(the picture is grey squirrel brush with Echizen lacquerware – 20,000 yen)
Hi Everyone,
I was informed that KZ-04 KZ-07
were currently out of stock, and that they would be back late in January.
The Silver fox of Kihtisu price is still not known, but Kihitsu told me that it should be lower than the Makie silver fox 100,000 yen.
I will write about baseball players in Japan from overseas. Please skip it if you are not interested)
I was reading an article about a baseball player from Canada who played in Japan for eight years.
He retired and lives in Florida now. His name is Scott Mathieson.
He was asked. What does he miss after he left Japan ?
He said, ‘Food.’
He misses sushi, which he used to eat twice a week in Japan.
Wagyu beef in Tokyo
Chicken in Miyazaki..
Interestingly he misses Pizza in Japan, lol.
There are many players from USA, Canada, these days from Dominica….
Some play well some some do not. It seems that the key to success is how well they can cope with the Japanese culture. If they enjoy life, culture, food, they will likely to succeed.
Some players love Tokyo, some like Kobe, Nagoya, Hiroshima… though those cities are so different from each other.
It interests me how they live here with the cultural differences more than how they play baseball.
When I was a junior high school student, there was a book about foreign baseball players. I read it many times.
It was written by Keio University professor who focused on the cultural aspects of baseball. That was more interesting than baseball itself.
One player I have never seen but I remember very well from reading is
Viktor Staruchin
He is not from USA nor Canada, nor Dominica.
He is from Russia.
He was born in Russia in 1916, but one of his relatives was a House of Romanov, so his family left Russia in 1917 after the Russian Revolution.
After a long travel from Russia, through Siberia, the Staruchin family landed in Hokkaido in 1925. The city is called Asahikawa.
He was a very smart kid and played many sports very well. He spoke Japanese perfect.
At that time, many boys were playing baseball.
As a matter of fact, American all-star players came to Japan to play baseball in 1934.
There was no pro team in Japan. College baseball was poplar such as Waseda – Keio rivalry. So the first professional baseball team was organized to play baseball with the American team.
That was the Tokyo Giants, the first professional baseball team in Japan.
Staruchin was well known to the baseball world, and he was scouted by the All Japan team directly from school.
The American team had Babe Ruth, and Lou Gehrig. Yes, Ruth and Gehrig played in Japan before World War II.
I am not sure if Staruchin pitched against Ruth or Gehrig, but I feel the history there.
A kid from Russia played baseball with Babe Ruth in Japan right before the World War II.
Staruchin joined Tokyo Giants later. The Giants are a team of ‘gentlemen’ now (at least they say) but at the time, not everyone was nice to him.
Fujimoto-san, manager of the Giants, said to Staruchin, ‘don’t care about what others say if you want to be Sawamura, the ace of the Giants.’ (Sawamura, the ace pitcher, was drafted and died at the age of 27 in the battle of Philippines. Baseball was called off between 1943 and 1945. )
Under Fujimoto san, Staruchin became ace of the Giants, and won more than 300 games after the war.
Fujimoto san moved to other teams, and Staruchin followed him. ( By the way, some Russians moved to Japan after the Russian Revolution. Morozoff, very popular chocolate company, and Game company called ‘Taito’ were both founded by Russians who came to Japan after the Russian revolution)
Well, back to Staruchin,
He was killed in a traffic accident when he was 40 years old.
He was loved by people in Hokkaido, and a stadium in Asahikawa was named after him – Staruchin Stadium.
After the games in Japan in 1934, Japanese players was invited to USA to play baseball.
Staruchin was a member of the Japan team. Since he was raised in the rural city in Hokkaido, he was surprised to see many ‘foreigners’ in America. ( I can imagine that there were very few foreigners in Japan at that time, especially in Hokkaido)
He said to the manager of Japan, ‘those foreigners don’t speak Japanese.’
Kumano brush companies will be on holidays next week till January 4.
And due to the COVID-19, the Government of Japan stopped tourists from foreign countries. Yet, still no sign of ‘lockdown’ and I see people walking around as usual.
Today, I want to introduce Silver Fox of Kihitsu made by Koyudo.
The concept of Starbucks is to sell a third place, not coffee itself.
Workplace is competitive, and home is a place where you need to behave as a nice spouse in America (this is not what I say, but the book says!). Starbucks thinks people need a third place to be relaxed at.
When Starbucks came to Japan, they opened a shop in Ginza, a very expensive area. It was the first shop outside North America.
People are busy there, and need a place to be relaxed at. They opened shops in busy areas gradually.
Now that Starbucks have a shop in Tottori, the smallest prefecture in Japan, they have covered all of the 47 prefectures.
Japanese need a relaxing third place, LOL.
Starbucks sells a place where you can be relaxed. That is the concept.
I sometimes feel the same way. People love to buy makeup products or brushes, but some are more into a cultural or historial aspect behind the products, which is also fun to communicate.
I cannot compete with big companies on the same ground so I need to have something different.
Ganbari masu!( I do my best)
I want to update on several brands.
SUQQU will replace the current designing eyeshadows with new ones in January. The current products will not be available then.
Koyudo has Saibikoho with black handles.
Face L 100,000 yen
Face S 70,000 yen
Cheek 50,000 yen
Takeda will sell a limited set.
It is a set of saikoho hair (for the first 2 brushes), palmy (oronpi) eyebrow brush and itachi lip brush.
SUQQU Designing eyeshadows will be renewed inJanuary.
The price will be a little more expensive than the current 8160 yen.
It will be 8400 yen.
SUQQU will replace the current products with new ones.
Please let me know if you are interested in buying them.
I can buy 133 and 134 limited eyeshadow as well.
Life in Tokyo gets back to almost normal. People wear a mask, almost 100%.
I sometimes go to cafe to work with a computer. Many people are working at cafe, and it is encouraging to watch them.
Today, I was at cafe again. Ladies in their 70’s (?) were enjoying a conversation. They were saying that :
‘We are not worried about the corona virus much these days. Everyone wears a mask and doctors are good in general. “
They are planning to go to Hawaii or Okinawa together without their husbands. (Their husbands retired and stay home, I guess)
They enjoy life !
How about their husbands? In Japan, it is said that men, after retiring from work, don’t enjoy life as much as women. Women join a community outside work, and they enjoy the community while men don’t know other communities than their workplace.
I think it is true.
I belonged to a big gym before, and I was told by a gym worker that many women stayed all day and went out as a group after a gym.
Men exercise alone.
Japanese husbands have several nicknames.
It is funny, but it also tends to be true.
‘One coin husband’ The biggest coin in Japan is 500 yen (5 USD), and husbands go to Yoshinoya Gyudon(beef donburi) fast food chain, for a 500 yen lunch while their wives enjoy 2000 yen lunch with their friends.
‘Seven – Eleven’ It is a convenience store name but in Japan, some husbands are called Seven Eleven. Husbands work from 7 to 11 pm so that their wives have free time at home.
‘ATM Bank machine’ Wives can withdraw money when they need it, but they don’t usually need it.
All are jokes ( or maybe real for some couples) but it speaks well about the situation.
======
Those ladies next to me might have noticed that I was smiling subtly and writing this blog. I felt their eyes were directed to me.
It is November, and people wear clothes for winter. Yet, it is 20C today so not too cold.
I read books at a bookstore every day. There is one in Shibuya on my way to the station.
It is called Kinokuniya. I try to read books for one hour as it is easier to decide which ones to buy than checking at Amazon.
Hard time for the book store industry.
The other day, while I was reading, I got a call from my mother.
She just got back from a walk with her dog, Jack Russell. She is a very very active dog.
I said, ‘it is getting dark, you should walk with her before the sun sets. ‘
She said something strange, which I thought she was joking about.
It was getting dark, and when she was walking, a young couple she didn’t know drove her to her house.
That couple were totally strangers to her, and she said they were very nice.
But she usually walks only within 100m so I wonder why they drove her to home…
Well, it might happen in the countryside, but she lived in the north of Tokyo, and it was never heard of.
Japan is a safe country but still I did not quite understand what she told me.
Besides Jack Russell is too friendly to protect her, LOL.
I say this, it would never happen to me!
Maybe she was smiling. It is important to have a calm and friendly face. People talk to her.
I have rarely been asked a direction when walking in Shibuya by a foreigner.
Once, I was walking in my neighbor, and a Caucasian guy asked me a direction. But he spoke Japanese fluently!
Here are some November limited.
This time, Amplitude Holiday kit was incredibly popular, fully sold out on the first day. it is popular brand, new. They seem to be successfully market its products.
I mainly buy products in Shibuya Tokyu and Shinjuku Isetan.
Those department stores are still quiet, compared to ‘ Before Corona.’ Yet I see some Chinese buyers who speak Japanese very fluently. They seem to be residents in Tokyo, so not many tourist yet.
Whatever the reason is, Japan COVID situation did not get worse. The Government of Japan has decided to accept foreign travelers of short-time stay now.
I reckon Japan will accept tourists in general soon.
I observed one Chinese buyer who was buying lots of SUQQU eyelash curlers. Do they sell SUQQU eyelash curlers in China very well? It is about 20USD. There may be some secrets in marketing. I need to learn how to sell it)
I don’t think I am good at advertising a product. I take a picture and post it to instagram and online shop.
The other thing is that I don’t do makeup so it is hard to know what people want.
So I talk to shops and Kumano brush makers, and get as much information as possible.
Mostly importantly, I value your feedback. Thank you)
Yesterday, I visited some brands who was displaying holiday collections.
I received interesting feedback to my blog from my clients yesterday. I wrote about people sitting next to me at cafe.
I like people watching, especially over coffee.
( I guess my concentration is low.)
I love doing so overseas, as everything is new and people behave differently.
I spent six months as an exchange student in Helsinki. I made some Finnish friends and they took me to a coffee shop after school. Almost every day, we went to cafe and watched people on the street.
To me, that was so interesting as I was able to ask my Finnish friends many questions.
I wish I could do that again in Helsinki.
Haruki Murakami, a novelist, says that when he writes a novel, he goes abroad. He can concentrate on writing outside Japan.
Once, he went to Greece to write. He still wants to eat Greek steak from time to time very badly.
I am not sure if my Finnish coffee is equivalent of Murakami’s Greek steak, but that cafe scene makes me relaxed.
I received three orders for a set my client introduced to her freinds. It is a set of Kihitsu.
Sokoho goat and Kolinsky
Maybe it was made more than five years and now on sale at 30,000 yen. Older hair is said to be better.
They can customize brushes. That is unique as a fude maker.
They say the business is small, and they try to cope with customer needs.
You can contact them directly or you can use me) Please let me know.
It is difficult to write a blog every day. You see I don’t write a blog daily even though I want to.
I find it easier to write every day than to write e.g. weekly. It is easier if I make it a rule.
I haven’t come to this stage yet.
I try, and I try to write when I find a chance.
I tried to write a blog at cafe last night.
Two groups sat next to me in turn.
Though I tried not to listen, some words were heard, lol.
The first one was a business group.
An old guy, seemingly an eyeshadow manufacturer, was asking a lady, who seems to be a seller, for her opinion.
She put several eyeshadows and was telling him her opinions. And she was happily telling him that she had recently gotten married.
She was saying to him,
her husband is a Spanish. He is 195cm tall. He is a lawyer. He asked her father first for his permission, not to her. (the old guy said, ‘wow really?”) He left Japan without any decision, but later they met in London. Now they are married in Japan.
The second group are two ladies. One lady was asking the other for her opinion on how she could have her boyfriend propose to her. She and her boyfriend live together. She was not happy that it took long for him to make a decision.
It was a strategy session, lol.
I came back home and did some search. I thought I could write something as a blog.
I found some numbers. In Japan, 24 % of men at 50 years old have never got married. (14% for women)
Kihitsu has some inventory of fu-pa01 at 5000 yen now.
After it gets out of stock, Kihitsu is planning to continue to order fu-pa 01 from Koyudo. But, with hair getting expensive, the fupa 01 with saikoho this time, will be more than 10,000 yen.
I told Kihitsu that the 10,000 yen fupa 01 would be expensive if the same handle is used.
Kihitsu’s image of new fupa01 is fuwafuwa, but with the current fupa 14 handle, with a flat bottom.
I had several requests to get fuwafuwa but it is currently out of stock.
Would you like a new fupa01 with fuwafuwa handle at more than 10,000 yen?
I chatted with Chikuhodo. They will have limited sets in mid November.
They don’t call them Christmas sets or Noel, rather ‘limited.’ So they can continue to sell those limited sets as long as they are in stock.
This is Evergreen set of Hakuhodo.
I will keep you updated.
Speaking of limited, I have recently sold many ‘old’ products of Kihitsu made by Koyudo.
What Kihitsu does is that they change a little (color or handle shape or logo) to Koyudo products and sell as Kihtisu brand.
Sometimes more expensive, sometimes less expensive. Kihitsu can choose what they like as it is own product.
Kihitsu Fupa01 is 5000yen while Koyudo one was 5520 yen. Kihitsu Fupa13P is 3800 yen while Koyudo one is 5040 yen.
These are old stock but Kihitsu keeps the prices the same and did not raise them. Old hair is generally better.
Kihitsu CEO, Nakashima-san, seems to be enjoying selling brushes purely. Of course, it is business so money is important but he puts client satisfaction first.
I feel old Japan from him. I respect it, and it will benefit him in a long term.
Speaking of old or new,
he and I lived in different decades so our lifestyles are different.
This is me, and I don’t try to generalize here.
I have noticed one thing about him :
I don’t watch TV at all, while he does a lot.
Well, I used to watch baseball of Hiroshima Carp, my home team, on TV. This year I stopped watching baseball even when my team is on TV.
I only check the results, especially rookie players, as they will be main player in years to come. ( I have given up Hiroshima Carp this year and next LOL)
I watched TV long when I was a kid, but with internet, my TV time has been decreasing. It is almost zero now.
I heard from a friend that TV has a screen to search a program of YouTube in Thailand or VietNam. I reckon that most of your countries have a choice between internet or TV.
Japanese TV only airs the same channels. It hasn’t been changed.
I suspect Japanese TV companies try to protect their vested interests.
One example of ‘old’ Japan.
Old vs New
Maybe TV vs Internet
For young generations in Japan, TV will be only a device by which you watch youtube (or netflix whatever )content. I think your countries might have developed this trend more. Japan is late.
I can get information as much as I like on the web while TV sends viewers information selected by TV produces. We cannot select information on TV. TV selects and controls information for viewers.
It is a problem.
We can select politicians but we can’t select TV producers. I have been watching TV-selected information for a long time since I was a kid.
This issue, with internet at home, is getting exposed to many Japanese.
Now, It is my humble protest to TV stations or the vest interests not to watch TV.
I went to a book last night after I ate a ‘hot cake’ in a family restaurant.
It is called Royal Host, which has big space to work in.
Coffee was not good, the hot cake is good)
It has been long since I visited a bookstore last time. I found many books interesting though I am not sure if I go there to buy books.
Amazon books are too convenient for me to go to a bookstore, and many bookstores in Japan are out of business. A bookstore in my neighbor is now a Docomo (mobile company) shop.
Even big ones have a problem.
Time changed when ‘You’ve Got Mail’ was filmed in 1998.
Yet I see some children sit on the floor and read a picture book with their mothers.
The Bookstore industry may need to change what they sell from a book to entertainment.
Speaking of Amazon, do you buy Japanese brushes at Amazon or eBay?
I am curious.
I haven’t sold products neither at Amazon or eBay.
I know many Japanese sell ‘Japan’ products there.
Kihitsu CEO mailed me pictures of some old inventory. I want to share here.
The price and hair information will be mailed later.
I talked to Kihitsu on how it would work for them.
If you get access to the site, they will lead to each brush maker where you can buy brushes at discount.
I am not sure if they send overseas. I guess some do, some don’t.
I want to tell you about the Kihitsu case :
There will be ‘outlet’ brushes that will be sold at 20% discount at the Kihitsu web site. In addition, there are brushes that were engraved but were cancelled.
Kihitsu coordinate with wedding planners and sell brushes for weddings, where their brushes are gifted to guests.
Guests’ names are engraved in advance, but some guests cancel their participation. That is how engraved brushes are left in the warehouse.
Most are engraved in Japanese, so maybe you don’t care? Well, I know some of you understand Japanese so it may bother you.
I asked what kinds of brushes were. He said that those were heart brushes.
I guess those brush hairs are goat/PBT, so many are not interested but FYI.
I went to Isetan today around 6:30 PM, busy time. The food sections was busy, but makeup sections are not.
I visited Shaquda, Laduree and Decorte.
Thank you for reading and I will write more tomorrow!
Those Kihitsu brands are made by Koyudo, so they have the same quality.
Prices are sometimes the same, sometimes different.
Kihitsu can take the liberty of setting the prices of Kihitsu products because those brushes are sold as ‘Kihitsu.’
I see some people collect ‘Koyudo Collection’ brushes and prefer Koyudo brands, but the qualities are the same.
——
Now Koyudo discontinued the fupa series and some of BP series.
Kihitsu has some inventory of own fupa and BP’s.
For example, Kihitsu still has Fupa01. It is the same hair with a dark pink handle.
Fupa14
Some brushes are sold only as Koyudo.
‘Kumamon’ is a Kumamoto symbol, and it is like Kitty chan
(not a comparable with Kitty chan, but in the same manner that it is a protected name by patent law, so the Koyudo name can only printed to a brush, not a Kihitsu logo)
I don’t spend more than one hour gym, rather I go there every day.
If it is a hard exercise, I will end up with going once or twice a week. Eventually, I don’t get to go to gym at all. So I have decided to make it short and simple. This has been working well for me so far.
Then, I went to a dentist for cleaning teeth after three months. Obviously, two months of lockdown made it difficult to go there.
By the way, we have (too) many dentists in Japan or Tokyo. Therefore, it is a hard industry to survive, and dentists have become so gentle, LOL.
When I was a kid in a small town in Hiroshima, there were very very few dentists so that it was hard to choose a good one or I was not able to choose….
Another hard one is a taxi driver. They are very nice compared to a decade ago.
Anyway, my dentist has a son studying in USA, and I spent time on talking with him about his son. He has just left Japan, so I asked how the airport was.
Empty, he said.
His son is playing golf at university, and I think it very helpful to get him immersed into a different culture. Something in common.
Then I went to body piercing shop in Shinjuku. It was in Alta, in front of Shinjuku Station.
Then I visited Isetan to buy the following products.
IPSA
This liquid foundations is the most popular one, a shop told me.
12000 yen
Celvoke
I asked if one of the eyeshadow palette color is the same as one small eyeshadow.
NARS
Then went to Shibuya SUQQU.
It sounds like many trips I made , but actually with subway it was easy.
From Shibuya to Shinjuku, it takes only 10 minutes.
It is 40C in some places in Japan, and I feel I am in sauna….
I received many messages to congratulate on my brushes. Thank you very much!
I want to write the background why I have own products in this blog.
It is normal for business to buy many brushes upfront and sell them till the stock gets zero. Many retailers do this type of business.
I chose not to do so and I have been doing business of buying and selling products only when requested by clients. This is no-inventory business.
It takes time and I sometimes lose opportunities to sell more as I don’t have a stock.
It is, though, risky to keep an inventory as it puts pressure on cash. It also takes time to sell all products or it is not unusual to have many products left in the warehouse (well, maybe a warehouse is not needed for brushes)
As a small start-up business, I wanted to begin small, which allows me to fail or try many times. It is not avoidable to fail when we begin business.
Failure is nature of business.
One win, and nine loses. That is a low winning ratio, but it is how business is.
This time, I decided to have my own products. My current business is to buy many kinds of products, from brushes to makeup, clothes, chocolate … That has been fun, and I will continue to do so because that service can be unique.
But it takes time, and the profits are not good for time spent.
I have come to think it important to have ‘my products’ that will support my business in a long run.
I have been thinking about these products:
White Canadian squirrel
Red Canadian squirrel
Yakusugi handles
Rare products like P-FO.
I want to sell those products, but the hair is so scarce that I need to wait.
So, my brushes are made by Kyureido, which makes some high-end Japanese brands. I trust their qualities, so it is a good start.
Thank you for reading!
Toshiya
These are pictures of ADDICTION eyeshadows, Decorte face powder in December and Guerlain limited lip cases.
It is August and it seems summer has arrived in Japan.
It was 30C today, and I expect it to begin to be hot from this week.
With many rainy days, I hope summer days are not as many as usual.
There will be many limited makeup products in August.
I came to Shibuya to buy SUQQU.
As most of them are limited, I can only buy them a little by little though a shop makes it easy to buy them. I appreciate their flexibility.
SUQQU is a Kanebo company, belonging to the same company as RMK.
SUQQU is one of Japanese brands who are selling in Europe. They are aggressive internationally.
I heard there are some shops in London.
RMK’s director was Rumiko, who moved to Amplitude.
Amplitude is a POLA company, and THREE and Amplitude belong to the same group.
Once Laduree shop person told me that Amplitude skincare must be good as Rumiko is a director.
SUQQU Blush compact
SUQQU eyeshadow 133
After SUQQU, I went to Estee Lauder.
They said that people made a long line to buy SUQQU in the morning.
I was asked if I wanted an Estee Lauder lipstick to be engraved. So I stopped buying them and decided to ask if my clients wanted them to be engraved or not.
It is nice service. Dior has the same service too.
The lip color on the left is called ‘Konkatsu pink.’
They said that some Japanese girls come to buy ‘ I want a konkatsu lip.’
‘Konkatsu’ literally means ‘marriage seeking activity.’ A recently invented word in Japan.
I visited SUQQU at 2:30 PM to avoid a rush, but still it was crowded.
I was asked to sit in a seat where people get a face massage.
It was quiet and private space I enjoyed in center of a busy shop.
I felt good, LOL
Another news is that I started my own brush.
I asked Kyureido to make them.
Kyureido makes SUQQU and some other big brands, so I hope you will like them.
Well, some of you have bought eyeshadows, but this time I have a cheek brush.
In the future, I want a powder brush, but a little step by step.
I managed to buy Lunasol Isetan limited for my clients.
Before I visited Isetan, I called Hankyu Osaka to make sure to get sufficient number of products, but it was sold out..
So I hurried to Shinjuku as I thought I would be able to get a few from Hankyu.
Limited products are tricky as they put the maximum number per product.
It is important to be nice to a shop (or buy many products lol) to have them remember me. Especially a shop manager who can decide.
Regular appearances are important)
I was relieved! It is so hard to tell people I am not able to get it. Most people are understanding, but they make a research, spending time and money.
I usually check with a shop in advance, but sometimes it is sold out more quickly than I expect.
Please email me if you are interested in the limited one, which is shown in the first picture. 7440 yen
This morning, I called Koyudo to ask them to replace a paper box with a wooden one. The brush was mailed with a paper box. My clients let me know about it.
It was 55000 yen saibikoho, and the picture on the Koyudo web page shows that the box is made of paulownia.
So I asked them to exchange a paper box with a paulownia one.
I will not write the detailed conversations but I was able to get paulownia boxes, LOL.
Thanks very much!
Sorry it is a short blog: I wanted to introduce limited products as they are sold out quickly.
It is summer but still raining. Very rare to have so many rainy days in July.
This is a four day weekend, and I went to Shibuya department stores to visit
Jill Stuart
ADDICTION
Shiseido
CPB
I was surprised to see that there were very few customers at shop, and shop employees seem to be more friendly than usual)
I am often asked questions in instagram DM and emails. I try to answer on my own and with information acquired on the web. And I also ask my clients who have bought those products being asked.
This time, I was asked how B-FD-01(Bisyodo) differs from S5557(Hakuhodo). B-FD-01 has Saikoho goat and S5557 has goat/synthe mix. Both are foundation brushes.
