Recently, Japan has just ended mask restrictions (口罩令). However, many are still choosing to wear their masks. People said they have forgotten how to smile. They worry that their smile now won’t look real. They are also afraid of showing the lower part of their face. To help them smile again, many are turning to experts to find their cheer.
“Smile trainer” Miho Kitano said: “I’ve heard from people who say that even if they’re able to take their masks away, they don’t want to show the lower part of their face. They don’t want to see the wrinkles (皱纹) around their eyes.”
Kitano said her business has skyrocketed with more and more people wanting to get their smile back. The “smile expert” gives her students exercises to help them with their smiles. Her students are given straws (吸管) to exercise their cheek muscles (颊肌) to help show their teeth. “I meet many people. They say they aren’t good at smiling. But it’s all about the muscles. We have to use and train them in order to get good at it, just as you might exercise your arms, ” she said.
While many are trying to learn to smile again, showing one’s teeth has not always been seen as the polite thing in Japan. “Culturally, smiling and doing so with teeth hasn’t always been acceptable in Japan, and you can speak Japanese without moving your mouth too much,” Keiko Kawano said.
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