beauty services - The Japan Times

National Apr 27, 2020

A cut above: Tokyo barber launches 'telecut' service as COVID-19 hits business

by Tomohiro Osaki

Mr. Brothers Cut Club of Harajuku has launched what could be the industry's first online haircut service.

Lifestyle Dec 14, 2019

A cut above the rest: A new generation of barbers is trying to overcome an image problem

A group of men sporting tattoos and smoking cigarettes chats casually on benches outside Mr. Brothers Cut Club in Tokyo's trendy Harajuku neighborhood. Were it not for a couple of red, white and blue barber's poles hanging near the entranceway, a passerby might think they've ...

National Nov 19, 2019

Roaming beauty services give Japan's elderly a new lease on style

Barber and beauty care providers have started making visits to people's homes and nursing care facilities as they adapt their services to the demands of Japan's rapidly aging society. As elderly regular customers tail off their visits to beauty salons, businesses are taking their full ...

Asia Pacific / Social Issues Feb 22, 2019

South Korean women ditch makeup and 'escape the corset' in rebellion against ideals of beauty

by Seulki Lee

South Korean university student Yim Ji-su used to sacrifice up to two hours of sleep each morning for her laborious makeup routine, from applying foundation and concealer to perming her shoulder-length hair. But about six months ago, she joined a growing band of young women ...

Business / Corporate Aug 2, 2018

146-year-old cosmetics firm Shiseido gets makeover to woo millennial buyers

by Lisa Du and Maiko Takahashi

Shiseido Co., the beauty company that's 146 years old, is giving itself one big makeover. To attract more coveted consumers in their 20s and 30s, the company is overhauling its entire Shiseido makeup line and discontinuing almost 100 products. It's being replaced with a new ...

Business Apr 7, 2015

In South Korea, cosmetics are the new smart investment as heavy industry lags

by Seonjin Cha

Seo Jae Hyeong says he's started wearing skin foundation and facial masks at night. It's not about looking younger, the 49-year-old head of Daishin Asset Management Co. says. Seo is trying to get first-hand insight into one of South Korea's hottest stock-market bets: the cosmetics ...

Asia Pacific / Science & Health Nov 2, 2014

Errors tarnish the reputation of South Korea's big plastic surgery industry

Kim Bok-soon disliked her nose and fantasized about getting it fixed after learning of the Korean superstition that an upturned nose makes it harder to hold on to riches. While waiting in a hair salon, she saw a magazine advertisement for a plastic surgery clinic ...

Issues | THE FOREIGN ELEMENT Jun 2, 2014

Japan urged to make its cosmetics 'cruelty-free'

by Louise George Kittaka

While Japanese consumers clamor for items that will make their skin smoother or their hair shinier, relatively few people are aware of the horror behind the products in their cosmetics cases.

National Aug 30, 2013

Male hairdressers struggle in 'charisma boom' wake

by Tomoko Arima

Male hairdressers are having trouble surviving amid the so-called charisma boom their industry gave rise to around 2000. The boom, hyped by TV dramas and variety shows with charismatic hairdressers, prompted many young men to take up the profession. The number of newly licensed hairdressers ...

How-tos | LIFELINES Aug 26, 2013

Returnee livid after ugly treatment at TBC beauty salon in Tokyo

by Louise George Kittaka

Returnee reader MQ has vowed to give TBC a wide berth after staff made her feel unwelcome and refused to help her enroll at the beauty empire's Yurakucho branch.

Language | BILINGUAL Apr 29, 2013

Bilingual beauty, straight and permed

by Peter Backhaus and Yuko Kunimatsu

Beauty must be a bilingual thing. At least that’s the impression one gets from looking at signs outside hairdressers, beauty parlors and similar types of businesses in Japan.