When people in Japan buy masks, then typically shop at drug stores, purchasing disposable ones. But increasingly, clothing retailers have been offering washable ones and now there’s even a mask specialty store that sells just masks. That’s it!
This week, Mask.com opened in Tokyo, selling over 200 different types of masks for prices ranging from 500 yen (under $US5 ($7)) to even an eye-watering 100,000 yen (under $US940 ($1,292)). Mask.com also launched an online store as well.
マスク専門店？税別500円から10万円（スワロフスキー）までの商品200種類。そしてマスクコンセルジュもいるって😳 こんな世の中になってしまった💧 pic.twitter.com/sFlaLhEajo
— yochan57th🍀 (@famloveyochan) September 8, 2020
Specialty shops aren’t that unusual in Japan — there are stores that sell only socks, for example — but a mask-specialty shop seems overdue. This isn’t the first of its kind (for example, one mask brand launched a pop-up shop in February 2019 in Tokyo); however, it does certainly feel a sign of the times in which we live.
一枚10万円のマスクなんて、怖くて使えんのだが(´Д｀；)
しかし、マスク専門店か……。
恒久的な需要があればって話なんだけど(*´ー｀*)💦 pic.twitter.com/GG7dzwp71l— ずわるぅ🍥💛🌸↩️ (@AQUA43287250) September 8, 2020
https://twitter.com/a/status/1304338292167516160
Apparently, the bricks-and-mortar shop has been drawing lines, which brings back memories of earlier this year in Japan when mask shortages caused people to line up in front of drugstores.
話題の八重洲のマスク専門店、並ばないと入れません。 pic.twitter.com/ONo7OtcHen
— やすくん (@yasunarit2001) September 10, 2020
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