Work is seen divided up to make masks in the space that used to be the dining area for Ashinaga Restaurant, in Miyazaki on March 14, 2020. (Mainichi/Yuka Shiotsuki)

MIYAZAKI -- With masks scarce amid the spread of the novel coronavirus, a facility in this southwestern Japan city that provides employment support for people with impairments has started making and selling masks made from a combination of fabrics for agricultural use and flower bouquet wrapping.

Developed with advice from nearby farmers among others, the masks made by Ashinaga Tano boast a tight fit and good durability. The products have already garnered enough orders that there is now a waiting list to order one, and people running the initiative are trying to share the way the masks are made with similar facilities.

One said, "We want to see this lead to an opportunity for people with impairments to make contributions to society and increase their earnings."

Ashinaga Tano provides continuous employment support for 10 people aged between their 20s and 60s. In 2014, it opened Ashinaga restaurant, which served dishes made with local produce. But in summer 2019 the chef resigned, and the eatery has remained closed since. Recently its employees have been making and selling food for bento lunchboxes and retort pouches while aiming to reopen the restaurant.

But with the spread of the novel coronavirus in Japan, from February onwards the business has seen fewer customers through the door, and sales are falling. Facility head Yuji Ichieda, 58, was struggling to see a way forward when Miyoko Kato, who is 49 and one of the people who attends the facility, made a mask by hand.

Kato has hay fever, and with masks at a low this season it's been harder than usual for people with pollen allergies to protect themselves. She decided to try to solve the problem by using her skills to make her own mask with a sewing machine.

The finished product surprised Ichieda, who marveled at its three-dimensional shape. He then proposed that they change the restaurant dining area into a mask factory. The area around the facility is packed with farming businesses, so they set about asking them for advice on materials and other issues, and improved the product.

The washable masks made by Ashinaga Tano are seen in both adult and children's sizes, along with a vacuum pack, in Miyazaki on March 14, 2020. (Mainichi/Yuka Shiotsuki)

The completed masks bring together a total of five layers of sturdy agricultural-use nonwoven fabrics and finely textured flower-bouquet wrapping. By using binding wire typically used for farming-related tasks, the mask can be adjusted around the nose to stay on snugly. The cotton string that loops around the ears is also adjustable, and the mask sits very close to the face.

The masks are vacuum-packed using a machine to produce retort food products, and each one is subject to temperatures of 112 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes to sterilize them. They come in two sizes, one for adults measuring nine centimeters by 18 cm, and one for children which is 8.5 cm by 12.8 cm. Each mask costs 450 yen including tax. Custom orders are also being taken, and according to Ashinaga Tano, they can be washed in a washing machine and reused at least 15 times.

Four years ago, Kato developed fibromyalgia, a chronic pain condition affecting the entire body. She said she was worried for a while that she wouldn't be able to do anything, but since having come up with the mask idea, she felt "a reason to work that helps me forget any pain." She said that many other people at the facility felt motivated by the new initiative, too.

Now, the facility is recruiting those who are willing to bring in their sewing machines and work to produce masks while calling on other facilities supporting disabled people to produce masks together.

Ichieda said he wanted to spread the production method to similar facilities in Japan. He explained, "The wages at places for people with impairments are low, and they are often hit during economic downturns. I hope that through this mask production work, we can create an opportunity to connect them with wider society."

(Japanese original by Yuka Shiotsuki, Miyazaki Bureau)