As always, Japanese Twitter users hit the nail on the head, responding to coronavirus mask worries with all-too Japanese anime-themed memes, from classic manga to Ghibli and Pokemon.
This April 1st, families across Japan were left wondering if Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was playing an April Fool's joke on them. As cases of COVID-19 (coronavirus) infection continue to spread across the world, and people around Japan are asking those in government to employ more proactive measures, Abe announced his newest plan to tackle Japan's coronavirus situation: an offer of two masks per household. Despite his insistence that the two washable, reusable fabric masks are a good response to the sudden demand, Japanese Twitter is unsurprisingly… unimpressed.
On Twitter, many people's impression was that Abe was clearly trying to hide from the truth. So the first response was this image, shared all over the platform, of the prime minister hiding between his two masks. The image has been accompanied by hashtags like #アベノマスク (Abe's masks) and tweets of all kinds, from fairly insightful comments like "we already know how to make masks out of handkerchiefs, why would we need cloth masks?" to people simply laughing at how the masks look, well, a little small for an adult face.
友人がマスク2枚よりも諭吉2枚欲しいって言ってたから作った。#マスク二枚 pic.twitter.com/VE6NitcBNX
— 森永のおいしい牛乳 (@milk3285) April 1, 2020
Twitter user @milk3285 quickly responded to the announcement with a comment about how his friend told him would have much preferred two 10,000 yen bills to two masks, including an image of the mask of his friend's dreams.
安倍首相、マスク2枚はぜひこのデザインでお願いします。枚数も2枚ではなくて20枚でお願いします。#マスク二枚でごまかすな #マスク2枚 #マスク配布 #マスク2枚でごまかすな #マスク二枚 #アベノマスク pic.twitter.com/x5VbIzQBrp
— 人生を幸せにチェンジする ゲッターラボ (@getterlabo) April 1, 2020
User @getterlabo agreed, saying "I'd like my two masks to come in this design. Also, I'd like 20 of them, not 2."
The ridicule, of course, did not stop there.
The next meme to explode all over Japanese Twitter was this one, featuring the plight of one of Japan's most beloved manga and anime families, the Sazae household. Written across the top in colorful lettering is the phrase "Two Masks per Household." The Sazae family doesn't look pleased with the situation, either.
Next came Ghibli.
「雫、2枚だから」 pic.twitter.com/e0tLskUR8p
— ⛩️失敗即位⛩️ (@sokuishippai) April 1, 2020
Utilizing a scene from the classic Hayao Miyazaki film Whisper of the Heart, Twitter user @sokuishippai writes "Shizuku, it's because there are only two masks."
政府発表
1世帯につきマスク2枚配布へ#マスク2枚 pic.twitter.com/0eVrjGiw2c— ろんげーin Da ワインラウンジLonge【公式】 (@Longe0829) April 1, 2020
Japanese Twitter just couldn't help but imagine how their favorite families would be putting the masks to use. Can't you just feel Chihiro's pain?
As this Dugtrio shared by @haruki126 proves, when you have only two masks, even the closest of families may have to make some sacrifices
マスク2枚の使い方#マスク2枚 pic.twitter.com/TMa19vFZ4j
— moistoast 災 (@moist0ast) April 1, 2020
Finally, Twitter user @moist0ast came to our rescue, showing us the proper way put the two masks to use as a four-person family! What a relief to finally understand!
Have you found the best way to use Abe's two fabric masks? We'd love to hear! Let us know on the JAPANKURU twitter… or instagram and facebook, if you prefer.
PROFILE
Half a lifetime ago I came to Japan for a semester abroad... and I never left. I guess I really like the place! I'd love to hear your Tokyo recommendations via the @Japankuru instagram or twitter (X).
COMMENT
FEATURED MEDIA
VIEW MORESee Kyoto Clearly With Your New Glasses #japankuru #kyoto #jins #교토여행 #진즈 #京都 #교토수족관 #가모가와 #kamogawa #kyotoaquarium
A Very Special Trip on the Ferry Sunflower #japankuru #ferrysunflower #hokkaidotrip #japanexperience #japantrip #girlstrip #oarai #tomakomai #北海道 #北海道旅行 #茨城 #홋가이도 #일본선박여행 #토마코마이 #이바라키 #북해도 #페리여행 #여행에미치다 #여자끼리 #日本渡輪 #sunflower號 #坐船旅行 #日本女子旅 #日本體驗
Japanese Makeup Shopping • A Trip to Kamakura & Enoshima With Canmake’s Cool-Toned Summer Makeup #pr #canmake #enoshima #enoden #에노시마 #캔메이크 #japanesemakeup #japanesecosmetics
⚔️The Robot Restaurant is gone, but the Samurai Restaurant is here to take its place. Check it out, and don't forget your coupon! 🍣신주쿠의 명소 로봇 레스토랑이 사무라이 레스토랑으로 부활! 절찬 쿠폰 발급중 💃18歲以上才能入場的歌舞秀,和你想的不一樣!拿好優惠券去看看~ #tokyo #shinjuku #samurairestaurant #robotrestaurant #tokyotrip #도쿄여행 #신주쿠 #사무라이레스토랑 #이색체험 #할인이벤트 #歌舞伎町 #東京景點 #武士餐廳 #日本表演 #日本文化體驗 #japankuru #japantrip #japantravel #japanlovers #japan_of_insta
Japanese appliance & electronics shopping with our KOJIMA x BicCamera coupon! 用JAPANKURU的KOJIMA x BicCamera優惠券買這些正好❤️ 코지마 x 빅 카메라 쿠폰으로 일본 가전 제품 쇼핑하기 #pr #japankuru #japanshopping #kojima #biccamera #japaneseskincare #yaman #dji #osmopocket3 #skincaredevice #日本購物 #美容儀 #相機 #雅萌 #日本家電 #일본여행 #면세 #여행꿀팁 #일본쇼핑리스트 #쿠폰 #일본쇼핑 #일본브랜드 #할인 #코지마 #빅카메라 #japankurucoupon
Odaiba's DiverCity Tokyo Plaza is home to the famous real-size 20m-tall Unicorn Gundam, and the popular shopping center has even more Gundam on the inside! Check out the Gundam Base Tokyo on the 7th floor for shelves upon shelves of Gunpla, and the Gundam Base Tokyo Annex on the 2nd floor for cool anime merchandise. Both shops have tons of limited-edition items! #pr #odaiba #tokyo #tokyotrip #japantrip #japantravel #PR #divercity #divercitytokyoplaza #tokyoshopping #gundam #unicorngundam #gundambasetokyo #anime #otaku #gunpla #japankuru #오다이바 #다이바시티도쿄 #오다이바건담 #건담 #일본건담 #건프라 #건담베이스도쿄