{"id":69155,"date":"2020-08-07T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-08-07T01:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/?p=69155"},"modified":"2020-10-06T17:25:15","modified_gmt":"2020-10-06T08:25:15","slug":"japanese-people-wear-face-masks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/japanese-people-wear-face-masks\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Do So Many Japanese People Wear Face Masks?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When I first arrived in Japan, like many people, I thought that Japanese people wore face masks because they were afraid of germs<\/strong>. So I was pretty surprised to discover there are many other reasons<\/strong>, and that is not even the main one! Face masks are a hallmark of Japanese hygiene that never ceases to intrigue foreigners, almost as much as Japanese toilets<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"An
Surgical face mask in Japan<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Various reasons for wearing face masks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Surprisingly, most people are not wearing masks to protect themselves from getting sick at all. However, as you will find out, Japanese people do wear face masks to protect themselves from other things that can make them miserable during certain times of the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Japan, people wear face masks mainly because of allergies<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In Japan\u2019s springtime, when flowers blossom with exploding beauty, more than 60 species of trees and other plants emit pollen at the same time, triggering an allergic reaction<\/strong> called kafunsho<\/strong><\/em> (\u82b1\u7c89\u75c7<\/a>). Many people claim that this hay fever epidemic began in 1994, but documents dating back to 1964 already mention these spring allergies as being a major problem! Symptoms include non-stop sneezing and itchy eyes<\/strong>. A face mask protects the wearer from inhaling pollen through the nose. This is the primary reason why Japanese people wear masks, as a high percentage of them suffer from hay fever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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