscious thing at this point that I will have to un-learn or just start being ok with putting that out into the world.
25 comments
Not at schools, unfortunately. Got told I still have to wear one.
Saw schoolkids waiting for bus this morning: masked.
Bus driver: masked.
Went to grocery store later in the morning: everyone masked, employees and shoppers.
Absolutely nothing changed, at least not in my inaka.
You still have to wear them in medical and dental clinics and government offices. Stores and restaurants will be optional, depending on the stores and restaurants. They may also still be required by order of the spouse.
I saw fewer people wearing them this morning – it’s going to take time but right now many people are suffering from allergies apparently until end April.
Well, not nothing has changed. I bet we’ll be getting even more of these threads now.
How did you even get in a door
I’ve been wearing my mask in my pocket all morning.
It was no different today than usual
Yeah I get really offended by how other people decide to protect themselves also.
People think they look better with a mask. A lot of self confidence problems exacerbated by the pandemic.
What did you expect? The vast majority wears them because everyone else does, so it’s gonna take time until enough people work up the courage to stand out, before everything will finally go back to normal.
Did morning patrol at school, then took reasons and a plane this morning. I’d say slightly more people aren’t wearing a mask today. I think it’ll increase steadily over the next couple of weeks, and then a lot more will come off once the pollen settles down
I…. can’t wait until these posts become a thing of the past. This whole mask thing has brought out the absolute worst in people. Borderline intolerance. If you don’t want to wear the damn thing anymore, don’t. If you do, go ahead. Nobody should care what anyone else does at this point.
‘Indoors’
Around my home station I barely saw any more people not wearing them than usual, even outside where like nobody else is around (even the cyclists were wearing them which is insanity to me lol). But Shimo Kitazawa even just in the station a lot less people were wearing them. I guess depends on the demographic/area. I think a lot of people are kinda waiting to see if other people won’t wear them and gauge how it is and what’s going on first before they stop wearing them on the first day. I saw a lot of people looking at me with looks that almost looked like curiosity or envy (rather than like pissed off/disgusted looks)
Personally I wore mine inside the train and it seemed like most people, even ones who didn’t wear them elsewhere did the same
Could also be hayfever, pollen allergy, the sniffles, whathaveyou. And why not; this is a relatively free country. People can decide for themselves. Live and let live!
3years of something wont change overnight haha. Ive seen a lot more not wearing them though
Just wait till it’s summer and too hot to wear one.
I get the joke, but the rule changed…today…not everyone is comfortable with it. Japan never had a huge opposition to the rule in the beginning anyways (compared to the west).
I think that by summer and hotter weather people will begin to lose the mask.
Reasons I am still wearing a mask:
1. Protect immunocompromised people who has nothing to do with a grown up man unable to wear a piece of cloth on his face.
2. Privacy
3. Hide the awkward first days when growing a mustache.
yeah well I commute to work for an hour and a half everyday, and in the train, everyone is sniffing and coughing (me included). Japan has been a mask society for quite some time. if you feel like the Japanese are being “sheep”, you must not have been in Japan for long.
I made a proper post with details about it [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/japanlife/comments/10z91ax/maskwearing_in_japan_to_become_optional_from/). Masks are still requested on crowded trains and buses, and at hospitals and care homes. Individual business may choose to request and enforce them. Don’t throw out your stash of masks just yet – always keep one on you.
They were never required in the first place. They were highly advised.
My boss was an early adopter with things like telework (yay), and today he was an early adopter with ditching the mask (unlike most folks at our workplace so far). I kept mine on today on account of the giant zit that appeared on my chin this morning (probably from wearing a mask, just in time for the new recommendations), and also I’ve gotten into a bad habit of just like blatantly grimacing at things from under my mask, I’ve been enjoying the privacy of being able to do that but it’s also become a bit of an unconscious thing at this point that I will have to un-learn or just start being ok with putting that out into the world.
Be the change you want to see.