Where you can buy a gold face mask for one million yen. 

People in Japan have been wearing face masks for years before the pandemic, so when 2020 hit, companies and stores everywhere took the face coverings to a whole other level, fashioning up designs out of socks, bras, and cardboard fish.

So if any country in the world would think to market masks in a theme park-like setting, it would have to be Japan, and that’s what happened this weekend when Tokyo Mask Land popped up…outside of Tokyo in Yokohama.

It seems the Tokyo name has been carried over by the organisers, Stars, who also set up the famously disappointing Tokyo Tapioca Land last year. Their theme park to Tapioca was dismally described as “looking like a school festival”, so our expectations were low when we sent Mr Sato out to visit Tokyo Mask Land on its 1 December opening day.

▼ Mask Land is located on the third floor of the Asobuild leisure complex in Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture.

After visiting Tapioca Land, Mr Sato found he’d warmed to their sub-par approach to the theme park experience, finding the humour in it that many others didn’t. So he was actually looking forward to seeing just how bad their Mask Land would be.

▼ A reminder of what Tapioca Land in Harajuku looked like last year.

Unlike Tapioca Land, which had a 1,200 yen (US$11.50) entrance fee to add to the disappointment, entry to Mask Land was, thankfully, free. And as Mr Sato approached the mask paradise, he was pleased to see a paper sign pasted to a cold and uninviting metal chair, which welcomed visitors to their Christmas-themed photo spot.

▼ “Share photos with the hashtag #マスクリスマス (‘Maskrismas’!)”

▼ Just look at the magical masked wonderland photo spot!

Mr Sato smiled, relieved to know the spirit of Tapioca Land lived on at Mask Land. Memories of last year’s random cheap shopping trolleys with a few black balloons as tapioca balls danced in his head as he stumbled across another random set-up…

▼ A bathtub??

He wasn’t quite sure why masks would make anyone think of a bathtub, but he loved the incongruity. He decided against stripping off for a photo with nothing but a mask on, though, and continued on to find…

▼ Masks!

He’d entered the belly of the beast, or perhaps the nostril of the beast, with racks filled with face coverings of all colours and designs. It’s said that more than 250 types of masks are available to purchase here. 

If you’re looking for a mask to turn heads on the street, this is definitely the place to come, as they have all sots of quirky designs on offer.

This original form-fitting contoured mask is priced at 100,000 yen (US$957.81), and there’s only one available! Apparently it’s so special you don’t even get to see what it looks like until you ask a store clerk about it.

And then, the pièce de résistance…a “Gold Dust Mask” priced at 1 million yen (US$9,578.75). Quick — empty those piggy banks!

Unfortunately, the Gold Dust Mask was about 998,000 yen more expensive than what he’d budgeted for his trip, so Mr Sato settled for a denim-look knit mask, which was a bargain at 1,580 yen plus tax.

▼ It was a great fit, and well made, as it didn’t fog up his glasses.

Mask Land exceeded Mr Sato’s expectations, which wasn’t hard as the bar had been set so low, and he recommends it to those who want to purchase a snazzy mask. The pared-back space and humorous photos spots makes it a fun, casual place to shop, and apart from the two top-tier items, it’s priced much more reasonably than the high-end face mask boutique in Tokyo.

Event information
Tokyo Mask Land / 東京マスクランド
Address: Kanagawa-ken, Yokohama-shi, Nishi-ku, Takashima 2-14-9, Asobuild 3F
神奈川県横浜市西区高島2-14-9 アソビル3階
1 December to 30 December, 2020
Open: 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
Website

Photos ©SoraNews24
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