[Nyororin]

Originally Posted by RobinMask

Ah, I have to ask . . . I've seen many Japanese wear these masks, but I've never seen any foriegners wear them. Granted the media I've seen tends to be in major cities, so probably more foriegn tourists than foriegn residents, but - out of curiosity - is it normal for foriegners to wear these masks too? Like say if a foriegn resident had flu/hayfever would they get strange looks or be considered weird for wearing a mask? I just wondered really, I know it's normal for the Japanese, but is it normal for foriegners too?

No one Japanese would think anything of it. It`s a totally normal thing so I don`t think anyone Japanese would even notice, really. Masks are a normal part of life - people even use them while cleaning to keep from sneezing at dust, etc. During flu season kids are asked to wear them to school every day. In school, you wear a mask during lunch preparation time. (Everyone, not just the people cooking.)

I think that in most cases, unless it is something that is considered Japanese "traditional culture", people don`t realize that it is uncommon or would be strange in another country.

Originally Posted by kenmei

you sure it's not due to something else

As it happens every year in the same part of the year, I seriously doubt it.