Masks

Japan has a very high population density. Tokyo is one of the most highly populated cities in the world. Public transportation is used by thousands upon thousands of people each day, whether it’s subways or buses, or even taxis. Someone who lives in Japan will come into contact with up to hundreds of people each day, depending on where they live. Because many people walk places, they can come into contact with even more people than if they drove to their destination.

Because of this, Japanese people take many precautions to keep their residents healthy and avoid the rapid spread of many diseases. They have many PSAs, and use preventative tactics so everyone stays healthy and disease free. Some of these PSAs describe how easy it is to get sick, and symptoms of diseases. Others are signs posted all around Japan. In stations or public bathrooms, there are many signs describing how to wash your hands effectively, and the benefits of using hand sanitizer. Japan as a society also has preventative tactics to stop the spread of diseases. One way they do this is to have their citizens wear masks when they are feeling sick.

These masks, similar to masks a surgeon would wear, covers their mouth and nose and goes down to cover part of their chin. This way, anyone wearing a mask who coughs (or gets coughed on) will be protected. The masks act as a barrier from germs and other airborne pathogens that may be in the air around a sick person.

It doesn’t even matter whether or not the disease they have is contagious, people in Japan will still wear masks when they are sick. People who are sick may have a weakened immune system, so it’s dangerous for them to come in contact with other pathogens, germs or diseases. The masks also help keep things out as well, because they act as an air filtration device. Overall, the masks are very helpful in preventing widespread diseases in Japan.