Communication Application “LINE” is very popular in Japan or Asia.

While other application such as WhatsApp is popular in Europe and United States, “LINE” is the most popular application in Japan.

“LINE” is loved among the youth because of its various funny or cute stamps, many kinds of games, quick response and easy to use. Installing “LINE” is of course free.

Stamps are pictures of faces or things which you want to express your emotion, some of them are movable.

Surprisingly the usage rate of “LINE” among smart phone user is 71%.

“Selfie Stick” – Took 30 years to be hit

When you and your friends want to be in same picture, you need somebody to take picture or find a place to put your camera and set timer.
But by using selfie Stick, you would not need anybody to take picture of you or no need to find the place to set the camera.

Selfie Stick is a long stick which can set your camera on the edge. It can be used like an umbrella and you can have selfie easily.

The stick was once developed in 1980th but it did not hit. After 30 years has been past, it got finally popular among young people who want to take selfie.

Don’t you think food replicas look like real foods?

Food replicas are displayed at restaurants or cafes and these are made from plastics or materials which do not go off. Actually, these food replicas were first developed in the Taisho period through the early Showa period.
In the early stage, food replicas were created by pouring wax into a mold of each food. After this process, color was applied on the surface. Each process was carried out by hand.

Recently you can buy these food replicas at souvenir shops and it is getting popular among foreign tourists to buy them as a souvenir.
These food replicas are very useful for foreign tourists who cannot read or speak Japanese. Haven’t you had any problems to read the menu at restaurants in Japan?
If the menu is written in Japanese with a lot of Kanji, it may be difficult for foreign tourists to read it and choose meals. Just imagine, if food replicas are displayed at restaurants or cafes……. Don’t you think it is easy to choose a meal?

Are you in “Yakudoshi” (Unlucky years)?

It is widely believed in Japan that “Yakudoshi” exists. Yakudoshi is the year that a lot of calamities may come to you.  It is first proposed in the Heian period.

Unlucky years called Yakudoshi in Japanese are different for men and women.
If you are a man, your Yakudoshi years are 4, 13, 25, 42 and 61 years old and if you are a woman, 4, 13, 19, 33, 37, 62 years old are in Yakudoshi.
It is believed that these people may experience something calamites. To avoid great misfortune which may happen, most of people in Yakudoshi go to a shrine to drive evil spirits.

The year before and after Yakudoshi is called “Maeyaku” and “Atoyaku”, so during these three years, bad things may happen to you!  Isn’t it a bit scary??

A Bottle for milk is useful in Japan!

Milk is in strong paper box in Japan and the box is very useful.
The paper is so strong that we can reuse it to throw cooking oil away.
Put some used newspapers and used oil, and tape it, we can throw oil without messing around.

Also it can be used for kid’s toy or even you can make chair with it.
It is fun and good for environment by reusing something that are to be just trash.

Have you tried “Cooling gel sheet” called “Netsisama sheet”?

The most popular cooling gel sheet called “Netsusama sheet” was developed in 1994 by Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. It brought a new method to cool down your body temperature. It’s very simple and easy to use the sheet. You just put the sheet on your forehead. That’s it!
The sheet contains sufficient moisture and it evaporates when the heat is absorbed, so the sheet keeps
chilling the temperature of your skin for approximately for 8 hours.

You can use the sheet when you have a fever and cool down your body in the summer and so on.
This Netsusama sheet has more than 50% share of the domestic market.
In 1996, the company decided to expand the market overseas, starting from Hong Kong, then South-eastern Asia. The company studied the real needs of each country and proposed the usage and products to meet the customer needs.

Have you tried a hot citron bath?

A hot citron bath called Yuzuyu in Japanese is the bath in which citrons are put set afloat.
Japanese people have a custom to take a hot citron bath on the very day of the winter solstice.
In the past, people took the citron bath to purify themselves. Since citrons have strong flavor and the old saying suggested that citrons remove negative energy.

Recently, it is said that you wouldn’t catch a cold if you take a hot citron bath on the day and this is why Japanese people keep this custom to take a hot citron bath. There are some bathhouses that prepare this citron bath as well.
Citrons have an effect to facilitate the flow of blood and alleviate the feeling of cold, so it may be true that you can avoid catching a cold !　 Also the fruit skin of citrons contains an ingredient to make the skin beautiful thanks to citric acid and vitamin C.