One Sunday morning in late November, a throng of people, mostly women in their 20s and 30s, made long lines to get into a convention hall at Tokyo Big Sight in Koto Ward. Many others were sitting on benches outside the hall, opening suitcases at their feet and examining tiny bottles, cotton swabs and whatever else they would need in their upcoming competitions.
Inside the hall, at virtually every one of countless sales booths, young nail technicians wearing headset microphones were proclaiming and demonstrating what magic their company's latest products could make happen. TV monitors were set up everywhere to show off their expert work up-close.
Meanwhile, some vendors were so feverish in their pitches that they bordered on sounding silly. "Maji, kono jeru yabaidesu! Kite-masu!" ("Seriously, this gel is dangerous! Unbelievable!") a young man in a business suit yelled at visitors crowding the booths that were selling everything from nail polish and paint brushes to stone-studded nippers — almost all at "special prices."