お知らせ │ カナダ・ウィスラーの日本語教室 あらこや

６月１日の朝日新聞・オピニオン面「声」に、おかげ様で４度目となる私の意見文が掲載されました！(新聞の表示は本名です)

あくまで個人的な意見ではありますが、日本の状況が少しでもいい方向に進んでくれるといいなと思います。

皆さま、どうぞ健康＆安全でお過ごし下さい！

著作権の関係で新聞のスクラップはここには載せませんが、新聞リンクを貼りつけておきます。
また、ご希望であれば本文をお送りいたします。

（声）笑顔のコミュニケーションまた：朝日新聞デジタル (asahi.com)

My letter of comment is in a major daily Japanese newspaper, the Asahi Shinbun!

It is the 4th time for my letter to appear in the newspaper!

This is just my personal opinion but I do hope use of mask becomes more measured and masks are used in some but not all situations.

Be happy and stay healthy!

↓↓↓

I went back to Japan recently from Whistler BC Canada where I live for about a month starting in mid April.

In Canada, face mask mandatory requirements have ended and we rarely see face masks except inside of a clinic, grocery store or airport. Instead of masks, people’s SMILES are visible! We ride a bicycle, go to parks, we spend time in the fresh air – without masks.

When I was in Japan, I had big culture shock to see people with masks even with nobody around them. I also noticed myself that it felt somehow awkward to communicate.

The information which we can get from facial expression is unlimited and helps us understand quickly how one is feeling most of the time.

In Tokyo, I was concerned that people cannot get my feelings, thoughts. I smiled under my mask, but no one really can actually see my real face. I wondered to myself if I was overly concerned of this typical need to communicate that has become much harder. I felt uncomfortable in Tokyo for the first time in my life.

As one of manners, it is important to wear a mask. To live daily life with Covid19 is a legitimate concern.

However, I’m just concerned that people forget/lose the ability to show and express their feelings by the simple act of showing their face.  The sharing of the daily joys and pains of life through facial expressions has been lost through the complete takeover by the face mask.

I worry that people are getting lazy to be expressive citizens as they get some minor relief by wearing masks.

I really hope to see the people of Tokyo full of smiles there and everywhere and have “true” non-verbal communications through the practiced art of reading people’s facial expressions.