People in Japan who got used to face masks during COVID are attending smiling lessons

Japanese get trained in 'Hollywood' smiles as masks slowly come off

By Anton Bridge and Tom Bateman TOKYO (Reuters) - In one of Keiko Kawano's recent classes, more than a dozen Tokyo art school students held mirrors to their faces, stretching the sides of their mouths

Japanese Get Trained in ‘Hollywood’ Smiles as Masks Slowly Come Off

TOKYO, June 5 (Reuters) – In one of Keiko Kawano’s recent classes, more than a dozen Tokyo art school students held mirrors to their faces, stretching the sides of their mouths upward with their fingers: they were practicing how to smile.

Japanese Get Trained in 'Hollywood' Smiles as Masks Slowly Come Off

In one of Keiko Kawano's recent classes, more than a dozen Tokyo art school students held mirrors to their faces, stretching the sides of their mouths upward with their fingers: they were practicing how to smile. It's not something most people would think to pay for but Kawano's services as a smile instructor are seeing a surge in demand in Japan, where mask-wearing was near universal during the pandemic. Himawari Yoshida, 20, one of the student…

Japanese get trained in smiles as masks slowly come off

In one of Keiko Kawano's recent classes, more than a dozen Tokyo art school students held mirrors to their faces, stretching the sides of their mouths upward with their fingers: they were practising how to smile. It's not something most people would think to pay for but Kawano's services as…

Japanese get trained in 'Hollywood' smiles as masks slowly come off

"Culturally, a smile signifies that I'm not holding a gun and I'm not a threat to you," said smile instructor Keiko Kawano.

No joke: smile training booms in Japan as face masks slowly come off

An hourlong one-on-one ‘Smile Education’ course will set you back US$55. Mask-wearing was near-universal in Japan over the past three years and many continue to wear them on daily basis.