Women living in Shimane Prefecture have the best skin texture

According to a survey conducted by Pola Cosmetics in September 2012, Shimane prefecture ranked number one in producing women with the best skin type, followed by Yamanashi and Kochi prefecture. Shimane prefecture is blessed with high humidity and low UV radiation, women living there are less likely to have wrinkles or dry skin.

Smoking Shelter

The smoking ban around the world almost leaves smokers with nowhere to go. In July two smoking shelters called “Ippuku” are set up in Ochanomizu and Kanda which offer a practical solution for those who fail to quit the bad habits. The smoking shelters are installed with state of art facilities which clean the air and dispose of the cigarette butts. Smokers can take a break and enjoy moments of their own at a price as low as 50 yen. 

www.ippk.jp

One Coin Lunch

rs to 500 yen coin. What could I buy with 500 yen? The ‘www.lunch500.com’ lists out the restaurants which provide meals in the price of 500 yen. Varieties include donburi, curry rice and hamburger set lunch. Most of the customers commented that the meals are satisfying, but more important the price is good and affordable.

Man who like dressing as woman

Some men in Japan prefer the clothing of the opposite sex, they said it is a kind of style. To men dressing as women requires a great deal of effort, but they are not short of places to shop. Website like www.lagrangel.jp offers a wide selection of clothing, accessories and shoes, the items are specially altered to fit the men’s sizes. Cross dressing is not limited to young adults, some men in their 40’s or 50’s also indulged in this interest as a way to relieve stress. But when asked whether their wives know about it, they said it is a stress to them to disclose this secret interest to their loved ones. 

Boyish style fashion for girls

Dressing feminine is not the only option for girls, some girls turn to the boyish look as a way to express themselves. Going far and beyond, some of them imitate the way a man speak and behave, the transformation is so successful that they are mistook by some ladies as the real guy.

A new occupation called “Danso Escort” is created for these handsome women. “Danso” in Japanese means “dressing as a man” . They are ones who know best what to say in front of women, some cafes and bars employ them to please the female customers. They are the substitutes for those women who cannot find comfort from a real guy.

Cool Breeze Hand Fan

During summer many people use a hand fan to refresh themselves. In Japan there is a new kind of hand fan which gain its momentum in the refrigerator. It is made of a special kind of materials which is able to absorb the cool breezes in the refrigerator. Putting the hand fan in the refrigerator for 5 minutes, it is able to produce cooling breezes lasting for 6 to 7 minutes.

 (http://alart.shop-pro.jp)

Animation Character Exhibition

Childhood memories are some of our most precious memories. For some of us the animation characters played a role in the creation of those memories. The Amagi Museum in Izu city (Shizuoka prefecture) is now holding an exhibition displaying 150 animation characters from 7 July to 30 September. Some of the displayed characters are in the height of human. And the museum will give away 3000 movable animated dolls to visitors as presents by lottery.

www.amagimuseum.com

Maiko’s day

Kyoto is well-known for its temples, gardens and geishas. Spring and Autumn are the peak travelling seasons. Now the 5^th of every month is made the “Maiko’s day”, maiko (apprentice geisha) is invited to come to the shopping avenue in Jingu Lane (Sakyo District) to show off their dance skill or play the role of shop assistant. It is hoped that with such an event more customers will be attracted to the shopping avenue in the slow season.  

Benibana Flowers

To promote tourism in Yamagato prefecture, the hotel association in Tokamachi gave away benibana (scientific name: Carthamus tinctorius) flowers which is in bloom in summer to the passers-by on 29 June 2012. 

A campaign is also organized from 1 to 22 July during which the hotels and sight-seeing spots will use benibana as the decorations, the restaurants will provide special menu using benibana as the ingredients. 11 bodies including hotels and restaurants are participating in the campaign.

Benibana

Benibana noodles

Lavender Road Divider

In Hirosaki city (Aomori Prefecture), about 22,000 lavenders are planted in the road divider in Kita Odori. With the approach of summer, the lavenders blossom and add colours to the carriageway. The lavenders will be cut down on 3 July and freely given away from 4 to 6 July (9:00 am – 4:00 pm). 

Cemetery for single women

A burial ground especially for single women is set up in “Fureai Park” in Fuchu city, Tokyo. This arrangement is said to have met the social needs. Due to the weakening of family ties, more and more single women prepare for their own cemetery instead of joining the family altar, because they foresee that no relatives will offer memorial service to them after their death. They even look for friends who will join them in the cemetery.

The burial ground is run by the NGO body, there are 300 spaces, all of them have been fully booked due to low price. At present there are 20 occupants.

Exhibition of “Tengu Joshi” - Japanese Traditional Paper

The exhibition of “Tengu Joshi” was held on 3 June 2012 in Tosa Washi Village in Kochi prefecture. “Tengu Joshi” is a kind of traditional Japanese paper, it is said to be thinnest in the world (0.03mm) and not easy to be torn apart. The paper in different colors was mounted on the bamboo and shaped into a lamp. It was made by Hamada Hironao who has been engaging in the artwork for over 15 years following the footsteps of his grandfather. In the exhibition the décor of “Tengu Joshi” was a pleasing to the eye and fill the garden with grace.

Allergy Free Sweeties

The long established bakery "Kurata" in Akita prefecture take on a new page and release a new type of cookie which is free of the 5 most common allergens “wheat, egg, soy, peanut, milk product“. Other bakeries like the Cadeau, Kirara are also offering similar items to children with food allergies. With the special recipes, this special group of children can enjoy the sweeties like any normal child do.

A cup of coffee in the price of Yen 10,000

To commemorate their 60^th anniversary, Mikado Coffee in Karuizawa (Nagano prefecture) is selling a specially made coffee from the deluxe grade of coffee beans from the Blue Mountain. Each cup of coffee costs 10,000Yen (about USD126.50).The cup for holding coffee is from the renowned Japanese tableware manufacturer “Okuratouen”.  

Having drank the coffee, the guests can take the cup and saucer back home.

This specially made coffee is restricted to 60 cups only. It is said that from 1^st April to 15^th May 2012 Mikado have received 7 orders.