For many, especially those in the States, wearing masks is a long-forgotten custom. Hop on a plane to South Korea, Japan or Okinawa and you'll see that locals (and foreigners) have not yet thrown caution to the wind and are still sporting their masks inside and outside. For the average tourist, the masks may be a bit of a shock and inconvenience, but wearing a mask, particularly in the winter months, has always been a part of the local culture in Japan and during the dust season in Korea. Below are the experiences Stars and Stripes writers Hyemin Lee in South Korea, Takahiro Takiguchi in mainland Japan, and Shoji Kudaka in Okinawa have had adjusting to the recent lifting of local government policies regarding mask wearing.

https://korea.stripes.com/travel/covid-restrictions-are-gone-some-still-covering-overseas

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