(Not) Everybody Loves Shinzo

An opinion piece I happened to come across here on Japan Today probably best describes my thoughts on the late ex PM Shinzo Abe, and why the rest of the world seems to adorn him with praise, yet it's like a completely different feeling within Japan, the country he was serving. 

Basically, he put more work towards international policies, but on the other hand, seemingly neglecting domestic policies, and the people he was supposed to be serving. 
Also, it was no secret that he was really pushing for the amendment of the Japanese constitution, especially Article 9, which dictates the role of Japan's military in that it cannot operate outside of Japan, and is only meant to defend the country. Changing article 9 would have meant that Japan could send it's forces overseas - currently, Japan can only send non-combatants to other countries to help in technical/engineer type of roles. Yet while people in Japan are against any kind of change to article 9, the LDP is still hoping to push through eventually, though with things the way they are now in Japan and the rest of the world, amending the constitution isn't exactly a priority right now.

Most people will probably remember his domestic economic policies - or "Abenomics" as being a complete dud in the end after 2 years. And let's not forget the Abenomask, or as some had unflatteringly called it, the Ahonomask (aka, the idiot mask). Oh, and a quick reminder that I did a review on the Abenomask when they were eventually distributed out to residences for free - but only two per household. Basically, those masks weren't great for grown adults, but good as an extreme last resort if you can't purchase any other masks - but fortunately compared to 2020, finding masks to purchase ain't that hard anymore.

On the other hand, you don't get to be the longest serving prime minister in Japan without doing a few things right along the way, but the circumstances of his resignation really changed how I perceived Abe. His resignation citing health reasons seemed to be a really poor way to hide the fact he was running away like a coward because he dropped the ball on the handling of the CCP virus. While I wasn't a fan of his first successor, Yoshihide Suga, I definitely respected him more when he just came right out and said he wasn't up to the job of PM when he resigned. At the moment current PM Fumio Kishida seems to be trying his best to avoid the mistakes made by his predecessors.

It is tragic that Abe was killed, but it is good to see an opinion piece that highlighted why views and perceptions of him are so different domestically and internationally.

The Abenomask: Mini review

While I have yet to receive mine, my girlfriend had already received her 2 free reusable cloth masks from the government (a.k.a the Abenomask) when she recently went to Tokyo for an appointment.

 As some may already be aware, there have been problems with these masks, including dirty masks being delivered. Originally, these free masks were in a response in to the shortage of masks available due to the CCP virus. Well, it seems that lately, face masks are slowly becoming available in some parts of Japan, including in the city that I am currently in. While stock isn't back to normal levels yet, it's certainly better than a few weeks ago. But anyway, back to these free government masks.

To sum it up: These masks suck.

Firstly, you only get two. If you happen to be living by yourself, or it's just yourself and your significant other living at home, this shouldn't be a problem (keyword being shouldn't). However, if you have a family of greater than two living in your household, be prepared to starting sharing those two masks.

Another problem - even if it's just yourself or only two people living together, these face masks are tiny. Even by Japanese standards, these are tiny. For me, they barely cover my mouth and nose.

Abenomask (left) vs. Standard face mask (right)

Abenomask (left) vs. Children's size face mask (right)

While the standard and children's face masks may appear smaller that the Abenomask, keep in mind that those masks are designed in such a way that they can be used by anyone regardless of the size of your face... a one size fits all, if you will. The Abenomask, unfortunately, seems to be designed for children in mind... and/or midgets. The only one redeeming factor is that they can be put in the wash and be reused, but there are far better masks out there that can do the same thing. My girlfriend says she can't stand the smell of the masks either, and while I didn't think the smell was that strong, I only wore it for 3 seconds before taking it off. I don't think I can picture myself wearing it for extended periods. Also, I have my own reusable cloth mask that I bought from Yamada Denki, and unlike the Abenomask, it fits across my face just fine (and my nose ain't small either).

These masks feel completely half-assed. While I have no intention of using them, their small size does make them ideal for small children if you have no masks on hand, and are unable to buy any from a shop, or online, and there's nobody to borrow a mask from. In other words, only use these as an absolute last resort. Just be sure to wash them first to get rid of the smell.

P.S. Just to show you how tiny these masks are, here's Prime Minister Abe wearing one: