doe anyone know...

[pussnboots]

why do some of the people on the news pictures from the earthquake/tsumani in Japan wear face masks.

[Buenchico]

http://www.theanswerb...e/Question997165.html

[Count-A-Strong]

Many Japanese wear face masks when in large cities all the time.

[pussnboots]

errr tsunami....sorry

[pussnboots]

ok Buenchico I didn't see that.

[237SJ]

Face masks are popular in Japan. If Japanese people have a cold or flu, they wear masks. There is no embarassemt about it. They don`t want to spread their germs around and they don`t want to ingest anybody else`s germs. The wearing of masks is completely normal in Japan.

[Hopkirk]

It's the law there that ugly people must cover their faces.

[craft1948]

When we had video conferences with our office in Japan they always used to have them on at the start (for a joke)

[237SJ]

Hopkirk, don`t be such an ignorant arse

[Hopkirk]

Oh, am I wrong then?

[237SJ]

Absolutely! An ugly face covering mask is heading your way as we speak!

[anotheoldgit]

Should make them obligatory in British pubs for all non-smokers, then the smokers would be able to enjoy their pint, without them being outlawed.

[andy-hughes]

Shoud make them obligatory for all smokers in british pubs, then their cigarettes would not reach their mouths and they could make a start giving up their filthy poisonous anti-social habbit.

[Grizelda43]

After 4 days, with a lot of dead bodies yet to be found, wouldn't you wear a face mask?

[Zeuhl]

<<with a lot of dead bodies yet to be found,>>

Not in Tokyo!

They wear them in japanese cities anyway - they're obsessed with filtering their breath through a bit of paper.
.

[KARL]

The Japanese also throw away tissues as soon as they have used them. Quite simply, they have cleaner habits than the British (who leap into accusations of derangement against anyone who advocates cleaner habits).

[Zeuhl]

Only my opinion of course, but wearing a face mask as standard isn't about being cleaner, it's about being obsessive.

Especially as they have the highest rate of cigarette smoking in the world. Most of them have probably wrecked their lungs anyway - a few germs or smog won't make much difference LOL
.

[spudqueen]

Ten days ago I was in Rome and whilst inside St Peters basilica I noticed a girl who looked Japanese, Korean or Chinese wearing one of these masks. I must say it looked a little odd inside a Church.