Wearing masks was common among Japanese people even before the COVID-19 pandemic.
It’s said that masks were a trendy item in Japan over 100 years ago.
Masks may be part of Japanese culture.
The COVID-19 pandemic was extremely difficult.
The “COVID-19 pandemic” began in 2020, when the Diamond Princess ship was docked in Yokohama.
Our family was in Malaysia at the time.
From an overseas perspective, I always felt something was off about the way Japanese media reported on the situation.
The way the Japanese media incited fear was abnormal, and I think many Japanese people were terrified.
Soon after, we had to return home to Japan.
When we returned, there was a scramble for masks.
The mask shortage was reported in the media day and night.
Prices also skyrocketed to nearly 20 times their pre-COVID-19 levels.
Unscrupulous vendors were buying up masks and selling them at incredibly high prices.
The mask turmoil continues.
