Raw Japan

Who is that masked man/woman?

As the confirmed number of Japanese infected with the H1N1 flu virus rises, the growing question among many is: Where can we buy face masks?

Disposable masks have become an essential accessory in the worst-affected areas of western Japan, while a growing number of Tokyo commuters are wearing them. The government has recommended use by those who suspect infection, but some businesses are ordering employees to wear them, especially if they have face-to-face client interaction.

And Japan’s upper house of parliament is requesting that everyone, including lawmakers, wear a mask when entering the chamber.

Not surprisingly, some pharmacies and drug stores have run out of stock, while shares of medical mask makers Shikibo and Daiwabo have shot up since the first case was confirmed in Tokyo.

Osaka-based Shikibo says orders in April alone exceeded by 25 percent the volume of the previous business year, and TV footage shows lines outside stores.

My cousin in Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture, says more than half the people on the street are wearing masks now and the only reason she isn’t is because there are no masks to buy.

Japan says: “Now wash your hands”

The new flu strain that emerged in Mexico last month has brought Japanese TV shows, newspapers and government ads out in a rash of demonstrations of the art of proper hand-washing to avoid the spread of germs.

“First, you clean the palms, then rub the dirt off the back of the hands. Make sure you wash between fingers and finger tips. And yes, don’t forget your thumbs and wrists!!”

How to protect yourself from a new flu strain (Check out the demonstration from 7:40)

Even for the Japanese, who wear flu and hay fever masks by the million, sometimes when they’re not even sick, washing hands thoroughly for at least 15 seconds requires extra effort, as not many of us are well-versed in proper thumb-washing techniques.

The government also has a “cough etiquette” campaign calling on people to cover their mouths with a tissue when in the act, adding the rather obvious need to face away from other people. The guideline says post-cough dirty tissues must be thrown away immediately, although it doesn’t say where - a slight drawback in a country that is occasionaly trashcan-challenged.

Japan reported its first confirmed cases of the new flu  recently and now has four patients, detected at Narita international Airport and sent directly to a hospital nearby to limit the spread of H1N1.

Smokers’ air growing thin

Japan may not be smokers’ heaven any more.

I am a pack-a-day smoker and so don’t go to movies, as I cannot stay smokeless for two hours, as well as some coffee shops, because coffee and smoking to me are inseparable.  Excuse my political incorrectness, but I have felt pinched lately, having to spend more time finding a place to light up.

This may be an increasingly minority opinion and I can already imagine the chorus of scorn citing health statistics as well as second-hand smoke issues. But with all due respect to these sensitivities, I wonder whether one day enjoying the nicotine buzz anywhere in public here will be prohibited, as in France and Ireland. A health ministry official told Reuters last month that Japan may tighten rules on public smoking, and we’ve already seen dramatic change.

When I reached Japan’s smoking age 15 years ago, the nation was still a smokers’ heaven. I was able to have a puff whether on an airplane, in a school cafeteria, or even in a hospital lobby. Things have changed dramatically since then, at least in the eyes of smokers, although it’s fair to say Japan won’t become smokers’ hell soon either.

Government officials have stopped short of calling for a total ban, as they increasingly face the dilemma of both pushing for tougher smoking regulations and needing their share of tobacco tax revenue of more than 2 trillion yen.  The government still owns half of Japan Tobacco, which is publicly traded and set to pay its biggest shareholder an annual dividend of about $265 million.

For regional JR firms, born from the break up of the former state-run railway giant, it should be noted the nation’s high tobacco tax is also used to pay down huge legacy debts of its previous incarnation.

On the local front, I almost jumped to hear my barber tell a customer next to me: “Sorry, you can’t smoke here, as we went non-smoking after renovating recently. That health push is getting really loud these days.” 

Prime Minister, 68, keeps fit

Sit-ups, push-ups and back exercises — 50 a day each — are keeping Japan’s 68-year-old Prime Minister Taro Aso as fit as a fiddle. 

Aso, in his latest e-mail magazine, brushed off a comment by one reader that he was looking worn out after five months on the job. Tabloids have also been awash with stories that the premier was losing sleep and weight over a series of setbacks, including the resignation last month of his finance minister, who had been forced to deny he was drunk at a G7 news conference in Rome.

“My weight hasn’t changed since I became prime minister. My body-fat ratio is 15-16 percent. Everyday, I eat and sleep well,” Aso said in the weekly e-mail magazine.

Stretching and quick walks were also helping him keep healthy.

“Thanks to exercising more, my waist has slimmed down by 2.5 cm.”

Aso is known to take morning walks, sporting a cap and sunglasses, with security officials in tow, but even these jaunts have led to some odd incidents.