Okay, so maybe that’s a bit of exaggeration. But for those unfamiliar with the way things are done in Japan, the whole surgical masks being worn in public thing can be kind of strange and unfamiliar. So why do they do it, anyway?

They’re Sick

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.

These surgical masks really help as far as containing germs and preventing the spread of contagious colds and illnesses. And people aren’t going to avoid you like the plague if you happen to be in a mask either. They’ll be more likely to avoid you if you aren’t wearing one (if you’re coughing up a storm that is). In most cases, you’ll be treated just like anyone else not wearing a mask.

When I was in Japan, one of our friends got sick on the trip but was still coming out with us and going to the local college and everything. The Japanese girls encouraged her to get a mask and wear it when she was socializing. She didn’t seem too keen on the idea and saw it as an inconvenience, and the Japanese girls seemed kind of disappointed in her when she wasn’t wearing it. They thought it was inconsiderate.

So if you’re in Japan and you get a cold or a bad cough, don’t be surprised if one of your Japanese friends asks you to get a mask to wear and definitely don’t be afraid to do so. I wish more people in the United States did this, especially those in schools (those illnesses spread like crazy).

Occasionally you’ll have somebody who’s pretty into Japanese culture wear a mask like this when they get sick, but because it’s not the social convention here in America, they usually (and unfortunately) end up looking kind of silly, even if their mask is quite fashionable.

Everyone Around them is Sick

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.

It makes sense when you think about it. I mean, I usually come down with something near the start of summer (I’m actually getting over a cold right now) and I usually get sick again near the start of winter. Maybe if I wore a mask around these times I would be less likely to fall under the weather or avoid the illness altogether.

But like I said before, it’s not the social convention here in America and I’d look kind of silly coming into the office in the morning wearing a surgical mask. Oh well, NyQuil and Sudafed to the rescue once again.

They Have Bad Allergies

On the whole, wearing masks because of allergies isn’t as common as wearing one because of illness, but around hay fever season in Japan mask wearing out in public becomes a much more common sight. I touched on it in a post I wrote a while back about Hay Fever Hell in Japan, but along with masks, the Japanese have a lot of things around to combat allergies and you’ll definitely see a surge of mask wearers out in public during allergy season.

They’re a Bosozoku Bike Gang Member

If you see a bike gang member in Japan I’m sure that their surgical mask is not going to be what gives them away. But it is not unusual for a bosozoku member to wear a mask like this for no other reason than concealing their face. Most likely they aren’t wearing it for allergies or germ prevention (unless of course they are a very kind, caring, and socially considerate bosozoku).

And if you want to learn more about these folks, you can read all about ‘em in a post I did a while back entitled Violent Japanese Biker Gangs Just Not What They Used To Be.

They’re Too Embarrassed to Show Their Face on YouTube

Okay, so this isn’t technically in public, but you still see it a lot (if you’re on YouTube a lot and wander to the stranger corners of it like I tend to do sometimes). This one mostly applies to the ladies from what I’ve seen, but there are a lot of videos of Japanese gals doing some sort of choreographed dance or playing an instrument on YouTube/Nico Nico Douga. A lot of these girls are shy and will wear a mask like these to hide their face/identity.

Since I can’t actually ask them why they choose to do it, I can only guess. Perhaps they are shy. Perhaps they think they are unattractive. Or perhaps they think they are too attractive and want their dancing/instrumental skills to be judged honestly, not wanting to be complimented just because the audience thinks they’re hawt. See examples below.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Rk-wHjzPco&feature=related']

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9h7DmJeOS3s&feature=plcp']

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqphfvR4jcw&feature=related']

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLcqh1s3bDQ&feature=related']

And now you know pretty much all the reasons why you might see someone in Japan wearing a surgical mask. It’s not a weird or strange thing to do and most often they’re just looking out for the well being of others or trying to protect themselves from a seasonal illness or pollen invasion.

But what do you guys think about the wearing of masks like this? Wish you could wear one in your home country but are afraid of the social stigma? Have you ever done it in a Western country and got strange looks from others? Let us know in the comments!

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But before we get into that, let’s explore what these bosozoku used to be so we can really see how far they’ve fallen. Bosozoku used to strike fear into neighborhoods, terrorize locals, and lead to yakuza membership. Today’s bosozoku pale in comparison. So what were bosozoku like in the beginning?

Bosozoku and Their Heyday

The first bosozoku started popping up in Japan in the 1950s when Japan’s automobile industry started to expand. These early hooligans were known as kaminari zoku or “thunder tribe.” Many of these kaminari zoku came from lower class families and joined up for many of the same reasons people in all countries join gangs. These reasons include dissatisfaction with the system, government, or just their place in society. These members joined up to feel like they were part of something bigger while at the same time sticking it to the man.

Bosozoku members are almost always under the legal age of 20, and their anti-establishment attitudes and lack of respect for authority set them apart from the normal teenager in Japan. Many dedicated members move on to become low ranking members of the yakuza after their 20th birthday or so because in Japan, you can do everything once you turn 20.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZvjfsBRY50']

This video is from a documentary about bosozoku filmed a handful of years ago.

Reaching their peak in the 80s and 90s, the modern bosozoku were infamous for illegally modding their bikes, making noise, causing disturbances, driving recklessly, weaving in traffic, not wearing protective headwear, running red lights, speeding, and being a pain in Japan’s collective butt. They were also known to gather in the hundreds and drive slowly though suburbs, blocking traffic and waving imperial Japanese flags while creating an unbelievable uproar with their illegally modified mufflers.

Bosozoku members were also known for starting fights and terrorizing people with wooden swords, metal pipes, baseball bats, and even Molotov cocktails. They would vandalize cars and beat up anyone who got in their way. Foreigners were always a favorite target for their aggression. Clearly they were a force to be reckoned with.

Helmets!? What a bunch of babies!

However, membership of the bosozoku has fallen from an all time high of 42,510 in 1982 to an all time low of 9,064 in 2011. This was due in no small part to new laws being passed in 2004 which gave the police more power to arrest groups of reckless bikers. With more arrests and prosecutions being carried out, the bosozoku started becoming less brazen in their ways. As a result, membership fell and the members started to not be as extroverted as they once were. Some even started driving dinky little scooters instead of the heavily motorized motorbikes that became synonymous with the classic bosozoku image.

Bosozoku Bikes

Along with their flashy clothing, bosozoku are most well known for their extravagant motorcycles. Their typical ride would consist of a normal Japanese road bike combined with elements of an American chopper and a British café racer. These mods included oversized fairings (the shell over the frame), raised handlebars, large seat backs, and colorful paint jobs. These bikes are very unique and definitely have a style all their own.

Styles would also vary by region. Apart from gang symbols or logos on the bikes, some regional differences were marked by distinct modifications such as heavy use of lights or multiple oversized fairings. Regardless of the regional differences, when you saw a bosozoku bike, you knew it was a bosozoku bike. Most of the time you wouldn’t even have to see the thing to know it was bosozoku. Usually you’d hear these things long before you could see them. Those modded mufflers are loud.

The Traditional Bosozoku

Since bosozoku are so infamously well known in Japan, they are often featured in anime, movies, and TV shows. The stereotypical bosozoku are instantly recognizable with their jumpsuit uniforms or kanji adorned military jackets worn open with no shirt to show off their bandaged torsos. They would also wear baggy pants and tall boots to complete the look.

These uniforms became known as tokko-fuku or “special attack uniform” which was also the name given to kamikaze pilots during the war. To complete the look, the uniforms would be adorned with slogans, gang symbols, flags, and even manji. Leather outfits were also common. For accessories, they favored wrap around sunglasses, hachimaki headbands, surgical masks, and both pompadour and punch perm hairstlyes.

Female members, although less common, would dress in a similar manner. They were known to wear high heeled boots, excessive make-up, and have long, dyed hair. It also was not unusual for them to wear skirts and stockings instead of the more traditional baggy pants.

The Sad Decline of Bosozoku

Today’s bosozoku? Not as cool.

Like I mentioned before, bosozoku membership has reached an all time low since their peak in 1982. Along with newer, stricter regulations imposed by police officers, there are a number of other factors to be considered. These new threats to the bosozoku lifestyle have encouraged them to ride in smaller groups, ride scooters instead of motorcylces, and generally be more tame and less interesting annoying than ever before.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7mbC4iVsfE&feature=fvst']

The new laws passed in 2004 make it easier for Japan’s police to arrest large groups of bikers all at once, and with the global economy in a recession, Japanese hooligans just don’t have as much extra cash to spend on bike mods as they used to. Spending lavish amounts of money on flashy clothes and motorcycle upgrades just isn’t as easy as it used to be. Therefore today’s bosozoku are much more likely to buy scooters instead of bikes, and just wear their everyday street clothes while riding. Some of them even wear helmets. So uncool.

It’s also been suggested that everyday distractions of the modern world also contribute to discouraging today’s youth from getting involved with the bosozoku. I mean, why spend all that time and money getting involved with a real gang risking arrest when you can just vent your angsty teenage feelings in games like Grand Theft Auto V and Yakuza 4? Much more efficient.

“Cheese it, it’s the fuzz!”

These days bosozoku are harder to identify than ever before. Long gone are the stylized and flashy looks I described to you above. Today’s bosozoku are much more likely just to dress like anyone else their age. This combined with a lack of members in general has made the presence of bosozoku much less noticeable in society. It’s also made Japan’s streets much quieter.

So basically, the bosozoku have gone from rambunctious, highly stylized hoodlums riding around on ridiculous motor machines to a much more tame and common looking group of lousy kids riding around on scooters. Oh how the mighty have fallen.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rIguM71LQI&ob=av3e']

And speaking of the fallen mighty, these guys are from the gang known as Black Shadow. They’re a bit older than the traditional bosozoku, and they like to pass the time dancing around in the park. Not very intimidating for a gang if you ask me.

So what do you think about this dying breed? Will bosozoku ever completely die out? Should their culture be preserved? Are they an interesting and important part of Japan’s society or are they a mere nuisance that deserves to be snuffed out? Let us know in the comments!

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Sites Referenced:
Bosozoku Wiki