Warm welcome for cooling masks

With the mercury soaring above 30 degrees Celsius, wearing a mask has only become more uncomfortable.

Luckily, for anyone in Japan, a textile business has rolled out iced masks made of a cooling fabric, according to Japanese newspaper The Asahi Shimbun.

Katsuyuki Gotou, head of the company, said it began to manufacture cooling masks as its usual business has been affected by the pandemic.

He came up with the idea of selling the masks in drink vending machines in order to keep them refrigerated at 4 degrees Celsius and available 24 hours a day.

Two vending machines have begun selling the masks for 690 yen (HK$50) each, along with packs of five refill filters for 300 yen.

The idea is already proving popular, with around 500 masks sold daily so far.

Gotou said he hopes his new product can bring people some joy amid the pandemic.