Allure of Masks on Full Display at Tokyo Shop Kamenya Omote

By Daisuke Inoue / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

14:24 JST, April 2, 2026

A mask hides one’s expression. By wearing a mask, one can enter the realm of the extraordinary, where one is no longer the same person. This fantastic allure attracts many.

Step inside Kamenya Omote (Mask shop Omote), a specialist mask store in Sumida Ward, Tokyo, and you will be overwhelmed by the sight of many masks hung all over the wall. The shop displays about 200 masks, from a superhero mask available for ¥100 to a one-of-a-kind item costing more than ¥150,000.

The masks are inspired by cultural practices from around the world, including animism in the South Pacific, masquerade culture in Europe, traditional Japanese performing arts and contemporary art. The shop acquires masks on the internet, from collectors or through other sources.

“Put on a mask, and you can become someone other than yourself. That’s the draw [of masks], I think,” said Shuhei Okawara, 35, the shop’s owner.

A fully studded mask was created by a brand in Los Angeles supposedly for use at masquerades, Halloween and other events.

There is a cat mask with an adorable yet dignified expression. A mask surrounded by fish scales represents a mermaid with wide eyes looking somewhat bewitching. Those two masks were created by the same artist.

One mask with distinctive decorations reminiscent of a Joker card is a Venetian mask from Italy. It is believed that in the past, aristocrats in Venice enjoyed the carnival with commoners by wearing masks to hide their status and identities.

Masks for noh theater are popular among tourists coming to Japan from overseas. There are various types of noh masks, or noh-men, such as hannya, which is used for the roles of women who have turned into demons driven by intense emotions, such as jealousy and anger. A ko-omote mask indicates a young woman.

Furthermore, there are masks that represent folk beliefs, papercraft masks with movable jaws and gas masks that give off a disturbing feeling. One cannot help but stare at each mask with its distinct, individual face.

The masks are purchased mostly as souvenirs or room decor, but some people apparently wear them while cleaning, washing or doing other housework.

“Putting a mask on and then taking it off — it works like a switch for changing one’s self-consciousness. Please discover your own way of enjoying masks,” Okawara said.

Real faces

The “Ano Kao” (That face) series of masks, produced by Okawara, features masks made with images of faces of real people. By combining 3D and 2D printing techniques, he has even succeeded in creating fine details, from skin texture to capillary blood vessels in the eyes.

Okawara thought that if he wanted to call himself a kamenya (mask shop operator), then he should prepare masks closely resembling humans. He subsequently befriended an artist who makes elaborate masks and used the opportunity to start producing the human-like masks.

“It’s half humor and half art. I’d like to take my time and increase these masks little by little from now on, too,” he said.

Shuhei Okawara

Okawara was born in Aomori Prefecture in 1990. Since graduating from university, he has performed as a butoh dancer while also working as a theater instructor and providing corporate training in applied arts. In 2014, he started online sales of masks, which had always interested him, and in 2016, he opened the physical shop Kamenya Omote.

*The photos were taken in January.