Two shots plus two weeks. I'm fully vaccinated, much earlier than I anticipated. I can go back into the world, can't I? I don't know. I think we are going to be wearing masks and keeping our distances for a long time. Good thing I made two new masks.
Since the beginning, I have only used cloth masks that can be washed and worn again, and again. In the first place, I am incredibly frugal (some say cheap, but I say frugal). I don't want to pay for something that gets thrown away. (Same goes for paper plates and such.)
In the second place, and even more important, is the mountains of trash that are created every day with so many people world wide wearing disposable masks and protective gear. This is not about medical workers, this is about everyday people trying to protect themselves and others.
I read an article on Japan Today about what is happening with all these disposable masks. According to the American Chemical Society, around 129 billion disposable masks are being used every month around the world. Masks are made of polypropylene plastic material, elastic, and metal and are heading for the landfills, in addition to littering streets, rivers, and oceans where they can harm wildlife.
Researchers and companies are looking for ways to put used masks to good use. The problem is that so far it is not profitable. It's difficult to disinfect and remove the plastic from the other parts of the mask. There are some companies working to give new life to what is now trash. In Australia, researchers want to transform single use masks into road material. In the US, they are being recycled into benches. In France they are being turned into floor carpet in cars.
I haven't heard of anything being done here in Japan. What do you know or have you heard about all these disposable masks where you live?
Back in the spring, former Prime Minister Abe and the Japanese government sent two reusable masks to every household in Japan. I wrote about receiving mine here.
I put mine aside and came across them again this week. As you can see they are about 5"x4", kind of small.
I don't like to see exposed noses and I think that if you try to talk when wearing a small mask, it might pull the mask down, exposing a naked nose. I did some basic stitching and added a little fabric across the bottom and am pleased with my own original mask.
What do you think?
I'm not a mask person, and so far, am not required to wear one. I made a few for someone else who does need to wear one at work. There are many patterns and instructions out there. Here are masks I made and links to the instructions.
Japanese people love their face masks. Long before the coronavirus came along, people wore them if they were ill, if they didn't want to get ill, if they suffered from hay fever, if they didn't have their make-up on, if they hadn't shaved, if they had a sunburn or something else to hide, so many reasons! Two months or so ago when the coronavirus started, face masks became very scarce. Maybe someone in Japan has closets full of them, I don't know. What I have heard is that there is a big shortage and they are nearly impossible to buy in the stores.
That's where this story comes in. After hearing that people were selling masks online at incrediblely marked up prices, Hime Takimoto, a 13 year old junior high school student from Kofu City, Yamanashi, used her otoshidama (New Year's gift money given to children in Japan) to buy the materials to make the masks. She made 612 face masks and donated them to her prefecture. Yamanashi Governor Kotaro Nagasaki accepted her generous gift, saying he was touched by her efforts and wants to distribute the masks to facilities that look after children and the elderly. Each mask has an attached message saying "I'd be happy if this could be of use to you".
I think this is incredibly generous. What an uplifting story in this unsettling time!
