Why do Japanese people wear surgical masks outside of hospitals?

When I see some Japanese people on the streets, I noticed that there are people wearing surgical masks around public areas like the shopping district or a park, I wonder how this trend got started with those people wearing masks. Perhaps it's a sign of peace or fashion.

 

You'd easily find this information with a quick search.

Majority of it is just so they don't get sick or spreading something to others. Unlike the west, people with the flu will sneeze and cough on everything without covering their mouth. At least some attempt in Japan happens.

 

Like Hex said, especially in big cities , People who are sick , or prone to being sick will wear the masks to ebb the flow of germs.

Also worn for by seasonal allergy sufferers and people easily effected by pollution or other airborn irritants.

 

There are also special masks for certain allergies. I really liked wearing the mask when I had a cold, it feels a bit safer. Also when you have a runny nose it feels nice to have some protection in front of your face.

 

The Japan culture being polite to not spread a cold? Perhaps on a cold day the mask helps keep the nose warm so the mucus might dry quicker?

 

Also some women wear them when they didn't put on make-up.

 

You can actual get masks with menthol embedded in them, it really helps clear out your nose.

 

Real Answer: Japan has perfected the art of marketing fear.

Martin has some good points on this in the Photos thread, but I'll be damned if I can find it, and he's not popping in here that often.

 

There are a bunch of possible reasons:

1) To protect against the horrendous pollen in the air that afflicts Japan in the spring
2) To reduce the spread of germs when sick (when worn by the person who is sick); it's also a sign to other people that you're sick so stay away
3) To keep your throat from drying out (Japan can be very dry in the winter)
4) To hide a runny nose or something else embarrassing
5) Because people think it protects them from getting sick (it does not)

 

Well, all (or at least most) of the aforementioned reasons are definitely true. They have such big populations in Japan, China and other parts of Asia that they basically NEED the things, else a ton of people would be getting sick more often (probably an exaggeration, but you get the idea). We should really adopt it more in the west (especially, again, in densely-populated countries such as England and the USA), but too many people are concerned about how they look (i.e. people will look at you funny if you wear one of these masks) and therefore we usually just avoid wearing them, myself included.

Granted, I still use them, but usually when I'm spray-painting and sometimes soldering (and I know they're not a good replacement for a respirator mask, but oh well).

 

It's true some people wear the masks to avoid spreading germs but some people do it because they believe it will stop them from catching something.

 

But if you live in a densely asian populated city in the West, ie San Francisco USA Vancouver Canada, you see people wear masks. So its not anything unusual anymore. They try to remain true to their asian roots back home. Actually the people in San Francisco, slide back and forth between Asia and back here during Summer.

I know wearing masks outside of hospitals seems weird. But I have tried it once when i was extremely sick last year. I had flu 3 times from December to June.

 

I think there is a deeper reason why people wear the masks over there, mostly because Asians aren't very interpersonal, whether in private and especially in public. I remember reading a post on Kotaku about life in Japan and among the many anecdotes, one of them was that the Japanese love clear plastic umbrellas because they don't want to end up crashing into each other while on the street, and that city dwellers carry their trash around. I hope that isn't true.

 

I live in the 3rd largest city in the US and I've never seen anyone where a mask here - only scarves to protect them from the biting cold. I visit my son in the second largest: same story (w/o the cold). I spent 3 months in the Bay Area before moving here, hunting for work. See previous comments. My home state has huge populations of Vietnamese... no masks.

The best use for these things is a filter when you have a sore throat and you're in a place where you need some filtration from horribly polluted air. Generally, a plane. For as dense as Japan is populated, the air is by and large clean. Dry? yes, but surely something to add moisture would work better than a mask.

This is about the most opposite thing I've ever heard... umbrellas or no. Large populations in Japan lack the gene which allows you to walk in a straight line, or even pay attention to anyone in front of you. I'd love to blame phones, but staring at toes seems to be an equally common offender. The rainy days exacerbate the issue and make it hell for those of us with eyes at perfect stabbing-height of those pointy things coming out of umbrellas.

 

Those umbrellas are awfully deep too. It's more like wearing a condom over your head. If they weren't clear you'd be able to see nothing but your feet.

 

There are at least some attempts to market face masks as UV protectors.

http://item.rakuten.co.jp/selene-/slim-487/

 

Still falls under the "marketing fear" umbrella. The best for people watching are the "bee keepers". In the brutal Japanese summer heat, this person rides a bicycle in long pants, a long sleeved shirt, gloves, and a poker hat that covers the entire face.

 

I started sweating from the thought alone haha. Is it because they dont want to get darker skin or so?

 

Petrified of the sun. This people don't realize vitamin D deficiency is a thing.