In Asia, wearing a surgical face maskin public is socially acceptable. People do so for a lot of reasons, such as to protect their personal space, hide a pimple or skip their make-up routine. Historically, the mask cultureappeared first as a common courtesy, to prevent your germs from spreading around when you’re sick. And for a while, doctors weren’t sure mass-produced masks for the public were that really efficient to prevent catching the latest virus going around.
Turns out, worn correctly, masks *do* help
Studies go as far as saying you’re 80% less likely to catch the flu if you properly wear your mask.
But as the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan China has spawned fears of a pandemic across Asia, people are showing revolutionary ways to max uptheir protection to 100%, as demonstrated here by @miimoti.
テレビでこのみて、マスクのけのやな*とった。
= This morning, watching this image on TV, I thought ways of wearing masks are limitless.
(やなimitates the Kansai accent. In standard Japanese, it’d be だな).
Well, it’s at least guaranteed no one will dare come cough near him!
Of course, Twitter peeps were quick to add some variations of their own.
無限大ですね！
= Limitless indeed!
You can read on the screenshot:
新品のマスクをからりすのがでいつもこうなる
= I’m not good at taking out a new mask from its wrapping so it always ends up like this.
そのりです
= Exactly.
Japan’s unprecedented mask shortage
With Japanese evacuees from Wuhan taken to hospital, people’s fear went up a notch. From Sapporo to Hiroshima, people are now reporting a mask shortage at their local drugstores and supermarkets. In some places, store owners had to limit their clients from buying more than one box at a time.
Too little too late, as business savvy peeps sniffing a good opportunity, raided physical and online stores to resell their stocks… Three or four times the regular price.
Nothing like fear to make good money.
I saw it “on” TV
で isn’t one of Japanese’s most complex particles, but refreshing your memory never hurts.
First, remember で has two main jobs, that is 1) indicating the place where an action takes place and 2) how the action was performed.
Here are real-life examples from a regular day at a Japanese office:
ファクスでをってください。= Please send the documents by fax.
といたくないので、トイレでをとります。= I don’t want to see my colleagues, so I eat lunch in the toilets.
By now you have spotted at least a third usage of the particle で, which is indicating a cause or reason.
でがまっている= The train is stopped because of the snow.
In Japanese grammar, で has actually several more meanings that are kind of variations of the method an action or something is “done”.
- Origins as in でをりました = this table is made of wood.”
- State or condition as in“でます = I sleep (in the state of being) naked.”
Vocabulary
今朝 kesa this morning テレビ terebi television 画像 gazou image みる miru see マスク masuku (surgical) masks 付け方 tsukekata way to wear 可能性 kanousei possibility 無限大 mugendai limitless 思う omou think 新品 shinpin brand-new 袋 fukuro bag 取り出す toridasu take out, pull out から kara from 苦手 nigate dislike いつも itsumo always こうなる kou naru end up like this その通りです sono toori desu Exactly, that’s it, as you said ファクス fuakusu FAX 書類を送る shyorui o okuru send document(s) ください kudasai please 同僚 douryou colleague(s) 会う au see, meet トイレ toire toilet 昼食をとる chyuushyoku o toru take lunch 雪 yuki snow 電車 densha train 止まる tomaru be stopped 木 ki wood 机 tsukue table 作る tsukuru make 裸 hadaka naked 寝る neru sleep
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