Face masks part of Japan fashion chic for decades

Japan's love affair with surgical masks baffles many visitors who are disconcerted at the sight of air passengers, commuters and office workers wearing the protective cotton safeguards otherwise associated with hospitals.

Gauze masks designed to stop bugs, dust and allergens are sold in convenience stores on almost every city street in Japan, which counts on 42 manufacturers to protect its population of 127 million from airborne nasties.

"The Japanese essentially like cleanliness and hygiene," Naoya Fujita, head of the Japan Hygiene Products Industry Association, told AFP."I think it's part of the Japanese psyche to want to protect yourself at all cost from outside diseases. That feeling is stronger than the feeling of social embarrassment at wearing a mask."

Social etiquette in Japan also dictates that people don't just wear masks to protect themselves, but also to shield others from their own germs when they catch a cold, he said.Latest industry figures show 1.96 million masks were made in Japan in 2007, including models against viruses and bacteria, pollen, industrial pollutants, dry airplane air, and as a thermal protectors in winter.