ASIAN TOURISTS GET THEIR ‘KAWAII’ ON IN JAPAN
As the recent buying frenzy among foreign tourists in Japan has subsided, visitors seem to have found another inspiration: Japanese techniques of creating a cute look by sprucing up their hair, nails or face.
One recent afternoon, a 40-year-old tourist from Hong Kong visited a salon named allys hair at the Shinsaibashi OPA shopping centre in Osaka.
She told the stylist about the look she wanted, choosing to get a perm and dye her hair a light colour that matched the spring weather.
A regular customer, she has visited more than five times. Her last visit was six months ago. Every time she comes to Japan for sightseeing, she gets a haircut.
Two hours later, and her look had changed considerably, with her hair now a pinkish colour and falling in loose waves. The tourist quickly showed off her new look by posting pictures on Instagram.
In recent years, a growing number of foreign tourists have been going to beauty salons in Japan.
According to Osaka-based Forcise, the number of foreign customers visiting the five salons the company manages in Osaka and Tokyo, including allys hair, rose 50% last year to some 600 people.
Asked why she bothers to get her hair done in Japan, the Hong Kong tourist said Hong Kong haircuts take longer and are more expensive.
The woman also said that stylists in Japan are professional and good at achieving a natural, cute look that suits each individual customer.
In a survey, the research agency Hot Pepper Beauty Academy asked women in Asia in their 20s to 40s to pick the country with the most fascinating beauty industry. Japan topped the list, with 64%, followed by South Korea ay 57%.
A hair salon manager from Shanghai who inspected the Harajuku branch of the MINX salon recently in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward said Japanese stylists are the best in Asia. The manager said they excel in creating a natural, soft look.
The key is kawaii — “cute” — a hallmark of Japanese culture.
The Hong Kong tourist says Japanese kawaii is a natural beauty, while South Korean beauty, in her view, feels somewhat artificial.
Japanese women develop the skills to make themselves appear cute and natural, probably because they tend to have a negative body image.
A survey by a German research agency found that Japan ranked at the bottom out of 22 countries in terms of individuals’ satisfaction with their own physical appearance. The survey covered 27,000 people in those countries.
Nail salons are another place where kawaii is booming. At Nail Quick in the Sunshine City commercial complex in Tokyo’s Ikebukuro district, two Chinese women in their 20s and 40s opted for this year’s “lucky nail” designs created with advice from Dr Copa, a Japanese feng shui master.
The number of foreign visitors who come to the salon has been on the rise since about a year ago and several visit the salon in a typical week.
“Recently, we have had days when all our customers were foreigners,” said a nail technician at the salon. “The foreign customers are not only from Asia but also the Middle East and Europe.”
The technician said that dainty Japanese-style designs such as cherry blossoms in spring and goldfish in summer are popular among foreigners, many of whom said they opted for a “cute” look. Like the glittery lucky nails, these designs are seen as unique to Japan.
Some customers even request nails sporting kanji, or Chinese characters. Nail art with sushi designs has also created a huge stir.
Kawaii is becoming a keyword among foreign shoppers at drugstores as well. Products that sell well are shifting from basic skin-care items such as face masks, washes and lotions, to makeup items — the tools customers need to attain the “cute” look.
According to Customer Communications, a provider of customer trend data, sales of blush, eyebrow products and lipstick in January were up 10-40% over a year earlier.
A Hong Kong tourist says Japanese kawaii is a natural beauty, while South Korean beauty, in her view, feels somewhat artificial