Akari Okada 
What kind of masks do you usually wear these days?
Do you have your favorite one?
With the outbreak of COVID-19, wearing masks became the standard of our daily lives. In response, many unique face masks were produced around the world. Preferences on every-day-masks vary immensely in each country. I realized that there are many unique cultures and trends of face masks while living in Japan.
Here are some of my favourite unique mask trends in Japan.
- Handmade masks
When the outbreak first led to the mask shortage, hand-making masks became a big to-do-at-home trend all over Japan. Handmade goods have been a one-of-a-kind culture in Japan from long before the pandemic. Moms would hand-make bags or lunch mats for their children to use at school. These cultures are one of the big reasons why handmade masks became a big trend in Japan. I have seen many different masks people wear on the street. They made masks with a piece of clothes in which they can enjoy shapes and colours of their favourite; the colourful one, the matching one with their clothes, and the one with printed patterns are all unique to each other. Japanese people enjoy making and wearing the only one in the world handmade masks as part of their fashion.
- Kimono masks
Alongside the handmade masks, the kimono mask has also been trendy amongst the Japanese people.
In Japan, when girls turn into 20-yeas old, they wear kimono called “furisode” to celebrate their “coming of age”. This year, many kimono shops introduced masks for the girls to add a hint of happiness in these difficult times. Soon after the kimono masks has become popular not only as a means of coming-of-age celebration but for daily uses.
- Tabi masks
Tabi is the socks worn with kimonos. Earlier in 2020, A Tabi specialty store “Tamai-Syoten” in Osaka, Japan introduced tabi masks at the factory in Tokushima prefecture. Using the sewing techniques cultivated through the production of Tabi, each item is made carefully by hand by craftsmen. Tabi socks use comfortable clothes that breathe well, and therefore, were well-suited for face masks. Tabi masks might be the next big mask trend for summer!
Pandemic has changed our everyday lives. Many have struggled but there are also many who have found positivity despite the difficulty. As you see in this article, the Japanese people have been trying to enjoy their fashion through a new collaboration of their culture and face masks. In addition, many shops and makers hope to make people happy and never stop trying to create new and unique products. I hope that you can find your favourite mask to add delight to daily life.
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