Masks

Michael In Japan's big cities, you often encounter people wearing white face masks. At first, I thought: Aha, a case of tuberculosis. Let's keep a wide berth. But after the tenth person, I revised my opinion and concluded that the hospital masks are worn because of air pollution. Although Tokyo isn't excessively smoggy, there is a bit of smog. The poster in illustration 2 even promotes the idea that children should wear masks.

(Note: Thanks to reader Olaf from Berlin for the correction that face masks are worn when one has a cold (to avoid infecting coworkers/customers) and for pollen allergies. The poster with the masked children is part of a local campaign against illegally adulterated diesel fuel with kerosene or heavy oil.)