PRODUCTS
Trends Going Strong
Eclectic fashion innovation, crazy concepts and something inventive for every niche in the market make Japan one of the trendiest places to be! Keep up with whats hot now...
MAKE-UP ART
Looking for something quirky, flamboyant, or simply want to perfect that flawless make-up look?
Japan offers high quality products and services for every make
up demand! Make up is a standard for many Asian women
and eyebrow and eyeliner dying are popular. Thankfully there
are many beauty centers that get the procedure done with
minimal pain, super-natural pigments and, crucially, versions that
disappear after a few years so you can alter your look with the
fashions. If this is not your thing, the nail art of Japan, which is
opulent, highly decorative and quirky, might appeal. One can buy
made-to-order stick on nails for almost every occasion, including
carefully painted continuous designs, funky 3D flowers, or nails
featuring miniature pearls and lace. Another top Japanese make
up procedure is semi-permanent lash extensions. This is strictly
a salon-only treatment, as each eyelash is applied individually.
The overall result is super convenient, eliminating the need for
mascara or sets of fake eyelashes for at least a couple of weeks.
UNIQLO
This apparel store is a Japanese fashion phenomenon: go get your chic on at a reasonable price!
With over 700 stores nationwide, UNIQLO is a fantastically
successful Japanese clothing brand. UNIQLO offers swish, classic
designs at amazingly attractive prices. Their project – to make
simple and inexpensive clothing the new trendy thing – is about
as laudable as their low prices. The store is distinctive for its wide
range of good quality everyday wear in high quality fabric that
you can mix and match with pricier items. Somewhat reminiscent of European brand Benetton, the store is stocked to the brim
with underwear, sleepwear, office and casual wear in an array of
different bold and bright colours and styles. UNIQLO’s hip status
and quality of apparel have increased through their collaboration
with well known designers and artists. The recent Designers
Invitation Project involved many big deal designers design
“capsule collections” for UNIQLO women’s and men’s wear; their
latest collaboration is with designer Jil Sander.
MOBILE PHONES
Not just for making calls – mobiles are the latest glam shopping and socialising gadget!
Mobile phones are extremely popular in Japan, where they
are referred to as Keitai. High tech and attractively designed
phones have a big market in Japan and phones with all the
gadgets – including 5.1 megapixel cameras, video recorders,
MP3 capabilities, inbuilt TV tuners, GPS and the internet– are the
norm. Most phones are even equipped with barcode scanners,
which can be used to access information off “QR codes” on
advertising posters. Equally exciting are the billions of specially
designed homepages that can be accessed through mobiles,
allowing users to purchase products, update blogs or download
coupons wherever they are. Mobile phone operators in Japan
have even started offering a kind of smart card “wallet service”
for mobile phones called Osaifu-keitai which provides a phone
that can stand in for electronic money, credit cards, membership
accounts, airline tickets and public transport fares.
100 YEN STORES
Your one stop shop for functional ware, gimmicks, souvenirs and everything wacky...
Though Japan is perhaps best known for its taste for luxury,
high quality goods, there is definitely ample market for cheaper,
accessible and mass-produced merchandise. The “100 yen
shops” are fantastic for budget shoppers and are prevalent in
cities across the country. The name derives from the pricing:
most items are just 100 yen with a 5% tax above this, i.e. 105 yen.
These stores range in ambition: there are shops that cover several
stories and would take years to sift through, such as “Daiso Giga
Machida” in Tokyo, as well as many smaller corner stores. These
stores stock crockery and cutlery, everything you would need to
set up your kitchen, garden or next craft project, and a myriad of
gadgets and gimmicks to test the limits of your imagination. On a
less practical side, if you are looking for the ultimate pair of tartan
grandad slippers or a fluoro piggy bank to stash your savings, it is
to these stores you want to head.
HAPPOSHU / THIRD BEER
Move over brewskie, cheap, light and crisp beerlike drinks are hotting up...
The chatter is deafening. Beer-like drinks are stealing the thunder.
Beer used to be the number-one selling alcoholic drink in
Japan. But to beat competition, major beermakers have had to
come up with new ways to appeal to customers. First, it was a
low-malt beer called “happoshu,” meaning “sparkling spirits”.
In 1994, Suntory introduced Hop Draft, containing less than
67 % malt so belonging in a lower tax category than what the
nation’s law classified as “beer”. This became a huge hit and the manufacturers all rushed to launch happoshu brands that tasted
almost identical to beer and for a much cheaper price. Then in
2004 came “dai san no bee-ru,” meaning “third beer”. With less
than 24 percent malt content by using alternatives as pea protein,
soy protein or soy peptide, “third beer” is even cheaper, tastes
just like beer and is light and crisp. These beer-like beverages are
mostly consumed at home, and are sold not just in liquor shops
but supermarkets and convenience stores. Enjoy them--- as long
as you don’t drink and drive!
CAPSULE HOTELS
Once a pure rest-stop, capsule hotels go upmarket and get a design make-over...
Capsule hotels have come a long way since they first opened in
the hustle and bustle of Osaka in 1979. The hotel rooms are still
capsule sized, or a tad bigger than a coffin really, and come with
television, clean set of sheets and a communal shower. Room
rates were cheaper than “business hotels”, yet they are always
conveniently located near major train stations. The capsule
hotel concept, which is all about functionality, was welcomed
by men in suits who often missed the last train to go home and
needed a place to catch some sleep before showering to go to
work the next day. These days, capsule hotels are catering to a
larger clientele. Some hotels now have women-only floors and
improved noise reduction. They have opened near tourist spots
for people travelling on budgets. In Kyoto, a recent opening of a
design-conscious capsule hotel is turning heads among creative
types. Called 9h (9 hours), it exudes sophistication with minimal
design and space-age décor. All signage is bilingual and easy to
follow. Check it out at
http://9hours.jp.
