Fude Japan (Makeup brushes from Japan)

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about

I started out Fude Japan by helping friends with purchasing Japanese beauty products. When word got out, great interest from people all around the world followed and demand started growing – “Fude Japan” came to life. It is my goal to become a person in bringing a little bit of Japanese culture and tradition to each and every one of you. I also write blogs here, and introduce Japanese culture, tradition and lifestyle, from Tokyo life to an interesting story of Japan and Japanese. Online store is here https://store.fudejapan.com/ja Thank you! Toshiya
  • The State of Emergency was declared all over Japan now

    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

    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

    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

    ‘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

    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

    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…

    Tokyo department store – quiet…

    (The picture is MK-UM Chikuhodo)

    https://atomic-temporary-81665234.wpcomstaging.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

    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

    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.wordpress.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 ?

    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

    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

    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/

  • Japanese work style will change soon – maybe

    Japanese work style will change soon – maybe

    (the picture is suqqu summer, please let me know if your interested)

    Hi Everyone,

    I regularly talk to Dior.

    Two weeks ago, my contact said that fewer people were shopping these.days.

    Few days ago, she told me that the shop was very crowded. Consumers came back.

    As far as I am concerned, I still go to department stores on a regular basis, and it seems that there are many visitors there.

    Isetan had many Chinese before but these days I mostly see Japanese. Still crowded.

    Though many people are worried, they go shopping.

    This is the current situation in Japan.

    I visited the Pokemon Center and Nintendo at the new Parco. First time, but yes looks busy.

    I don’t know how long it takes this situation to be over. Japanese seem to be relaxed. Mass media is busy with making people worry as always, as they can get more viewers and readers.

    I cannot tell what will happen in the future, but one big factor is the Olympic Games.

    I think it will be postponed, till later this year or 2 years.

    Once it is decided, more moves will be seen in Japan.

    ————

    There is another thing I can see. Many companies encourage workers to work at home or avoid the rush hour.

    This may be big.

    Japanese are evaluated by their faith or loyalty to a company not by individual performances. They don’t say so, of course but still is.

    There are so many changes introduced to workplaces, but how faithful is still important. If your performances can sh0w numbers e.g. sales, it is different, but many performances are evaluated by their superiors, and this vague ‘faithfulness’ is counted.

    Now this coronavirus.

    Remote work  is encouraged and their performance will be evaluated by their output or what they produce. That will be a performance based evaluation.

    The coronavirus might be a trigger for many people to change their workstyle.

    Thank you for reading!

    Toshiya

  • How I send brushes overseas

    Hi Everyone,

    I was informed that  JP Post cannot send a parcel to China from Japan, due to the decrease of fights between Japan and China. Now I cannot send products to China, excluding Hong Kong and Macau.

    It seems that we can still send EMS to most countries.

    The other days, I found that we cannot send EMS to Kazakhstan.

    In this newsletter, I want to talk about how I send brushes and makeup to your country, and some issues I encountered.

    I use EMS　(Express Mail Service ) mainly. Very rarely I use registered mail.

    The big difference is the amount of insurance covered by each method.

    Registered mail insures 6000 yen at max, regardless of an amount put to the label.

    EMS insures an amount written in the label and it is free coverage up to 20,000 yen.

    If your purchase is 15000 yen and written on the label, it is fully insured by EMS for free premium, but registered mail insures only 6000 yen. If more than 20,000 yen,  with an additional charge, e.g. 50 yen to the next threshold, basically all is covered when lost or damaged.

    It has been good for several years except for some delays.

    I have recently had several issues and want to write about them.

    I had three parcels that were not delivered last month. It was very rare to have three cases at the same time.

    Holland, France and Brazil.

    Those parcels were  not delivered.

    When not delivered, an investigation request is submitted to the JP Post by me.

    I usually bring it to a big Post. The closest one is Shibuya.

    Usually, actions are taken directly the investigation is submitted.

    The parcel in Brazil was delivered to a client very quickly, but there have been longer processes for French and Dutch cases.

    Eventually, I was informed that the French one was lost, and that the Dutch one was returned to Japan.

    It was not the end of the story for the French case.

    I was requested to send a letter to seek for the insurance – 6000 yen for registered mail, but later, the box arrived at my place!

    There was a report that it was lost but it actually was returned.

    For several years, I have been sending parcels overseas, so far no loss of a parcel. And this time ended with no loss.

    I felt sorry to my clients that wait so long…

    I wish all to be good, but these types of troubles or exceptions give me good knowledge.

    So I can grow.

    Maybe I can be an EMS consultant LOL)

     

    Thank you for your time,

    Toshiya

     

  • Coronavirus situation in Japan, feedback on synthetic hair brush

    Coronavirus situation in Japan, feedback on synthetic hair brush

    Hi Everyone,

    The coronavirus is spreading.

    In Japan, schools have been closed for the last 3 weeks.

    There are very few events whether big or small, professional baseball was postponed till April, Sumo is now played in front of no audience.

    I walked around Shibuya today, and the Shibuya Crossing was still crowded.

    But there were few people at Hachi.

    Yet life in Japan is not very different from usual

    Differences are that people wash their hands REALLY hard ! and wear more masks than usual at this time of pollen allergy spring.

    I wash my hands whenever needed, but I come to work at Shibuya every day.  Business as usual.

    Department stores are still crowded.

    Considering the size of Tokyo and Japan, the spread was not as rapid as expected.

    I cannot explain this well, but Japanese are optimistic or unrealistic… I cannot tell.

    I received feedback on my blog about the trend of synthetic hair from several people.

    They prefer natural hair,and it is one of the biggest reasons why Kumano brushes are bought.

    I seldom receive an order for synthetic. The only exception is I5608N.

    Even if brushes are made by brush craftsmen in Kumano, as long as it is synthetic hair, they will  not like it. I was told.

    I gave this feedback to Kihitsu and he said there were some long selling synthetic brush sets.  It is sold by DHC.

    https://www.dhc.co.jp/search/index.jsp#q-%E3%83%A1%E3%83%BC%E3%82%AF%E3%83%96%E3%83%A9%E3%82%B7,cs-,p-1,s-60,c-20,l-matrix,cp-1,g-,co-,in-,ca-,pr-,sc-

    Just for your information.

    I know natural hairs are popular among fude lovers!

    Thank you for reading!

    Toshiya

     

  • Two trends of Kumano fude I see

    Two trends of Kumano fude I see

    Hi Everyone,

    I was chatting with one of the brush manufacturers from Kumano the other day.

    He talked about a buyer for a big department store. How she  perceives the makeup brush market.

    The buyer said to him, ‘ many makeups products come with brushes. And most users in Japan are ok with brushes that come with the makeups. So there are less needs for brushes themselves these days’

    I am not fully convinced with her opinion, as Hakuhodo seems to be selling well.  Takeda as well.

    But, yes brush makers provide more and more brushes to makeup makers – big names.

    Here are what happened.

    Kihitsu stopped selling at Isetan.

    Koyudo is not selling at Tokyu Plaza at Ginza any more.

    Shaquda is not selling at Mitsukoshi Ginza any more.

    I think it good that brush companies concentrate on what they need to do and stop doing what is not necessary.

    That is what I try to do: Treat each client as if she is a friend. In doing so, and having a small operation, I know I cannot expand my business to a mass market.

    If I can provide my service to a small market (niche) of each country, it will be good numbers of clients, I hope.

    The other trend is that brush companies are moving to synthetic hair gradually.

    Goat is still in stock, but kolinsky (powder and cheek) and some squirrel are barely in stock.

    I know most of you prefer natural hair, and Kumano brushes are wanted especially for those hairs.

    Do you still want Kumano brushes even with synthetic hair?

    These two trends seem to be going on now.

    Shrinking retail capabilities, and moving to synthetic hair.

    Shrinking retails mean more OEM’s ( providing brushes under names of makeup companies, e.g. Chikuhodo does to Kanebo)

    Regardless, there are some department brands.

    Hakuhodo keeps selling at department stores. Shaquda does as well. But I don’t know who buys most. Maybe foreign people. Not by Japanese.

    I buy Hakuhodo which are requested by my clients from overseas. I often see Chinese buyers at Hakuhodo desks.

    Maybe more foreigners or foreign buyers buy than Japanese.

    If you look at a big picture, there are big markets outside Japan, getting big every year, and the market size in Japan is shrinking. The population of Japanese is decreasing every year.

    Is it a good idea to have many shops in Japan like Hakuhodo? And is it good to switch to synthetic hair ?

    I personally am looking at the market outside Japan, and I don’t see the market of synthetic hair yet.

    I will take a look more close and will write more in the future.

    Thank you for reading,

    Toshiya

  • Japanese are wasting time in explaining their names….

    Japanese are wasting time in explaining their names….

    Hi Everyone,

    Now in Japan, due to the coronavirus, big events are postponed or called off. Some companies  let their employees work at home.

    Sports events are also postponed or played with no audience.

    I went to Isetan yesterday, and there are much fewer Chinese tourists than usual, but still a lot of people.

    I ask people who I work with or at shop about the virus.

    It seems to depend on an individual how seriously they take it. I feel Japanese are, in a way, optimistic or, in another way, not realistic.

    We are people who have been spoiled by the 75 years of peace. I am one of them.

    At Isetan, I visited Shaquda, Decorte, and Lunasol.

    Shaquda has new 3D brushes.

    Decorte brushes are made by Hakuhodo.

    There are eyeshadow pallets limited to Isetan.

    ========

    I have noticed that the Japanese parents name their kids by very difficult Kanji.

    I have a hard time reading those names. Some examples are:

    蓮」「律」「湊」「樹」「蒼」

    凛」「紬」「葵」「澪」

    I don’t know how they pronounce….

    My last name is Fukuma, 福馬, which means Happy福 Horse馬.

    Many people mistake it for Fukushima　福島.

    When I was at school, some teachers kept calling me Fukushima, not Fukuma because they are similar kanji.

    I was so used to it, and did not ask them to change it.  The same happens now when I go to shopping or order by phone.

    If they don’t understand, I say, “Katakana is ok” My katakana name is

    フクマ

    easy, right?

    Well,  those kids with difficult names will have to correct or explain how to read their names for life.

    If they live for 100 years, they will waste maybe 2 years of their time to explain their names, LOL.

    Thank you for reading!

    Toshiya

     

  • How do I get limited products in Japan?

    Hi Everyone,

    Today, I want to talk about the process of buying limited products in Japan.

    ——-

    How do I get a limited product?

    This is what I do.

    First, I try to reserve a limited product in advance.  Usually two weeks or one before a sales date.

    It is the easiest and I don’t have to wait in a long line on the first day of sale. 

    But sometimes it is difficult.

    When a product is really popular, a shop doesn’t accept a call to the representative number of a department store by which I can have them call me back. 

    Some shops say that we should call a direct number only. And a phone never goes through….even with many attempts in a day.

    Therefore, I sometimes call shops, outside Tokyo, have products sent by mail because local shops have fewer clients. For example, Okayama or Sapporo.  But they have fewer products available ( !) so the situation may not be much different.

    If I cannot talk to a shop, I call them on the first day of sale. 

    And if a phone doesn’t still go through, I go to a shop in person. 

    That is how I usually do.

    I try to avoid to buy on the first day. Even if I am at a shop, they limit the number of products per person. 

    I find Chinese tourists come with family members so that they can get more. That is how it should be done….

    I do only by myself.  So I sometimes come back on the second day.

    The most difficult one  was Shu Uemura Pokemon. 

    I waited in line for one hour and got nothing. 

    I explained and apologized to my clients at the time. 

    I really felt sorry for my clients because my clients reserved one month in advance. 

    One issue here is that makeup shop employees are not evaluated by an individual performance for a commission except for some foreign brands  – Dior and Chanel evaluate individual performance more, I reckon.

    Most of the cases, Japanese shops are evaluated on a shop basis  so it is hard for me to ask a special favor. A member is not motivated by getting more sales. 

    Regardless, I  know some people who know me and what I do, and are willing to help me.

    It must have been a moment when their perception changed from a strange guy asking a swatch and taking a picture to  a Fude Japan business person (LOL).

    If they trust me, it gets easy. Trust is a key.

    Well, these days I get more and more comfortable in getting limited.

    I am always amazed that my clients get information on limited products earlier than I do.

    FYI, if you look for limited products on the web,

    limted is 限定

    makeup is メイクアップ

    makeup brush is　化粧筆

    thank you for reading!

    Toshiya

     

     

  • Masks are in high demand in Japan

    Masks are in high demand in Japan

    Hi Everyone,

    I visited the Amplitude shop in Shibuya the other day.

    Amplitude is a brand that belongs to the THREE group.

    Both are owned by POLA.

    Rumiko, which RMK was named after, now create products for Amplitude.

    I recognized that many ex-RMK employees are now with Amplitude. They are in love with Rumiko. Amplitude is expanding more and more, starting from Isetan.

    I was told by a Laduree shop that RMK has excellent foundations, and Amplitude should be the same as it is created by Rumiko.

    This time, I bought the limited eyeshadows.

    ———————-

    I found an interesting blog about masks, which are sold out all over Japan due to the coronavirus.

    The blogger is saying,

    ‘If masks are bought more than needed and sold out, people who are infected might not be able to buy them. Those infected, if not wearing masks, might give the virus to other people.’

    He is talking from a different viewpoint where masks should be sold to. People who need a mask are those infected.

    Japan sends many masks to China. I am sure that some Japanese think it important to distribute them in Japan first.

    It is not only liked by Chinese social media, but it may make sense with a view to preventing more from being infected.

    This reminds me of ‘Giver’ theory.  A Giver contributes to others, and by doing so, the Giver eventually gets more from an increased base.

    Thank you for reading,

    Toshiya

     

     

  • Dior Limited – is it Japan only?

    Dior Limited – is it Japan only?

    Hi Everyone,

    I received a question if Diorskin face powder and eyeshadow are limited to Japan.

    When I reserved them at Dior, I asked this question. She is a makeup artist.

    She thought it was Japan limited, but not 100% sure. She has not been informed.

    This is what she thinks:

    Peter Philips, a top makeup artist in Dior, was inspired by an idea of a Japanese garden, especially Gingko, and created these ‘Gingko’ imaged products.

    Besides, Diorskin has developed the whitening product line, targeted to Japanese women.　These are Diorskin products.

    But it could be sold later in other Asian countries as the Diorsnow products were previously sold.

    What I think is that Dior decides later if they expand a product to another country or not.

    By the way, I wrote about which brands I like to visit, which ones I don’t.

    Dior is one of the best because I know 4 or 5 makeup artists and those are very easy to talk to.

    Some of them will take a trip to Malaysia Dior. It must be interesting if you have a chat)

    Dior seems to have one or two makeup artists in each shop, and their backstage has not only MA’s but other kinds of specialists – e.g. skincare.

    That is different from other brands. Chanel has MA’s but they don’t work at a shop every day. Only at events.

    She told me that a person who wants to be an MA studies at makeup school, then studies at Dior and takes some Dior tests to be MA’s.

    It sounds like Dior is more open to people who want to work as an MA.

    She gave me other information:  the cushion foundation with this special case may be resold in April.

    Thank you for reading!

    Toshiya