Nails are hot in Japan. Everyone from famous singers and actresses to trendy school girls are hungry to be the first to wear the latest design on their nails. This makes for a huge nail market and a competitive artistic climate as well.
Even though I speak very few Japanese words, I managed to communicate that I wanted to get my nails done while in Tokyo.
With a stunning nine first-place wins, Japan’s Eriko Kurosaki captures this year’s top spot on a list comprised of a handful of veteran winners and a surprising number of new faces. Read on to learn the final results and to get acquainted with some of your industry’s finest competitors.
In the Land of the Rising Sun, nail care is rising in popularity. As manufacturers jockey for market share and brand loyalty, Japanese nailists bring a flair for nai design and a perfectionist streak that has the world watching.
Matsushita says it’s study and practice that got her where she is—in this case, that’s doing the nails on our cover model.
Fads come and go in the blink of any eye, but Kenko Hino means to make nail care a classic fashion in Japan.
“Studying the Japanese language is a lot easier for me than Spanish was,” Nadine Galli, who attends a Japanese university twice a week. Now, even her interpreter wants to learn how to do nails.
During the one-week trip, they visited their two Japanese distributors, Nail Labo and Life Beauty Systems, and 15 salons.
Each Nail Bar location is designed to highlight a bright line-up of nail polish along the wall facing clients, a colorful contrast to the high-tech black chairs and sleek, modern design in the salons.
The United States may lag behind Japan in high technology, France in high fashion, and the Soviet Union in military weapons (high anxiety), but when it comes to nail care, the U.S. takes a backseat to no country. Nail technicians the world over emulate the popular styles and applications of Americans.
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