Sick

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I’m sick. Some kind of cold or flu I guess but it’s not fun of course. My wife gave me a face mask which I am wearing here. It’s much too small and is pink. :-p

Actually it was for my daughter but my wife thought I might be able to use it.

If you’ve ever been to Japan you see such masks pretty often. It’s considered impolite to cough and sneeze all over the place so people put these on to avoid getting others sick. I wish we had social customs like this in the US, because when I ride the bus to work, I get nervous when the person next to me is coughing and sneezing. Work too.

As for me, lots of fluids and Nyquil. Off to bed.

P.S. Observant people probably noticed my grey hair. I am 34, but I have a lot of grey hair. My father has it too, so it’s definitely genetic. Also, my beard has some red hair as well, so I have 3 colors of hair on my face. :) DNA is strange that way.

About Doug 陀愚

A Buddhist, Father and Japanophile / Koreaphile.
This entry was posted in Health, Japan. Bookmark the permalink.

5 Responses to Sick

  1. I often see Chinese and Japanese people out and about wearing surgical masks when they get sick. My Chinese-born coworker does it, which doesn’t look strange since we work in a pet hospital and wear them for surgeries anyway, but I admit it always catches my eye outside of that context because we don’t really do it in this country. Nice pic btw!

  2. Doug 陀愚 says:

    Thanks, it was spur of the moment. Yeah I get used to them when I visit Japan but am still surprised to see them here. :-)

  3. Marcusus says:

    Hi Doug,
    I always believed Japanese people wore those masks to protect others too – until I moved here!
    Yes, some people might wear them to protect others from their colds, but I work in a small cubicle teaching adult students one-to-one, I often have students arive with colds and no masks. They are perfectly happy to cough and sneeze all over me.
    Generally speaking, people wearing masks have hay-fever and are wearing them to protect themselves during high-pollen (or Chinese dust) time, not to protect others when they have a cold!
    But yes, wouldn’t it be nice if more people did wear masks when they have a cold!
    Happy Thanksgiving!
    Marcus

  4. Doug 陀愚 says:

    Ha ha ha, yeah you’re right: not everyone is as hygienic or selfless as they should be. My mother-in-law wears it when she is sick so as not to infect others. She’s a pretty classy lady, so I tend to use her as the model for Japanese etiquette. :-)

    Some people also wear them for reasons of anonymity or self-esteem.

  5. Marcusus says:

    Hi,
    Yes, you’re right, best to look to those who do behave nicely!
    Funny story – the first time I met my boss (at the interview) he was wearing a mask. The next time I saw him, I didn’t recognise him at all! Oooops!
    Cheers Doug and hope you get well soon!
    Marcus

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