nails
Both adults and children can celebrate their love of Pokémon through nail polish with this line!
Nails, nails, nails. Some people flip out when they chip a nail, while others could care less about the state of their fingertips. Whether you’re a salon regular or a chronic nail biter, the Japanese internet has a few tricks to share about how to achieve healthy and beautiful nails. The absolute best part is that you don’t need to go out and buy anything fancy–in fact, you can probably just waltz into your kitchen and find everything you need!
Imagine walking along the street, minding your own business, and suddenly coming across a cat hideously impaled on security spikes. What a way to ruin your day. But don’t worry, we wouldn’t bring you such depressing news on a Monday. Fortunately this kitty is fine, it’s simply enjoying a nice comfortable nap on a bed of nails.
When in Japan, if you open an umbrella indoors, no one will bat an eye, but if you start whistling at night or kill a spider during the morning hours, you’ll probably be stopped in your tracks and lectured about some Japanese superstitions.
One of the most common, yet seemingly nonsensical, Japanese superstitions suggests that you should not clip your nails at night (yonaka ni tsume wo kitte ha ikenai). Why? Because if you do, you won’t be with your parents when they die (oya no shinime ni aenai). Uh… okay.
Don’t worry, we have some logical and not-so-logical reasonings behind this age-old superstition after the jump.
Between the spring cherry blossom season and the hot, humid summer is Japan’s rainy season, which can leave everyone feeling a little blue, not to mention soggy. But the rain can also be an inspiration for fashionistas, and these Japanese girls (and guys!) certainly don’t mind getting their nails wet (although the same probably doesn’t go for their hair).
Japan is always in the lead when it comes to nail art, with western countries only just starting to catch on to techniques that have been common in Japan for years, particularly when it comes to gel nail designs. Just like with clothes, new trends come and go all the time, and the latest one doing the rounds here is water droplet nails.
Nail art is something that’s increasingly popular among Japan’s ladies due to the fact that it’s an easy way to express your individual style. As well as DIY-ing it at home with 100 yen store nail polishes and nail stickers, you can also get reasonably affordable yet super-durable gel manicures in a salon which are set by UV light and last for at least a month. Nail art trends tend to come and go depending on the season and whatever’s in style, but occasionally there’s a “boom” for a certain kind of design, with more and more people jumping on the bandwagon. First came anime nail art, and now it’s the turn of traditional Japanese performance art, Kabuki!
We’ve seen a lot of cute and especially strange nail art from Japan, but we’ve never seen any that looked this delicious! Ebi, tamago, sake, and many more of our favorite sushi toppings grace the tops of this young woman’s nails, in what will probably make it even harder for chronic nail biters to kick the habit.
More up-close pictures and even more kinds of sushi nails after the jump!
When we interact with someone, our eyes often pick up physical characteristics such as the color of their eyes, the length of their hair (ooh nice Tiffany earrings), their height (are those heels Louboutins?)… and our brain puts them all together and files them away in a neat little folder that contains our impressions and memories about that person. But here’s one little detail that we commonly overlook, yet could potentially tell so much more about that person!
A recent personality diagnosis trend in Japan suggests that shape of your nails could reveal characteristic traits about you! What shape are your nails?
Smart products seem to be emerging left and right these days with smart wigs getting a patent by Sony and smart sushi restaurants already on the streets. With all this smartness to be had, why not give your nails the same intelligence. They deserve it. All you have to do is pick up some Smart Nails recently released by H2L.
This 13 January marked yet another Coming-of-Age Day in Japan. Every year on the second Monday of January, young adults who have turned 20 in the previous year congregate in city halls and community centers across the land.
These ceremonies honor the passage into adulthood and for such a once in a lifetime event, it’s not uncommon to see young women dress to the nines with an elegant kimono and elaborate hairstyle. Nails are an important feature too, but one young woman decided to accompany the event with some once-in-a-lifetime nails. In fact the image above is only about 45% of them.
Get ready to see the full picture, but beware! It’s kind of like staring into an Escher painting.
Ita (痛), meaning pain, is the latest buzzword doing the rounds in cool Japan. It’s used to describe something emblazoned with an anime or manga design, so bright and out-there that it’s painful to the eye. A suit with a cute anime girl pattern inside? That would be the itasuit. A car completely covered in graffiti-style tags and wide-eyed characters? The itasha. And what about nails with different character designs on each nail? That’s itanail. And according to a recent online survey, itanail is becoming more and more popular by the day.
MOST POPULAR
Now
Ghibli founders Toshio Suzuki and Hayao Miyazaki contribute to Japanese whisky Totoro label design
Ghibli Park raises ticket prices, announces Howl area opening date, carousel with ridable Yakul
300-year-old Tokyo comb company sells 30,000-yen wooden hair combs—Are they worth it?
Legend of Zelda’s traveling Koroks set to travel to our homes as adorable plushies from Japan
Our top 3 cafes in Azabudai Hills, Tokyo’s newest and possibly swankiest shopping complex
New “adult” doughnuts in a Pokémon box make us rethink what it means to be a grown-up
Japan’s tallest Ferris wheel adds kotatsu and hot sake service for a warm way to chill in the sky
We tried KFC Japan’s special fried chicken for when you’re drinking booze, have just one complaint
Tokyo shop employee fights off three robbers with man catcher polearm in Ueno【Video】
Studio Ghibli anime Paper Shadow Art craft kits back in stock in time for the holidays【Pics】
Weekly
Studio Ghibli releases New Year’s stamps for 2024
Studio Ghibli adds magic to your matcha with new tea ceremony whisk and bowl
Suntory announces massive price spike for Japanese whisky, some types more than double in price
One-of-a-kind Osaka-themed Uniqlo Shinsaibashi opens- Ghibli Park raises ticket prices, announces Howl area opening date, carousel with ridable Yakul
Luffy’s near death at Macy’s Thanksgiving parade is entirely appropriate for the One Piece hero- Japan’s tallest Ferris wheel adds kotatsu and hot sake service for a warm way to chill in the sky
Shibuya McDonald’s closes its doors after 39 years in business
Celebrate Japanese New Year traditions with Studio Ghibli decorations
New Japanese KitKat flavour, Sugar Butter Tree, is like cracking a chocolate tree branch
Monthly
Tokyo’s most famous Starbucks is closed
Chaos at unstaffed Japanese bento shop shows pitfalls of technology- Suntory announces massive price spike for Japanese whisky, some types more than double in price
New Studio Ghibli gloves will warm your heart and hands this winter- Studio Ghibli releases New Year’s stamps for 2024
New Pokémon blankets are part plushie cushion, part fluffy wrap, and all adorable【Photos】
Giant Clodsire Pokémon plushie comes with up to 32 Woopers in super size, super cute set【Pics】- Studio Ghibli adds magic to your matcha with new tea ceremony whisk and bowl
Converse All-Stars team up with two all-stars of Japanese art for Wave, Skull ukiyo-e shoes【Pics】
Japan’s oldest monorail is permanently closing next month
Yearly
Manga artist wants Japanese teachers to feel, for two seconds, how dumb their girls’ dress code is
Sales of Japan’s most convenient train ticket/shopping payment cards suspended indefinitely
One Piece characters’ nationalities revealed, but fans have mixed opinions
Pokémon Center apologizes for writing model Nicole Fujita’s name as Nicole Fujita
New Studio Ghibli humidifiers breathe anime magic into your home
Message to foreigners at Japanese convenience store sparks controversy online
Sold-out Studio Ghibli desktop humidifiers are back so Totoro can help you through the dry season
Doraemon found buried at sea as scene from 1993 anime becomes real life【Photos】- Tokyo’s most famous Starbucks is closed
How do you split two apples for three people using one knife? Japanese Twitter’s violent ideas
RECOMMENDED STORIES
New “adult” doughnuts in a Pokémon box make us rethink what it means to be a grown-up
Japan’s tallest Ferris wheel adds kotatsu and hot sake service for a warm way to chill in the sky
We tried KFC Japan’s special fried chicken for when you’re drinking booze, have just one complaint
Tokyo shop employee fights off three robbers with man catcher polearm in Ueno【Video】
Studio Ghibli anime Paper Shadow Art craft kits back in stock in time for the holidays【Pics】
Hotcake-man steamed pancake buns make their heroic return to Japanese convenience stores
Pokémon merch Mister Donut Lucky Bag, Japan’s sweetest can’t-miss fukubukuro deal, is coming back
Samantha Vega teams up with Jujutsu Kaisen for cool line of character-themed bags and accessories
Uniqlo and Metal Gear team-up for T-shirt line【Photos】
Real-life Rurouni Kenshin reverse-blade katana, forged by master swordsmith, now on display【Pics】
Studio Ghibli adds magic to your matcha with new tea ceremony whisk and bowl
What’s the best way to eat Japanese cream stew and rice, “together” or “separate?”【Survey】
The Straw Hat Students are back with a new One Piece Japanese high school anime short【Video】
-
