Category: Blog

145 :The first British who came to Japan 400 years ago

(The picture is SUQQU Designing Eyes 133)

Hi Everyone, 

I have once asked a Hakuhodo shop manager what was the best about Hakuhodo brushes ?

Her answer was:

‘The best thing is that we don’t have to spend much time on makeup.

People are busy in the morning. ‘

If you can be ready, not spending long on makeup, it will make life easy.

That was what she liked about Hakuhodo most.

People have many reasons to buy Kumano brushes, and I wonder if this is a common idea.

I feel people buy or choose a brush based on a type of hair, type of handle, being rare(limited), a brand, etc.

What do you think ?


I often write about a history of Japanese culture.

With internet on hand, it is so easy to check history of the areas I am interested in.


The other day, I came across the first Samurai from Europe. He was a British. His name was William Adams. He came to Japan in 1600, the year when Edo period began.


After the one-year and 10 months on the ship, he landed Kyushu, near Fukuoka.

He met Ieyasu Tokugawa, the first Shogun of Edo, and was hired as a consultant on Foreign Affairs. 


He was then named Miura Anjin after a seaport near Hakone, got married to a Japanese women and had two children. 

It was the end of the Warrior Period, and Ieyasu Tokugawa must have thought Miura Anjin could bring a new technology to a war.

Ieyasu liked him very much, and gave Anjin land near Yokohama and Anjin became a Daimyo, a feudal lord.  He built ships and traveled to China and Thailand.

He died in 1620, and in 1639 Japan closed the country to the world which lasted till 1854.

He may not have been able to land in Japan if it was later in the century.

In the 16th century, many missionaries came to Japan from Portugal and Spain. Those are times Japanese met Western people.

And the first African, who came with a missionary, became a disciple of Nobunaga Oda, maybe the most talent warrior at that time.

Anjin was the first Samurai and Daimyo, who came from abroad, so he is remembered well among Japanese.

In fact, there is a Ryokan (Japanese type of hotel called Anjin) in Izu and Anjin festival.

Maybe next time you come to Japan and enjoy Onsen, you may be thinking as if you are the first foreign Daimyo.

(Anjin Festival)

I am taking an order for SUQQU August: please let me know if you are interested.

Thank you for reading,

Toshiya

I googled Kumano brush

Hi Everyone,

I went to Shinjuku and bought one soap of Takeda. Takeda has a shop at department store as Hakuhodo has.

Hakuhodo is a brand which invests most on retail shops.

There are many makeup brush companies in a small town in Hiroshima, so the competition must be hard. One company sells new hair and others follow.

Chikuhodo began to sell silver fox first. Now Koyudo and Takeda does it as well.

These are Takeda Silver fox.

Silver fox is soft like grey squirrel but resilient as goat.

I have sold Chikuhodo Silver Fox and the feedback has been good so far.

I was told that the process of cleaning Silver fox hair takes time.

Maybe that is one reason that it is expensive.

I visit many makeup shops, and ask if they know makeup brushes.

They often know Hakuhodo, but the others are not known by shop employees much.

I feel there are more fans of Kumano brushes outside Japan. In fact, my instagram is followed more by foreigners.

So I checked Kumano brushes on the web.

I checked Rakuten Market by Kumanofude. Here are brushes by good reviews. (Rakuten is the biggest online shop in Japan, along with Amazon)

https://search.rakuten.co.jp/search/mall/%E7%86%8A%E9%87%8E%E7%AD%86/?s=6

熊野筆　is kumanofude, if you want to google it.

You see many companies: they look like products provided big Kumano brush companies and are sold as own brands.

While I take orders every day, I receive a question daily about brushes and makeup, and it may be interesting to write about it.

Today, I was asked how AB-HC of Bisyodo is compared with J210 Hakuhodo.

Both are goat, and Bisyodo officially says it is Saikoho. I don’t think Hakuhodo has Saikoho now. They just say ‘goat.’ Maybe at Hakuhodo, Saikoho is mixed with other kinds. And they don’t say Saikoho unless it is 100%.

Here is feedback from a client who uses both.

“AB-HC is more fluffy than J210.
J210 is a little bit softer than AB-HC.
AB-HC can be used more than J210 to parts of face”

Your question is welcome and I will look into it and will share it in my blog if you don’t mind.

Thank you for reading!

Toshiya

Fude Japan cheek brush

(the picture is ADDICTION cheek polish)

Hi Everyone, 


I began to go to a sports gym where we need to wear a mask and have our temperature measured at the entrance. 

I wonder this type of arrangement will be permanent under this circumstance.


With a mask, I feel I consume more calories, though.


Now restaurants and shops open and operate as usual. It seems that people go out at night as well….

There are still very few tourists in Tokyo.
Have you ever been to a quick sushi place?


It is an automated sushi where sushi is carried by a belt conveyor. It is called ‘Kaiten Sushi.’ ‘Kaiten’ means revolving and it is usually a belt conveyor.

Maybe you have been there if you travel to Japan.


One plate usually costs 100 to 200 yen (1 to 2 USD) with 2 nigiri sushi, and I find it very convenient when I am hungry and I don’t have time. 

The first Kaiten sushi was opened in 1958 in Osaka, by a person called Shiraishi san. Shiraishi saw a belt conveyor in a beer factory and thought it could help busy employees.


He created a place to eat sushi standing in 1947, and changed it to a belt conveyor style in 1958.

Sushi is regarded expensive food on a special occasion e.g family dinner.
So fast food style and sushi waas not a good match, but apparently Kaiten Sushi makes a niche ( or a big ) market now.


There is an ideal speed of a conveyor for a customer to think and decide to take a plate. It is 0.14km/hour, well I don’t know how fast it is…


The sushi place is called ‘Genroku Sushi.’ and now it is VERY big.

This is a good example to create an idea. An idea doesn’t have to be innovative. A good idea is born when you combine exisiting ideas from different industries or fields.

Shiraishi combined sushi with a belt conveyor.

I guess that is what I need to do – combine existing ideas.

I am not able to create completely new brushes as famous makeup artists do. I need to hear what clients say and add those elements to current products.

This is one small step I make now – I will add a cheek brush to Fude Japan.

It will be made by Kyureido, with grey squirrel.

I will let you know when I begin to sell them.

These brushes will consist of

Cheek

Eyeshadow L

Eyeshadow M

Eyeshadow S

I will keep you updated,

Thank you for reading!

Toshiya

Isetan Limited in June- RMK and Laduree

Hi Everyone, 


Tsuyu (rainy season in Japan) has not come to Tokyo yet, but it is raining every day.  I wonder which is better,  33C sunny & humid day or rainy day.
In July and August, Japan has very little rain except for Typhoon. 

This summer will be even more difficulty as people wear a mask.

I have been to Isetan a lot these days.  They provide good service, and they have many limited products to Isetan.

(Isetan and Hankyu have many own limited products. )

Besides, fewer people are shopping at Isetan than before, and I can buy products quickly and comfortably.


This is Isetan limited RMK products – Ukiyoe Modern. 


Ukiyoe is painting that was very popular during Edo Period (1603-1867). It is made from woodblock prints, so that it was easy to copy the original. 
People were able to buy them at a reasonable price, and it became popular among people.

(This is a painting by Utamaro)

These are Laduree limited.

Lasting Pressed Powder 4800 yen

Glittering Eye Color 3000 yen

Pressed Cheek N Mini 3600 yen

Please let me know if you are interested in these limited products.

I had  a call from Laduree shop manager, who will be on her maternity leave.


That was nice of her, and maybe only second or third time to get a call from shop outside business.

Only one company called me after the ‘stayhome.’ It was Mikimoto, and it really impressed me )

———

EMS is not still working.
I am talking to DHL and FedEX now. I will try using DHL this week!


Thank you for reading.

Toshiya

How much does a Japanese single pay for a pet?

Hi Everyone, 


I visited Isetan yesterday. 


It looks like I visit Isetan almost daily, LOL.


Istan Shinjuku is the No.1 department store in the women fashion.  Maybe No.1 department store all round in Japan. 


Hankyu Umeda has a good reputation but I haven’t been there.  Umeda is in Osaka, and it takes almost 3 hours by super express.

I have read that Isetan and Hankyu had the best service. I wrote as the past tense, as some people say it is not true anymore.  I can stil see a different between Isetan and others. Isetan employees seem to know products well. They also move and reply quickly.

There are always some exhibits at stairs like this:

(at Isetan stairs)


I had an interesting chat with a shop manager of makeup company.


He is 188cm tall and good looking so he stands out at the makeup floor. He says his father is a Spanish with 2m tall, and that is how he becomes tall.  His mother is Japanese.


What he is good at is that he sees me as someone who buys on behalf of others and  doesn’t talk a lot about makeup, LOL. 


Topics of yesterday was a dog. 


He said, ‘he has three dogs.’ Bulldog, Irish Setter and Chihuahua.
Very rarely  I see an English bulldog in Japan so I asked how much he paid.
He said ‘840,000 yen!’ (8000 USD)

I joked to him how good the company paid but still….

He says that he is single and that he doesn’t spend much money on anything else so it was not a difficult decision. 

Those dogs with a different shape of mouth need special treatment – French bull, Pug, Bulldog, etc. So he needs to spend more time than on other dogs, but he looks happy)

Hakuhodo has a plastic cover on each brush now so that customers cannot try them now.

Here are new sets :

Please let me know if you are interested.

Thank you for reading.

Toshiya

Shaquda Daily cleaner

Hi Everyone, 


It seems that life in Tokyo goes back normal.
I can see commuting trains are not as crowded as before.  When I take a subway at 7pm, which is usually packed, there is a big space between people. 


All the department stores are now open. 
I went to Isetan to buy Dolce & Gabbana.  Though it was crowded, I saw a half as many people as usual. 


———————-

Japanese ‘lockdown’ has not been as strict as those of some other countries. 
It still remains to be answered how Japan recovered, but I can tell wherever I go, people wear a mask.  Almost 100%. 


One thing I can say is that people usually wear a mask to prevent themselves from being infected by influenza in winter.  People make it routine to wear a mask. 

Some women wear a mask when they don’t do makeup.

You can say mask has been a Japanese culture before the corona virus , and now there are more and more fashionable ones.

I have received orders for SHAQUDA brush cleaner. 
I asked a client of mine why she liked, and here is her reply. 

‘The cleaner is has a lovey fresh fragrance. I spray my brushes after use and wipe them on a micro fibre towel (actually I use the artis ones). It doesn’t get the foundation brushes as clean as a wash does of course but it’s enough to keep them in good condition in between washes. I particularly like it on my natural hair brushes I don’t think I’ve tried it on a synthetic brush. I am very happy with it.’

Please let me know if you have any questions.

If you used Hakuhodo soap or Koyudo cleaner, please let me know.

Thank you for reading,

Toshiya

The State of Emergency was lifted in Japan

Hi Everyone,

Chikuhodo released new brushes.

One is T11, Liquid (6200 YEN) and the other is T12 (2200 YEN) eyeshadow.

Both are Takumi series with saikoho goat hair.

Please let me know if you are interested.


‘Loose’ lockdown worked in Japan.

Shops, department stores, gyms, museums, etc will open gradually.

People are wondering why it worked, but I haven’t heard any convincing theories except

Social pressure.

Social pressure or people’s desire to be the same may be unique to Japan.
Japanese people are sensitive to social pressure, and many Japanese try not to stand out.

Yet,

Social pressure is mostly discussed negatively in japan as it keeps people from being different or creative.

School encourages kids to be creative, but not many of them want to be different.

Japanese are good at being efficient while we are not as creative as people in some other countries.

Personally, I am not a big fan of the pressure to be the same, but some people like it.

I cannot say this is good or bad, since I have seen both good and bad sides.

For example,

in this corona situation, this culture works better.

I cannot go out without a mask.

99% of people wear a mask on the street.

When I forget wearing a mask, I go home to get it.

There is a joke.

A person felt hot with a mask, so he pulled it off.
Someone walking toward him suggested him to wear a mask, but this person was not wearing a mask….

Well, this is a joke, but this is kind of pressure that makes people wear a mask.

Anyway,
Now life gets back to normal.

The EMS situation remains the same as in April.

Please wait a little and I will let you know when it gets better,

Thank you for reading!

Toshiya

Social distance is a social pressure in Japan

Hi Everyone,

I walked more than 10km yesterday. It was the longest way during the stay-home.

I use iPhone to check how far I walk and it is more than 5km a day on average this week.

It is not much fun to walk (LOL) but hearing youtube makes it easy to carry out.

As I said before, ‘lockdown’ in Japan is not ‘strict.’ There are some shops that are open, and I even see Izakaya with a few people inside.

Yet, I see 99.9 % wear masks. I sometimes forget to wear a mask in which case I go back home to get it. I haven’t been told by anyone to wear it, but I feel some kind of pressure on the street…..

Maybe ‘Japan lockdown’ is working…

I noticed another thing when walking.

Poodle is the most popular pet.

Maybe the next is Shiba dog or Chihuahua.

And yes people wear masks. It was 100% yesterday.

If I was at a small town, people would ask (tell) me to wear a mask.

In Tokyo, though, people have a distance with others and only ‘say it inside.’

In a rural town, people are considered a part of community, and they actually ‘say’ it. It is like a family member.

This is good and bad.

I had been raised for 18 years in a small town till I came to Tokyo for a university.

I remember my mother was telling me that she went to several hairdressers in the neighbor in turn.

There were three or four hairdressers, and as she ran a stationery shop, she wanted those hairdressers to think she was fair in choosing a hairdresser.

Living in a small time makes you feel you are a part of the community, but you worry things that you don’t have to in a big city.

Some people like being a part of community, and others like being on their own.

To me, living in Tokyo or in a small town in Hiroshima is completely different.

It is like a foreign country to each other.

Here are things I purchased.

Some of them cannot be sent now so I will keep them.

Here is a list of countries EMS cannot be mailed to.

https://www.post.japanpost.jp/int/information/2020/0423_01_en.html

Thank you for reading.

Toshiya

Popular make-ups sometimes come back.

Hi Everyone,

We had a summer-like day today, and Tokyo had only five new corona cases and Osaka had zero.

Many cities’ life was back to normal though the lifestyle has been changing.

This week, Nayoya Takashimaya will be back to normal operation where I can buy Hakuhodo and makeup products – not all brans but getting close to normal.

Mailing situation remains the same – no EMS to USA, Russia, Australia and most of EU countries. I really hope it will recover soon!

Sorry – please wait a little more till you receive brushes and make-ups.

I was informed by a client of mine that Celvoke was selling old limited eyeshadows.

I have also seen a Chicca eyeshadow 06 Neo Sepia, which was sold one year ago. I was asked by some clients to buy it when it was on sale again.

I was going to ask my clients but it was sold out within one day…

So quick..

But this is interesting because I know some of you are interested in old limited producuts.


Sorry it is a short blog this time.

I will write more next time!

Thank you,

Toshiya

What am I thinking during ‘stay home’ ?

Hi Everyone,

I talked to Chikuhodo.

They still have 2018 Noel. Please let me know if you are interested.

It is Rouge and Rose.

(Rouge 34800 Rose 15000 yen)

It is 30C in Tokyo and maybe people stay home more.

During this ‘stay-home,’ I walk a lot. Day and night.

When I walk, many ideas come up to me. Walking is good for a brain)

I remember lots of memories from my boyhood time with my grandmother.

And my memory related to my grandmother is pleasant.

She took me to many places because my mother was running a stationery shop all day every day.

I was raised at a small town in Hiroshima.

My favorite place was an ‘Okonomiyaki’ restaurant.

At the small okonomi place, there were no people eating – only me, my sister and grandmother.

I wonder how they ran a restaurant. My grandmother was living on her small pension, and did not spend much. Maybe this Okonomiyaki was big for her.

I remember one thing about my grandmother very clearly.

Totally unrelated to Okonomi.

She loved professional wrestling!

It was at 8pm on TV on Saturday night.

Yes, professional wrestling was on air during the Golden Hour.

As you might know, in professional wrestling, there are a good guy and bad guy.

There was a bad guy called ‘Abdullah the Butcher.’ Well, he said he was from Sudan, but he was from USA. I have recently checked it on the web)

A good guy was Giant Baba from Niigata with 2m tall.

I was watching it maybe in a diferrent way than other kids did.

Kids talked about who was the strongest.

They said Baba was not so strong.

I said, ‘it is not the point.’ It is entertainment. I learned a lot about people’s relation from it.

But they were not interested in my argument, LOL.

Now I have someone in my office. I joke with him, and he comes back with a serious opinion, which seems to be not to the point.

I just want to have a fun conversation, not a serious discussion.

Not that I was wrong or that he was right.

It is supposed to be fun, that is it.

Gradually,

I don’t get to talk much to him.

So, professional wrestling.

Maybe Butcher was stronger, but he did not win.

He used a weapon in the end and the matches usually ended up with his loss from a disqualification using a weapon.

My friends said that Baba was not so strong. Butcher was stronger.

Again, it was not the point.

I like this story. I read a blog about a wrestling later.

Someone who went to wrestling saw Baba and Butcher playing baseball before a match!

They were actually good friends, but on TV it was different. They were enemies.

Some people pretend to lose though they actually ‘win’ because they know it makes the relation better or people happy.

Butcher and Baba : they are good at people!

If I try to entertain someone by a joke and he or she comes back with pointing out that I am wrong or a small point, I will not discuss a matter seriously when time comes.

It may be only me, but

It is the air or space where I enjoy and want to joke with people. I also enjoy the air or space where I want to discuss seriously. But they are different times and places.

My boyhood memory :

Butcher and Baba were my teachers.

I still pay a respect to them.

They show me a good example.

Baba died 20 years, and Butcher retired at the Sumo Arena in Tokyo in front of a full-house crowd.

Butcher said, ‘ I enjoyed a lot talking with Baba over cigar.’

I don’t watch wrestling any more, but this memory comes back from time to time.

Thank you for reading!

Toshiya

What are brushes other than Kumano brushes?

Hi Everyone,

I received a question regarding whether Bisyodo belongs to Kumano brushes.

The answer was that Bisyodo is not a Kumano brush member.

Bisyodo is located in Osaka, and not a member of Kumano Fude Union.

Bisyodo has been providing hair to brush makers, and they have a good quality, but not a Kumano Brush.

And I thought it good to write brush towns other than Kumano.

Kumano brushes account for 80% of production in Japan. So others are small.

But others have a history as well. I came up with two names.

One is Toyohashi, near Nagoya, and the the other is Kawajiri, Hiroshima.

Kawajiri is a small town next to Kumano, and you may know that Koyomo is one of the Kawajiri brushes.

Most of Kawajiri brushes seem to focus on calligraphy brush.

But, I found one making makeup brushes – Bunshindo.

Bunshindo has these makeup brushes made from Kolinsky.


I will check more on Bunshindo if you are interested. It may be interesting to know more about small players.

I will search more on Toyohashi brushes next time.

I was requested if I can take a video of brush making.

I am far from Hiroshima now and this is a youtube on brush making. He is making a calligraphy brushes, and there are more than 100 processes.

Updates on Japan are:

‘Stay Home’ is still placed in Japan, but it seems local cities with few corono virus patients will be back to normal life gradually.

EMS is not working between Japan and USA, Russia, Austraria and most of EU nations.

If it is a limited brush or product, please let me know.

I will buy and hold it till mails begin to work.

Thank you for reading!

Toshiya

What are the most popular products for Hakuhodo?

Hi Everyone,

Yesterday I wrote about popular kumano brushes.

There are many from Hakuhodo, so I am writing them separately here.

FYI, to be declared as a Kumano brush, a brush company needs to be a member of the Brush Union. Hakuhodo is not its member.

Technically, Hakuhodo is not a kumano brush, though it is located in Kumano.

Hakuhodo makes many limited sets : 2 or 3 sets per shop a month.https://en.hakuho-do.co.jp/user_data/stores_index.php

They have a shop in LA and Singapore too.

In Japan, sales people at each store create a set on their own.

Usually, the brush heads from the current products with a handle color.

What is good about a set is that a pouch or case comes free.

(Hakuhodo pouches around 1500 yen)

https://www.hakuho-do.co.jp/products/list88.html

Hakuhodo people don’t work on a commision so they are not so aggressive. You usually see a mildly-speaking employee there.

Their English is good enough to explain what a brush is like. And you can try as many brushes as you like at shop.

Here are brushes that have been sold :

Hakuhodo are sold at department stores and all of them are closed.

They will open again once the ‘stayhome’ is released.

It looks like local cities will be back to normal earlier than Tokyo.

I will keep you updated.

Thank you for reading,

Toshiya

Which products have been sold most by Fude Japan ?

Hi Everyone,

Japanese Government decided to extend the ‘stayhome’ to the 31st of May.

They will revisit the timeline on the 14th. So the period may be shortened.

I  have received orders for items sold at department stores, such as SUQQU, THREE, D&G, Lunasol, etc.

I will try and buy them as early as possible.

Sorry to keep you waiting!

I wrote about crowdfunding as a method to have rare products produced.

I checked which products have been bought most, whether limited or regular. The following order is ranking by amount, so more sets, powder and cheek brushes than eyeshadow brushes.

  • Z4

Chikuhodo Z-4 Cheek/Highlight Brush

  • B-FD-01

Bisyodo B-FD-01 Foundation Brush

  • Z1

Chikuhodo Z-1 Powder Brush

  • Fox set

Chikuhodo Silver Fox 5 Brush Set with Pouch

  • KK002

Kyureido KK-002 Cheek Brush

  • White Canadian squirrel face M -currently out of stock

#Kihitsu #Koyudo white Canadian squirrel Face M 36000 yen

  • Kiwami set – sold out

  • FO-1

Chikuhodo Silver Fox FO-1 powder

  • White Canadian squirrel cheek Koyudo (only in red available now)

Kihitsu White Canadian Squirrel Cheek Brush Red Makie

  • Z8

Chikuhodo Z8 Cheek Brush

  • RC-2

Chikuhodo RC-2 Blush Brush

  • 2016 Noel

  • P-8

Chikuhodo P8 Powder brush

  • P-FO -sold out

Breathtakingly gorgeous Chikuhodo limited-edition silver fox P-FO Brush (Round 47mm)#chikuhodo #竹宝堂 #TesshyuTakemori #PFO #silverfox #筆司鉄舟 #新感覚 #業界初 #シルバーフォックス #灰リスに匹敵 #50本限定発売 #limitededition #50only #fude #handmade #madeinjapan #japan #japaneseart #ccsbrush #personalized #diptyque #diptyquecandle #candleholder #photophore #collection34 #origami #Anamorphée @fudejapan

  • Kihitsu Green set – sold out

Kihitsu Green Saikoho Set 5

  • 2017 Noel set – sold out

#chikuhodo Noel 38100 Yen

Thank you for reading!

Toshiya

Carp red brush (MK-KO) – why Carp design?

Hi Everyone,

I received several feedback on MK-KO powder brush.

Thank you.

Some people were interested in the background of the Carp design so I want to write a bit about the history.

Hiroshima Carp Baseball club was born in 1950, five years after the war ended.

At the time, Japan had a professional baseball league. Most popular are the Giants in Tokyo, and the Tigers in Osaka. It is similar to the rivalry between NY and Boston.

Hiroshima Carp.

A week team in a small city.

They were not able to pay even train tickets to Tokyo.

At that time, no super express Shinkansen that takes only four hours now. They took a train all night.

The team was in financial difficulty from the beginning. So, Manager, Coaches and players collected money by visiting many towns in Hiroshima.

It is like crowdfunding.

I remember reading one story.

When the team was taking a train to Tokyo, an old lady came to see off the team and gave the manager ‘Onigiri.’ I think his name was Shiraishi.

Onigiri is a rice ball, a typical home made dishes in Japan.

The train left the Hiroshima Station, but Shiraishi-san could not eat it. His tears didn’t stop.

It was 1950.

The Carp was a hope of the city or Hiroshima Prefecture, which was trying to recover from the war damage.

People donated money though they still suffered from poverty.

The Carp would not have survived without the donation. That is why the Carp is called the team of the citizens.

Yet it took 25 years till they won the league.

Even now, the Hiroshima Carp is struggling because good players choose to leave for big city clubs, e.g. Giants in Tokyo, and Tigers in Osaka.

But in a way, they are spoiled. As far as they are playing in Hiroshima and don’t leave the town, they don’t have to win. Fans are happy with the team.

Very different from Tokyo Giants or New York Yankees who ‘must’ win.

Things changed when the new stadium was built.

For last several years, the Carp attendance has been more than 2 million. This is huge, considering the size of the city –  a little more than 1 million.

(this is a home of the Carp)

(This is at a play-off at Osaka, the number of Carp fans is increasing)

People buy Carp goods in red,

Every game is sold out, so that they can pay good money to players.

They won three years in a row!

The morning in Hiroshima starts with a conversation ‘how was the Carp last night?’

So it is easy for me to speak to Kumano brush companies.

A little talk about the Carp makes business easy.

I have to confess, though, I was a Tokyo Giants fan when I was a kid, LOL.

Thank you for reading!

Toshiya

(this is a product by the MK-KO designer)

 

 

Chikuhodo new makie brush – MK-KO (Carp red handle)

Hi Everyone,

It is Golden Week in Japan, and most of people are not working.

It is also in the middle of ‘stay home’ period, so maybe it is not very different from April. Ths Golden Week will be quiet.

‘Stayhome’ request seems to get longer till the end of May.

I see people frustrated  nowadays.  Economically, restaurant and travel industries are deep in trouble, and some companies began to go bankrupt.

If it gets long, more companies go broke, so this decision is now very difficult to make about when to stop the ‘stayhome.’

As for Kumano brushes, they still make brushes. Currently, they are on holidays till May 6 – Golden Week holidays.

My client informed me that Chikuhodo released a new brush today.

It is called MK-KO. Makie handle with squirrel hair. It is a powder brush.

KO stands for Koi 鯉. It is Carp, and Carp is a symbol of Hiroshima.

I took a look at this

https://www.chikuhodo.com/product/cate_powder.html

And MK-KO looks similar to MK-2 or Z9.

Here is a link to online shop.

Chikuhodo MK-KO Powder Brush (Koi Carp/Grey Squirrel)

(This is Mazda Stadium, home of Hiroshima Carp)

Why Carp?

Some say that Hiroshima Castle was built in the 17th century, and that there were many Carp around it.  We call it a Carp Castle.

After the war, a professional baseball team was born. It was named ‘Hiroshima Carp.’

Their team color is red, and Hiroshima became a town in red, well, you see Carp uniform everywhere.

This MK-KO has Carp design with a red handle. Chikuhodo created this brush in Carp red, I imagine.

The handle was designed by

https://www.instagram.com/kiyan_stuzio/

Funny thing was that there was a baseball All-Star game in Hiroshima, and I was watching it on TV. Koyudo Chairman was there!

So next day I called them, and it was him)

Houkodou had a brush in Carp red, so you see Carp red everywhere…

Born and raised in Hiroshima, I am also a Carp fan, pretty avid, actually.

I will talk more about it in next newsletter.

Thank you for reading!

Toshiya

 

 

 

Chikuhodo Old G series

Hi Everyone,

I wrote about how I get rare hair brushes to be manufactured.

I want to sell rare quality products

Brush makers have some old stocks, too. Sometimes rare hair.

I received a request to buy Chikuhodo old G series two days ago.

Yesterday I talked to Chikuhodo, and they had a stock of old G series, two generations back from current G series.

G- 2 is the current G-2 except that the old G-2 has a longer handle.

G-9 is the current G-16, with a longer handle too.

G-9 is 6000 yen, while G-2 is now sold out.

There were old Xmas sets of Chikuhodo a while back, too. Noel sets.

Please let me know if you are interested in any old stocks.

Kihitsu has Koyudo white Canadian Squirrel – only one left for the black one. Six left for the red one. The price is 21000 yen.

I am waiting for face brushes too.

Thank you for reading!

Toshiya

I want to sell rare quality products

(The picture is Muragishi )

Hi Everyone,

I hope you are all safe.

We are in the middle of ‘stay home.’ in Japan.

All department stores are closed in Japan for food sections.

People are encouraged to work home.

If the request to ‘stay home’ gets long, it might be discussed whether the school year should be changed or not.  From (April – March) to (September – July), which will be the same as that of many countries.

Japan is very slow in changing the system, so I don’t think it will happen.

But many people are discussing a ‘after corona’ world.

Now USA join the list of the countries that EMS cannot be mailed to.

I can still send brushes to most of Asian countries.

Hakuhodo and makeup products, I hope, will be available from May 6, when department stores open again.

I will keep you posted.

Hakuhodo and Koyomo are on sale at a discount 0f 5% till May 6.

Rare products are requested from time to time by my clients, but due to a shortage of hair, they are not available.

Those hair include:

Canadian squirrel

White Canadian squirrel

Kolinsky cheek or powder

Saibikoho goat

I send requests to make brush makers, but it is slow….

A manufacturer needs a minimum order unit. e.g. 100 -300 brushes.

They want to get a bigger order.

I have been thinking of 2 alternatives:

One is crowdfunding.

It is funding but more like ‘pre-order.’

If there is a new idea or request for a product, I post to a crowdfunding site.

If I can get a funding sufficient to order in a bulk,  I give an order to a brush maker.

If the amount is under the required amount, all money paid will be returned.

We can tell whether a product is popular or not.

The other way is a group order.

I recognize you often belong to a fude community that sends me a group order.

If the number of orders reaches the minimum units to produce brushes, I can order them. This is easier for me, if there are a sufficient number of clients.

Either way,  I want to make it work. I need to be creative!

If you have an idea, please let me know!

Here are pictures of a drug store I visited yesterday.

Thank you for reading!

Toshiya

 

 

 

Hakuhodo sale till May 6 – 5% off

Hi Everyone,

Quiet days in Japan.

It seems that I am gradually adapting myself to this lifestyle.

I used to go to a gym every day, but now I cannot.

So I walk!

I found a Komede cafe, 2 stations away. This is a desert but I don’t go inside.

I walk there to get a cup of iced coffee to go, which takes about 8000 steps.

That is how I get rid of my stress – walk and coffee.

Japan is now locked down and many shops/restaurants/Izakaya have very  very few people inside…

 

And

Department stores are finally closed all over Japan till May 6, the earliest.

It depends on the Golden Week (next week), which is a holiday week, whether the lockdown continues or not.

If people still refrain from going out, the lockdown might end.

Even now, many people are working at home so I doubt Japanese go out or travel during the Gold Week.

 

I will sell Hakuhodo by discount – 5% off  till May 6.

All department stores are closed, so I can only get Hakuhodo after May 6, which might be delayed, depending on the corona.

It is sold at 5% discount till May 6. I will send you brushes after May 6, when department stores are open.

http://en.hakuho-do.co.jp/user_data/products_index.php

Please let me know if interested)

Thank you for reading!

Toshiya

The State of Emergency was declared all over Japan now

 

Hi Everyone,

Now that the corona virus was spreading not only in Tokyo, Osaka and Fukuoka, but also in local cities, the Government declared the state of emergency all over Japan.

It will last till May 6, but could be longer than the date, the current situation considered.

Kumano brushes can be bought from Hiroshima, but department store items might be late – Hakuhodo, Shaquda, Laduree, D&G, Paul & Joe, ADDICTION, etc.

These will be on sale in May or June(1st D&G, Chanel and Snowbeauty)

I will keep you posted.

The other news is that all Japan residents get 100,000 yen (about 1000USD), whether Japanese or foreigners living in Japan.

People seem to get more and more serious about following the ‘stayhome’ request.

Sorry it took long to send a updated letter. I have been working on new email system)

Thank you for reading!

Toshiya

Heavy rain made people stay home in Japan

(The picture is limited face powder of Elegance with Swarovski, which will be released in June)

Hi Everyone,

It was raining so hard all day yesterday in Tokyo.

People in Tokyo have been requested to stay home, and the heavy rain made them stay home all day.

I usually walk in the neighbor but yesterday I stayed all day. I made a simple ramen.

There was a new lunch shop nearby, and the prices are reasonable.

Kyoto and Nagoya  also closed shops and now I will need to order products from local cities. I ordered Jill Stuart from Gunma, far north of Tokyo.

Now I am an expert on where department stores are in Japan )

I ordered Hakuhodo from Sapporo, and Hiroshima will be an option too.

During this ‘stay home,’ I began to read English study books so I decided to write a blog about English study in Japanese. I hope some people will read them, but outputs are always good to remember what we learn!

These are SUQQU summer,

Designing color eyes 8160yen

Frosty shadow stick 4440 yen


Shimmer Liquid blush 4680 yen


Cream concealer 6000 yen

Lipsticks 6000 yen

 

Thank you for reading!

I will write tomorrow,

Toshiya

Makeup brushes under corona situation

Hi Everyone,

I chatted with Kihitsu. He offered some limited products, which are shown below. Please take a look.

The situation with brush makers, I think, are the same as other companies who are in trouble.

Especially, Hakuhodo has closed shops except for Sapporo.

I can still order Hakuhodo brushes from Sapporo for the time being.

Hiroshima Hakuhodo will reopen a shop on Monday, but now that Hiroshima citizens are ‘requested’ to stay home,  they may close it again.

I guess online shops are in trouble as well, but compared to face-to-face shopping, they are performing better.

This corona situation force many people to change their lifestyles.

Maybe more rapidly than the Lehman shock does.

I had a friend working for Lehman, which was located in Roppongi Hills. She seemed to be enjoying both business and private lives.

The next time I talked to her was that she was on the hunt for a job.

Japanese people like the word ‘stable,’ but being stable might make people more exposed to  a risk. It is ironic, but people who are willing to change could cope with a risk better.

The number of corona patients is increasing in Japan, and Nagoya was added to the group that declare the state of emergency.

As for mailing to overseas, now  Australia is added to those countries that EMS cannot be sent to.

I walked around the neighborhood today.

Two kids were walking happily.

I talked to Kihitsu and here are 2 sets available now.

Saikoho set with a paulownia box -18200 yen

 

A set of Saikoho + lip brush + Saikoho Echizen with mini rose as a novelty, which Kihitsu wants to present to cheer up.

42000 yen

Thank you for reading!

Toshiya

‘State of Emergency’ was declared today in Tokyo, Osaka and Fukuoka

(the picture is a chanel blush 330)

Hi Everyone,

It is not a lockdown as in European countries. But the ‘state of emergency was declared in Japan. This will be effective till May 6.

Well,  it is not an order, but ‘encouraged’ or ‘requested’ to stay home.

Whether good or bad, Japan is a country of ゆるいyurui or loose. Not strict.

Japan is a yurui ゆるい　loose country like a Yurui character ‘Kumamon.’ We call it Yuru Chara. Japan may be a Yuru country.

Kumamon was born in Kumamoto, and it represents the Kumamoto prefecture, not like a Disney character. Difficult to define what Kumamon is.

This vague status, as well as a vague looking, not a bear not a human being, is referred as ‘loose’ or ‘yurui’ or vague.

So Japan is a loose Yuru country.

You can also say that we are willing to follow the community rule even with no fine imposed.

Anyway, this is not the ‘lockdown.’

Now all department stores are closed. Many restaurants are closed, many Izakaya are closed, but not 100%.

Here is my situation.

Kumano brushes and Bisyodo can be sent to Tokyo.  So you can order.

Hakuhodo can be bought and mailed from Nagoya. So you can order.

Makeup products can  be bought in local department stores outside Tokyo. e.g. Okayama

So you can order almost all of the products  except for e.g. Isetan limited.

Currently no Isetan limited.

Kihitsu is now offering a discount for many products and I am asking the list to be mailed to you.

I am thinking to give some discounts to Hakuhodo products too, maybe 5% during the ‘lockdown.’

I will let you know soon!

——

Yesterday I visited

I asked shop employees what they do at home for one month.

Most of them replied, ‘I play a game.’

It was ‘Animal Crossing series.’ It gets so popular in Japan that it is sold out at many shops.

Thank you for reading!

Toshiya

 

More plastic surgeries in Japan now under the corona virus situation

(the picture is SUQQU Summer that will be released on May 1)

(Please see some other brands released in late April)

Hi Everyone,

It looks like the Government will order an ‘lockdown’ soon.

It will be in several cities, including Osaka and Tokyo.

Well, Japanese are, in a good or bad way, optimistic and still go out.

The increase of patients has not been dramatic, but still is growing.

Yesterday, I talked about ‘corona divorces.’

Today, I want to talk about a ‘plastic surgery.’

Now people are encouraged to stay home and to wear a mask when they go out.

Orthopedic surgeons get busy – ‘now good time to do surgery, especially under the lockdown.’

Always both sides of a coin whatever happens.

I picked up a parcel that was returned from the airport because (the Japan post said) it contained a spray, which is actually a pump.

Now that it was mailed to Russia, I cannot send it to Russia so I pick up  and keep it at home. Some EMS cannot be mailed to some European countries, which includes Russia.

A good side of this trip to the JP Post is that I was able to find a nice Sakura place.

If Tokyo is locked down….

As far as Fude Japan is concerned, domestic courier and international mail are important.  Currently, domestic courier works, so I can get brushes from Hiroshima to Tokyo.

Internationally, I can still send parcels to most Asian countries, and North America.

Under the lockdown, it is important if a domestic courier and EMS work or not.

I have a feeling that it will still work.

I will keep you updated!

Thank you for reading.

 

More divorces in Japan by Corona virus ? Decorte New Foundation

(the picture is sakura in Tochigi, north of Tokyo)

Hi Everyone,

I walked underground in Shibuya, and yes less people.

This Corona virus is affecting many aspects of life in Japan.

One is called ‘corona divorce.’

Many husbands and wives, who usually work outside,  stay home. And they spend all day together.

This causes a big stress to people. who had a reasonable distance in their marriage life.

The Japanese divorce rate is not so high compared to those of other countries.

But the reality is that some or many couples would be divorced in other countries’ culture.

Japanese couples stay, from an economic reason, a social pressure, especially from the perspective of raising children.

I worked for Canon in NY, and many Japanese come and work with their family.

In USA, couples stay together on weekdays and weekends as husbands don’t go out alone as they do in Japan – Izakaya, fishing, pachinko, whatever hobbies they have.

Interestingly, some Japanese couples’ relationships get better by talking more, and some get worse as they ‘get to know ‘ better.

I saw some who improved their relationships, and some who got divorced.

Now this seems to be happening under the corona circumstance where they cannot go outside.

There is a joke called ‘seven eleven’ in Japan.  Wives are happy when husbands work from 7am-11pm so that they don’t have to cook dinner and take care of them.  They can concentrate on raising children.

This lifestyle is forced to change. By corona.

I visited Isetan yesterday.

Well, it was quiet, and they have shortened the operation time, and closes at 7.

It will be closed this weekend.

Decorte has a new foundation – the first time cushion foundation.

This picture is shade 00 – colorless.

I called a shop, and found out that it is their first cushion foundation.

It has five shades, and 00 is colorless.

It has skincare ingredients as other AQ series do, so if you put it in the morning, you will have skincare all day. So, friendly to your skin.

Besides, no primer is needed and good for busy people in the morning.

Thank you for reading!

Toshiya

Tokyo department store – quiet…

(The picture is MK-UM Chikuhodo)

https://fudejapan.com/product-category/limited-brushes/

Hi Everyone,

I came to a department store in Shibuya.

I have never seen this before, much more shop employees than visitors.

I talked to Hakuhodo.

Now they have a new shop in Mitsukoshi Nihonbashi, I was told.

Well, it is February so maybe a bad timing… These are four sets available in Shibuya.

It was rumored to be locked down, but as of now, I haven’t heard.

There are less people day by day, still many people are walking in Shibuya.

The lockdown of Tokyo is approaching, many people say.

The department stores in Tokyo close on the weekend.

This is the big change, and I need to be ready, whether is good or not.

The Tohoku Earthquake in 2011 caused a change or increase in SNS.
Especially twitter.

This time, a shift from work at office to home.
We will see.

Thank you for reading!

Toshiya

Tokyo Lockdown ? Maybe soon

Hi Everyone,

This weekend was quiet.

Usually, all parks are flooded with people during the sakura season.

With heavy snow and the Corona virus, Tokyo was quiet.

Even Hachi wears a mask.

It was sakura in full bloom on Friday but it snowed on Saturday…

I know I have to work on YouTube more, LOL. I cannot make  a change from comment-off to comment-on.

Rumor has it that Tokyo will be locked down from April 1.

If locked down, the department stores will be closed as well as other shops and restaurants.

But mail order should work. Brushes from Kumano should arrive at Tokyo as well.

Here is an update of the international mail.

https://www.post.japanpost.jp/int/information/2020/0319_01_en.html

If I cannot take an order for any particular brush or makeup products, I will let you know.  Please ask me.

I can keep your products till you are comfortable if you want)

 

Thank you for reading!

Toshiya

Update from Tokyo, and and a new Makie brush from Chikuhodo

Hi Everyone,

Yes, Tokyo Governor had a press conference last night.

It will be a lockdown if the situation gets worse.  Now we are encouraged to stay home, especially on weekends, but it is still an ‘encouraged’ stage.

EU and North American countries are locked down, and I believe many business owners are in trouble.

Next several months, it will be hard for many people.
My clients are 100% outside Japan, so I will be trouble too.

I will be try best!

———

Chikuhodo has released a new makie brush.

It is Ume 梅 which is  Plum, grey squirrel with a makie handle, and 19000 yen.

I talked to Chikuhodo, and was told that

MK-UM brush head is the same as the one of MK-MO that was discontinued.

Please take a look.

https://fudejapan.com/product-category/brush/brand/chikuhodo/makiemk/

MK-UM is a new version of MIK-MO,  with a Ume (plum ) design,

Please let me know if interested or you can buy it on the web page.

(MK-MO has been discontinued, but I keep it there for your inf0rmation)

ーーーーーーー

Takashimaya in the Tokyo area will stop its operation in Tokyo.

Hakuhodo Shibuya will be closed, too.

Other department stores might follow.

It is only this weekend. I expect fewer Sakura watchers this week.

The decision making process in Japan is general slow. This could be either good or bad, depending on a situation.

I receive feedback from my blogs, and one is that my web page is not good yet.

I totally agree, and I will try improving it)

Sorry for your inconvenience.

Thank you!

Toshiya

How did you find Fude Japan ?

Hi Everyone,

Sakura is blooming, and still lots of people are walking around in Tokyo.

That is the current in Japan.

I have recently received an order of Chicca eyeshadows and I checked their website.

I found Chicca had closed all shops.　They sell products only on its own site, Amazon and @cosme.

(I met some Chicca employees who are now working for Kanebo, Lunasol and Sensai…)

All brands are Kanebo.)

You can still order Chicca but the number of products might be limited.

It seems that the Olympic games postponed till next year as expected.

Personally, it is better for audience and also for competitors though I know some of competitors lose an once-a-life opportunity to participate in the games. The one year delay changes player’s surroundings, especially in the medal-rich countries like USA and Russia.

As for Japan, I see some trends.

They don’t do Judo well, but have been improving the track competition. e.g. 100m.

Maybe you don’t know how good  Japanese run 100m these days, LOL.

———————

I wonder how you find me ?

I have around 12,000 followers to Instagram so maybe instagram is the SNS where people find me.

And google search. Very rarely, twitter. I do Pinterest as well.

I was reading an article about SNS.

Each SNS requires you to enter a password and makes it troublesome for people to enter a SNS.

I keep my passwords in the spreadsheet, as I have so many of them and I cannot catch up with remembering all.

The article says,

As it is troublesome to enter a SNS, people tend to use the same SNS over and over. Do you agree?

So it is important to post a picture or blog to several SNS even it is the same content.

I post a picture to Instagram first which will be automatically shared in other sites, e.g. facebook, twitter and Pinterest, etc.

I don’t know how effective it is but I try anyway and this type of article encourages me. Please forgive me if you see my posts over and over!

I guess a success rate is very low for most people.

People who can try over and over may be called ‘talented.’  Or ‘talented’ people are willing to try and make many mistakes.

In baseball, the batting average is considered good if it is over .300.

In real world, it goes down to .100, I reckon. And it is important to learn from the .900 mistakes and to improve a batting average to hit at scoring opportunities. Hit a homerun when it counts.

Maybe it is more mental than how smart people are.

I guess my batting average is smaller than .100, but someday, I may hit a homerun. And I look forward to it!

Thank you for reading!

Toshiya

2020 Summer makeup

Hi Everyone,

Today it is raining, but sakura gets good  to see day by day and  I saw many people going to sakura watching (or Hanami) despite the coronavirus situation yesterday.

I think soon the Olympic Games will be decided to be postponed, which will cause some moves in Japan. Maybe a lockdown 0f some cities.

At the moment, Japanese seem to be optimistic …

Today, I introduce 2020 summer collection.

Makeup sold at department stores.

Celvoke  new eyeshadows will be on sale from April 24.

18, EX12, EX13 (3840 yen each)
ADDICTION – Isetan sold these eyeshadows early in March. The other shops began selling on April 4.

2400 yen

 

Amplitude liquid eyes will be sold from May 27.

4560 yen each

4,5,6

ASSHIRO Eye palette

April 30 : SHIRO is very popular in China, I heard.

8400 yen

RMK Splash color eyes

April 17

3600 yen

 

 

Decorte

Eye glow gem

April 16

3240 yen

 

 

Paul and Joe Eye color

May 1

3600 yen

Guerlain Apr 1

 

Three lip palette. 7800 yen

April 29.

Dior May 1

 

Dolce and Gabbana May 1

 

Lunasol　Gel Oil lip 3840 yen

May 15

Shiseido Shimmer Gel Gloss 4200 yen

8, 9, 10

May 1

Laduree Glittering Eye Color  3000 yen

April 24

Thank you and I will keep you posted,

Toshiya

From Sabine

#repost @sabina_beautyisunique・・・Прилетели мои вкусняшки из Японии от @fudejapan ️Уж не знаю, чего я больше ждала, Meltykiss, кисти или новую палетку Shu Uemura Chromatics Sakura Nudes По крайней мере сладости пошли первыми в ход🏿 А кисти в этот раз базовые от Hakuhodo. Как и в прошлый раз сделаю раскрытый пост. Выбирала в этот раз специально для использования кремовых текстур. Загляните в сториз, там я показываю палетку поближе.

 

https://beautyisunique.de/ru/chikuhodo-takumi-series/https://beautyisunique.de/ru/hakuhodo-brushes-basic-i/