Home / Design / Creative Products

This Ramen Face Mask Fogs Up Your Glasses When You Wear It, Just Like a Real Bowl of Steaming Noodles

By Emma Taggart on July 17, 2020

Ramen Face Mask by Takahiro Shibata

By now, most of us around the world are getting used to wearing face masks in public to help curb the spread of COVID-19. And although many people are opting for simple cloth coverings, others are using the opportunity to get creative. From a custom face covering printed with your own face to a magical Harry Potter-themed mask that changes when you breathe into it, there’s some pretty unusual alternatives to plain or patterned face masks. The latest to catch our eye (and whet our appetite) is this 3D mask by Japanese artist Takahiro Shibata that looks like you’re wearing half a bowl of ramen on your face.

It’s unclear exactly what specific materials Shibata used to make his ramen mask, but the artist definitely put a lot of thought and effort into its design. It features model replicas of everything you’d expect to find in the perfect bowl of ramen. There’s menma bamboo shoots, chashu braised pork, finely chopped scallions, a slice of fu wheat gluten, noodles, and glistening broth. However, the real surprise is revealed when you put the unusual mask on. Designed specifically for people who wear glasses, the trapped air from the user’s mouth seeps up to fog up their lenses, creating the appearance of steam.

You might be wondering if anyone would actually want to wear a bowl of ramen on their face—especially one that impairs their vision. It turns out the answer is yes. Shibata’s quirky creation quickly went viral on Twitter after he posted photos of it earlier this week, with many people commenting on how much they love it. One Twitter user wrote, “Excellent way to work with the problem of fogged-up glasses rather than fight against it!” Another person suggested, “You should get a ramen store to sell these as souvenir items! They’d sell out immediately!”

Check out Shibata’s ramen mask below and find more of his weird and wonderful designs on Twitter.