The Un-Masking of Japan

Does anything about this photo seem strange to you?  If so, you don't live in Japan because this is a common sight during the cold and flu season.  This is proper etiquette if you have the slightest case of sniffles.  The Japanese are incredulous that Americans don't wear masks when they're sick.  I've tried my best to,  but I immediately have a asthma attack when I put one on even though I don't have asthma.  Of course, these masks also have other handy uses.  I once asked a college student who wore one to every class if she had been sick for a long time.  She said that no, she just didn't feel like putting on make up.  Children here start wearing masks at an early age.  There's even a nursery school song about the elephant who wears a long mask and the squirrel who wears a small mask, etc., etc.  I think it's hard to argue with the effectiveness of masks since surgeons wear them during operations, after all!  I think it may be worth a try for an aggressive surgeon mask manufacturer in the US to try convincing Americans to wear them.  However, this may cause a law enforcement crisis when convenience store clerks begin pushing the panic button willy nilly, as masks don't carry a very good image in the USA (probably because of the Wild West era).  I thought there may be a market opportunity here for such a manufacturer to sell masks decorated with the American flag or pithy sayings like, "Made in America."  But let's face it, the mask marketers here could copy that in a minute, and they've got a major head start on you.  Then, I realized that there is another way to fight colds in the winter.  Since affordable heating isn't available here, I wondered what would happen if houses were actually insulated.  I remember seeing those commercials in America with someone blowing insulation through a hole in the wall of a house.  I think someone with a machine like that and plenty of that pink stuff could be busier here than a one-armed paper hanger.  Your satisfied customers may also be interested in another item I've never seen here...storm windows.  If you think I'm on to something, contact us at www.noah-digital.co.jp/english/ for alternatives to mask-marketing (sorry) in Japan.