posted on November 26, 2020

  Japan is recently facing its COVID-19 third wave, as the weather turns colder, but compared to Europe or the US, the case load is still only a fraction on a relative basis. Of course, nobody can predict the future of COVID-19, but it could be deduced that the relatively benign course of the pandemic to-date could be attributed to “Japanese” factors. One of them is that most people wear masks not only to avoid spreading the infection but also to prevent exposure to infection. Despite the risks of coronavirus infection, plenty of people ventured out and travelled across the country on the last three-day holiday weekend. Kyoto was packed with tourists but almost everybody was wearing a mask as seen in the pictures below. Some keep wearing their masks while having a cup of tea in the Japanese garden. Even young children dressed up in lovely kimono have their picture taken with their mask on. The autumn leaves in Kyoto are currently at their most beautiful and visiting temples and shrines famous for their magnificent autumn colors is the primary attraction for many tourists, but wearing a face mask comes before everything else to contain the pandemic.