Originally posted on 03/21/2014:

Quote Originally Posted by 5mike5 View Post
On a side note.

Why do some Asians wear surgical masks around all the time? Saw that a lot again during interviews and never knew why they did
I had to google it...

By far the most common reason people in Japan wear surgical masks out in public is because they’re sick. Chances are it’s not some life threatening, dangerous and debilitating illness – they’re just wearing the mask to be considerate of others and to help contain the spread of germs. Just think about how many people cough or sneeze into their hands and then go on to touch the things we use every day. Door handles, guard rails, the poles and rings you hold onto on the subway. People touch a lot of stuff.

Another reason you’ll see Japanese people wearing masks out in public is because they’re afraid of getting whatever illness that happens to be going around. Maybe it’s flu season or something and they’re just trying to avoid getting sick for the third year in a row because the hand sanitizer alone just isn’t cutting it.