Learning how to smile again: Japan holds lessons for life without mask post-Covid-19 pandemic

Japan eased restrictions on mask wearing in March, leaving individuals to decide if they wish to wear one. PHOTO: AFP

With Japan returning to a normal life after the Covid-19 pandemic, some people are getting help with something that they find awkward doing – smiling without a mask.

At the Akabane-kita Elderly Relief Centre in Tokyo on Sunday, 37 people attended a class to learn how to flash their pearlies.

The participants used a hand mirror each to check their smiles, reported The Asahi Shimbun on Monday.

“Smiles are essential for maskless communication,” said participant Yasuko Watarai in the report.

“I want to apply what I learnt today at volunteer activities and other gatherings.”

Ms Keiko Kawano, a smile trainer, said smiling not only leaves a good impression on others and facilitates communication, but also has the effect of making an individual feel more positive.

“I want people to spend time consciously smiling for their (physical) and mental well-being,” she added.

It was not the first time that a smiling lesson was held in Japan. In March, about 20 people attended a training session in Yokohama.

During the session, the participants were taught how to flex various parts of their faces to have a smile, among other things.

Japan eased restrictions on mask wearing in March, leaving individuals to decide if they wish to wear one.

The Asahi Shimbun reported earlier that the government decided in January to downgrade Covid-19 to the least severe category on a five-tier severity system from Monday. The category includes the seasonal flu. 

Since the news was announced, requests for smiling lessons had risen 4.5 times compared with the previous year, Ms Kawano said.

As Japan reclassified Covid-19 on Monday, it also lifted more pandemic measures.

For example, the government can no longer order compulsory hospitalisation and quarantine, said The Japan Times on Sunday.

In April, the authorities ended Covid-19 border controls for all people arriving in Japan.

Last Friday, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said Covid-19 was no longer a global health emergency, a major step towards the end of the pandemic that has killed millions of people and disrupted the global economy.

The WHO’s emergency committee first declared that Covid-19 represented its highest level of alert on Jan 30, 2020.

The status helps focus international attention on a health threat, as well as bolster collaboration on vaccines and treatments.

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