I've been yearning and praying for months that something like this would happen and tonight, as i was taking my daily walk through the park close to my workplace, it finally happened!
Some older gentleman saw me walking without a mask and instead of staring, checking to see his mask is on tightly or even crossing to the other side of the road...he pulled down his own mask and for the first time in months, breathed God's air!
Very very small in the grand scheme, but after more than a year of disappointments, this was amazing!
Here in Japan when I walk around my residential neighborhood I'll avoid wearing a mask until the moment I enter a store or the train station.
Most people are masked but I seem to be seeing a few more starting to ignore it. 90% men, so women seem to be more submissive to societal pressure. Saw one maskless woman today though so there's hope.
The other day I saw no fewer than four unmasked people on a single walk in the local riverside park, so that's progress!
Strangely enough the largest demi I've seen without masks have been older people, those who are more at risk. The young do it to fit in. Looks like there's a blistering summer headed this way. Wonder what they'll do.
For me it's mostly the occasional older construction guys who sometimes just go into the convenience store without bothering.
That and I'd guess about 1/3 of high school boys that I see wandering around after school being edgy either with no mask on or have it under their chin. Kids 8-10 y.o. or so playing in the park are the least masked group that I've seen here. Their parents will have masks, the kids not so much.
Once you go into the city it's masks all the way through.
Maybe it's cause I live in a city, but I've never seen anyone else enter a store without one. Once saw a woman whose broke, she proceeded to finish her trip with one hand covering her nose and mouth. We made eye contact and I laughed at her.