In Japan, people without a face mask have to learn to smile again

Yuriko Eguchi, 65, looks into a mirror in a small office in central Tokyo. She starts laughing on command. Very good, laughter coach Keiko Kawano responds, sitting across from her. Together they do a number of exercises, including repeatedly pronouncing the sound ‘ri’ – according to Kawano, a handy mnemonic for remembering where the corners of your mouth should be when you smile. “People haven’t used their laughing muscles for a long time, so you have to get used to that again,” says Kawano.

“With a face mask you don’t have to force a smile,” says Eguchi about the impact of wearing face masks for three years. “I have long been insecure about my facial expression, especially my droopy corners of the mouth. When I’m on the train, I think: you look grumpy. A naked face makes you aware of your facial expression, but we have lost that awareness because of face masks. I haven’t worn a face mask since March, and I’ve noticed it all the more since then.”

In March, the Japanese government withdrew its advice to wear a face mask indoors, only for overcrowded trains and medical institutions. The mouth mask advice in the open air has not been valid since last year. However, research shows that the majority will continue to stick to the face mask for the time being. In April, a month after it became a personal choice, about 90 percent of Japanese people still wore a face mask. The latest survey dates back to June and the number of people still wearing face coverings was 61.3 percent.

Anxiety disorders

Why are face masks still used on such a large scale? Part of the explanation is the flu epidemic of 2008, after which the use of masks, especially to avoid infecting others, became the norm – even with a mild cold. Today, its use is also a way to prevent pollen inhalation during hay fever season.

A naked face makes you aware of your facial expression, but we have lost that awareness because of face masks

Yuriko Eguchi laughter class participant

But now the use of face masks is also a form of for many virtue signaling, thinks the Japanese therapist Puzo Kikumoto: people who don’t wear one are still looked down upon in certain situations, for example on the train. “But,” says the therapist, “it could just be that it will turn 180 degrees in a few months, when the majority will no longer wear a face mask. That’s how it works in a culture where you have to conform to the opinion of the majority.”

In his practice, he started to notice from 2010 that more and more patients could not do without a face mask, which he says is still a problem. “The people with a dependence on face masks often had anxiety disorders. It may have been a godsend for them, because with the face mask they could at least still participate in society.”

Wearing a face mask for a long time can have harmful consequences, according to Kikumoto, especially when it comes to young children. He is referring in particular to their communication skills and empathy. The Japanese government is also concerned about this, as evidenced by the repeated calls to schools to have children take off their face masks. Those appeals still have little effect: recent research showed that half of primary school children still wear them even during PE lessons.

Heat wave

In a park in the center of Tokyo, in the busy Ikebukuro district, the majority seem to care little about these issues. Tokyo has been suffering from extreme heat for days, the mercury regularly rises above 35 degrees, with wind chill temperatures that exceed 40 degrees. Visitors try to cool themselves using umbrellas, electric fans and neck coolers filled with ice water.

A large number of park visitors still wear a face mask. So is 34-year-old Yoshi, who is on his way to work. “I only remove my face mask when no one is around or when I am eating. I always put it on when I work or take the train.”

Other visitors indicate that their use of face masks has long since ceased to be related to corona. For example, 18-year-old Rura explains that she thinks her face mask is cute: “It is part of my look.” Together with two friends, she cools off at a table under a tree. In her case, the face mask is a fashion choice or masuku bijinwhich literally means “mask beauty” in Japanese.

A little further on, 18-year-old Sato is standing at the entrance to the park. He has exams and just had homework help. Sweat drips from his forehead and disappears into his mask. “Everyone wears one at homework support. It’s a kind of peer pressure, what others think of you. That is the main reason why people wear a face mask.”

He would like nothing more than to take off his face mask, but Sato is ashamed of his appearance

He would like nothing more than to take off his face mask, but it is not that easy. Sato is ashamed of his appearance, he explains. “Even before corona I used my face mask to hide my face, I was afraid of how others thought about my appearance. So I understand why others also hide.”

‘face pants’

The shame that can accompany taking off a face mask has already led to the introduction of new concepts such as kao pantsu and gakkari kao. That first term literally means ‘face pants’ and implies that not wearing a mask is similar to not putting on pants. Gakkari kao (literally: a ‘disappointing face’) refers to the disappointment you can experience when someone takes off their mask and is less attractive than expected.

But it’s not just because of shame or fashion that people keep using face masks, Ogawa (30) explains. He also has a lunch break and says that his employer made it mandatory to wear it, although that is actually not allowed by law. But he shrugs: “To be honest, I don’t even notice I’m wearing one anymore, it’s become part of my face. It also has advantages, so you don’t have to shave.”

In the Laughter Office not far from the park, Kawano explains that many of her clients wear masks because they don’t want to shave or put on makeup. So for many it is actually just a matter of convenience. Eguchi is not so much bothered by this – she mainly wants to get a nice smile on her face again. “What helps with that is just a lot of practice. Do you have a mirror in your kitchen?” Kawano asks. Eguchi shakes her head. “Okay, then I advise you to buy one and practice while cooking. You will see that you will have a nicer smile in no time, even in unguarded moments.” Eguchi promises to buy one, after which she bursts into laughter – this time sincerely.