Loading...

Jun 4, 2020

Abenomask. Do not tumble dry? Or do you?

Has everyone received their precious masks? Has anyone used a tumble dryer yet with the Abenomask? I'm curious about the results.

Kobakko

Kobakko

Always on the move.

16 Answers



  • SalarymanJim

    on Jun 5

    No sign of my mask yet.

    0
  • genkidesu

    on Jun 5

    Never got any either! Seems like a lot of people I know outside Tokyo and Kanagawa didn't receive them...

    0
  • TonetoEdo

    on Jun 5

    If I ever get mine, I’ll be donating them. My workplace issued boxes of paper masks, and I bought some cloth ones from a community group. I wash the cloth ones in a net bag and air dry them.

    0
  • helloalissa

    on Jun 8

    The Abenomasks actually came with instructions saying to hand wash them, but I've been machine washing the other cloth mask I have (also supposed to hand wash). Same as TonetoEdo, we wash fabric masks in a laundry net and hang to dry. I've been washing one of mine like that every week for a couple months and it's held up fine. Most people don't have dryers here... I think the tiny Abenomasks would really become child-size if you put them in a dryer.

    0
  • Bella

    on Jun 10

    Got mine last week but I haven’t tried it out, since we have sufficient amount of masks... and Abe no Mask is small...

    0
  • TonetoEdo

    on Jun 12

    @genkidesu How about now? Households in some cities in Ibaraki Pref. got theirs last week. Here in Noda City, I got my two minuscule masks on Wednesday.

    0
  • TonetoEdo

    on Jun 12

    My latest blog has a link to CDC mask washing instructions. The abenomask I got is barely holding up after machine washing and line drying.

    0
  • genkidesu

    on Jun 12

    @TonetoEdo good to know they have made their way to Ibaraki...hopefully that's a good sign that other places aren't far off! Thankfully a dear friend who is a great seamstress made us masks and sent them, so that's nice. We had a little stash of disposable ones too, so we've been okay!

    0
  • genkidesu

    on Jun 16

    A friend down the road in Shiozawa (a couple of towns over) got theirs yesterday, so it looks like they're finally hitting Niigata! On the lookout!!

    0
  • BigfamJapan

    on Jun 24

    Ours are still in the package. We ended up getting masks from the school and town as well so we've had no need for them yet. Might keep it - who knows maybe someday I can sell them on an online auction :-D

    0
  • genkidesu

    on Jun 24

    @Saitama yes! I saw a blog post by ReishiiTravels (https://www.city-cost.com/blogs/ReishiiTravels/MqR7W-living) that hers were possibly stolen because there is a free meal program if you hand over your masks! I'm thinking though that eBay in a few decades might be better, haha!

    0
  • TonetoEdo

    on Jun 26

    @genkidesu I’ve gotten three uses out of the disposable masks. They hold up pretty good.

    0
  • JapanRamen

    on Jun 29

    I’m also in the camp of reusing disposal masks for a good few times. Looking at the size and thickness of the abemask, I might as well go through my disposal masks first

    0
  • MommyRam

    on Jul 10

    Ours came in the mail a couple of weeks ago and it's still unwashed and unused as we are using our cloth masks that we made ourselves.

    0
  • Striffy

    on Aug 3

    I got my masks a while ago. Unfortunately I've washed them with water that was too hot so the rubber got stretched. I still use them but put a know in both rubber bands to make them tighter. Around the same time I received the mask I spotted similar masks in Daiso and so I went and bought these too. The rubber bands are too tight but good enough to go to the grocery store.

    0
  • Kobakko

    on Aug 4

    @Striffy I washed mine at 60 degrees and tumbled it dry. Surprisingly it still fits. I guess my face is as small as my Japanese friends like to point out after all. Funny that your rubber bands got stretched. But I guess if it the masks work with a knot that's okay.

    0

Awaiting More Answers

3 Answers

Which pronoun do you use in Japanese to refer to yourself?

Are you 私 either watashi or atashi? Or are you 僕 or 内? Do you vary depending on who you're interacting with?

TonetoEdo

on May 22

7 Answers

Pubs yay or nay?

Have you had great experiences at approximation of "your local"? Found a gem of a British or Irish pub that bridges cultures?

TonetoEdo

on May 20

2 Answers

Taking the bitterness out of Goya?

Today is "Goya Day" and as I wrote in my post about it, my MIL is growing some this year so no doubt we'll be given some to cook. I am not a big fan, because I find it unpleasantly bitter. So, following in the same vein as tonetoedo's mentaiko / karako question - what way do you serve goya? Have you any tips for taking the bitterness out of it?

BigfamJapan

on May 8

5 Answers

Your 2026 food omiyage / souvenir picks?

I know this question has probably been asked several times in the past, but it is also the kind of question to which the answer changes frequently! So, I am curious - what are your top food souvenir picks for 2026? I am going home again soon, and I want to get food omiyage for several people, including the school where my son is about to finish a one-year exchange. I would love to hear your thoughts on the BEST Japanese food omiyage around this year! And / or the food omiyage you buy each and every time you are going home because it's always a big hit? I just had the photo in this post to hand, and it is not a recommendation per se, it's not bad and fits well into a suitcase, but it's not the best strawberry daifuku I ever had.

BigfamJapan

on Apr 24

5 Answers

What's your favorite 'kushiyaki'?

Just for fun; what type of skewered food do you like best in Japan? Or, if you feel like sharing, what are your top 3?

BigfamJapan

on Apr 11

2 Answers

Movie locations near you worth visiting?

The live action version of テルマエ・ロマエ Thermae Romae (2012) was shot at Nokogiriyama, Kyonan Town, Chiba Prefecture. It's one of my favourite getaways for hiking, the temple complex, and catching sea breezes. The movie is hilarious and heartwarming. Which Japanese live-action movies do you recommend, and are the filming locations worth a visit? Tell us the original title, English title, the year, and the location.

TonetoEdo

on Mar 23

4 Answers

Recent vending machine discoveries?

I always get a little kick out of finding a vending machine that dispenses something other than drinks or ice-cream. I have been seeing an increase in vending machines that sell religious items lately. I also like finding vending machines with unusual or attractive wrapping. Have you come across any unusual vending machines lately? Either vending machines that sell something other than the norm or a vending machine with eye-catching wrapping?

BigfamJapan

on Mar 21

5 Answers

What are our consumer rights in Japan?

Do you know your consumer rights in Japan? And if so, would you be willing to share anything about them? For example, what is the policy on returns? I am very familiar with my consumer rights in my home country, and they are very widely publicized back home, but information doesn't seem to be as transparent or readily available here. Or is that just me?

BigfamJapan

on Mar 15

18 Answers

What do you most associate with Ehime Prefecture?

Today, February 20th, is Ehime Prefecture Day. What do you most associate with Ehime Prefecture, what is the very first thing that comes to mind when I say "Ehime Prefecture"!?

BigfamJapan

on Feb 20

8 Answers

Do you have a favorite mascot?

The other day, on "Strawberry Day" I wrote about "Yoshimin", the strawberry mascot of Yoshimi. I thought it might be fun to introduce a few others, so I've just written about "Tokimo" the mascot of Kawagoe. And I plan to introduce a couple of my favorites. It begs the question, do you have a favorite mascot? And how about writing a post on City-cost about your favorite or a local mascot? Pictured "Umerin" who I plan to write about next!

BigfamJapan

on Jan 17

7 Answers

Growing Mushrooms

Here's for a weird hobby. I just saw a video by an American Youtuber that I plan to watch about growing shiitake mushrooms. From what I've seen, it probably needs a bit of space. There was a local market in Fukuoka Prefecture that had a "mushroom room" where they grew and sold mushrooms like maitake and eringi. I also saw a video of a couple in Paris that built a mushroom growing shower room! The local hardware store sells "seeded" logs and shiitake mushroom growing kits. I have seen the logs around people's homes on occasion. It seems like a very odd, but sustainable hobby. Has anyone tried it, or is anyone interested to try this? I wonder how involved or beginner friendly it is.

helloalissa

on Dec 29

6 Answers

Hair Color Treatments for Greying Hair

For those of you who have colored grey hair, I'm curious about the hair color treatments available in most drugstores. They seem simpler to use than box dyes. It's been many years since I've colored my hair. It's a chestnut brown and my grey is more silver. I don't hate it but the grey is dry and making me feel like I look older than I am. I'm especially interested in the natural brands that are non-permanent. For example Rishiri Kombu sounds like a decent option. Looking forward to your recommendations and experience.

helloalissa

on Aug 3