FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
The use of masks during the Covid-19 pandemic in Japan has made people widely familiar with them and continue to use them even after the government lifted the obligation.
A poll by Japan's public broadcaster NHK last month showed 55% of people wore masks as often as when government guidelines were in place during the pandemic.
This phenomenon has led to hundreds of individuals in Japan enrolling in classes to learn how to smile like they did before Covid.
Himawari Yoshida was among the first to realize that after three difficult years they had forgotten how to continue life without masks.
"I hadn't used my facial muscles much during COVID," said the 20-year-old.
She now pays a "smile instructor" to teach her how to get it back. The young woman tells the media that the training is going well and will help her prepare to enter the Japanese job market.
Yoshida and her mostly young classmates receive smile lessons from Keiko Kawano, who in one exercise has them look at themselves in the mirror by stretching the sides of their mouths with their fingers.
Kawano set up the company Egaoiku, which literally translates to Smile Education, and her business has seen a fourfold increase in demand for lectures, with individual sessions costing ¥7,700 (£44).
"I think there is a growing need for people to smile," she said.
She believes that Japanese citizens are less inclined to smile than Westerners because of their sense of security, a trend that was exacerbated by the use of masks.
"Culturally, a smile means I'm not carrying a gun and I'm not a threat to you," added the smile teacher.
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