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Perhaps it’s not to the extent that celebrities have it in the United States, but Japanese celebs – especially pop idols of the female persuasion – are regularly accosted in public if they’re recognized. And while most stereotypically meek Japanese might be content with taking surreptitious photos from afar in the event of an idol sighting, the possibility of running across an unhinged fan or aggressive paparazzi on the streets means most Japanese pop stars will conceal their faces somehow when strolling around in public on their own.

For the typical celeb, this generally means wearing dark shades or even just wearing a fashion they’re not normally seen wearing on TV, while others still will walk around with their faces totally uncovered like the rest of the unwashed masses. Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, on the other hand, wasn’t taking chances on a recent trip to Tokyo DisneySea, choosing to conceal her face entirely and looking like a total creeper in doing so.

Sporting the latest in street pervert fashion, Pamyu Pamyu went with a white surgical mask pulled high up over her nose and mirror shades (that appeared to still be Disney themed), rounding off the look with a nondescript black dress – which we imagine required her to practice enormous restraint when picking out.

A little cultural context here: Because surgical masks are so incredibly common in Japan – with a variety of uses from protecting others from your germs to hiding the fact that you’re hung over or not wearing makeup – the mask is the go-to disguise for anyone up to no good. Thieves and con artists will wear a surgical mask to conceal their identity without looking too suspicious, often complementing it with a pair of dark shades to be extra sure cameras and bystanders can’t pick out any of their features. The getup is especially common with thieves trying to use stolen ATM cards, as Japanese ATMs are equipped with cameras that can snap nice, close-up photos of a culprit. The mask/glasses combo is so common in real-life, it’s become a prevalent trope in manga, anime and on TV to indicate a given character is some kind of ne’er-do-well.

It’s perhaps understandable, than, that the Japanese Internet masses should react to this image by saying that the J-pop star looked like the kind of suspicious person you’d hope never to encounter in a dark alley at night.

Still, it looks like Pamyu Pamyu did let down her guard in more private areas of the park, snapping this adorable photo in the process:

We can’t help but wonder, though, if anybody in the park spotted the mask-clad Pamyu Pamyu and thought, Hey! It’s Kyary Pamyu Pamyu in her latest bizarre stage outfit!

Source: Kininaru Sokuhou
Feature photo and inset: Kyary Pamyu Pamyu Official Twitter