I love Venetian masks, for instance, but I was not so much found of Japanese ones... until my former boy-friend came along. Already as a child, he was passionated about Noh masks. Last time we were in Paris, he took a lot of photos of Noh masks. Some are obviously very beautiful and serene, but others... well, I could not understand much what was the big deal about them. But as with so many things, when we don't feel a bound with something, we can "learn" to appreciate it. So, finally, I'm "embracing" more masks now... learning what they mean, etc.

At Otafuku home, I found out this interesting piece: "Actor has almost worshipful respect or awe in the presence of mask, and he must put his whole self, body and soul into the masks." Thrilling, huh?