Sunday, October 23, 2016

Japanese language Lesson Day1 - How to ask direction and price in more sophisticated way


The Japanese language is considered to be "a language of noun".
If you try to learn as many nouns as possible, you could probably make yourself understood in Japanese most of the time.

Eki Doko? - where is the station? Eki-station, Doko? - where?
(For your information, perfect/polite way of saying this is "Eki wa doko desuka?")

Kore Ikura? - How much is this? Kore-this, Ikura?-How much?
(Kochira(kore) wa Ikura Desuka? -More polite way of saying "Ikura" is"Ikahodo(如何ほど)". This is indirect way of asking price, not many Japanese people, especially young ones, use this word but if you'd like your Japanese to sound sophisticated, I highly recommend that you use/remember this expression)
You can also say like this,
"Kochira wa Oikura desuka?"  When you put "O" in front of some nouns, it sounds polite and elegant.  
Examples:
Hashi (chopsticks)-> O-ha-shi;
Namae (name) -> O-na-ma-e;
Bento (Bento lunch box) -> O-be-n-tou
(scene 1) at a convenience store, you buy a bento. A shop clerk handling your order didn't put chopsticks in your bag. Then, you say:
"Ohashi wo onegaishimasu"  (Could I have a pair of chopsticks, please?)
(scene 2) On your way to a famous sightseeing place, you ask a Japanese for direction. S/he can speak a little English and you two start chatting and enjoy talking to each other for a while. Later, you want to ask his/her name to say thank you with his/her name to express your sincere appreciation for helping you find the direction :
"Onamae wo ukagattemo iidesuka?" or "Onamae wo oukagaishitemo yoroshi-i desuka?"
(Would I be able to ask your name?)

You can use "kore" for a thing, but never for person! Kochira can be used both for a thing and person, and sound more sophisticated.

Friday, October 21, 2016

THREE is a very popular cosmetic brand, especially for its makeup items.
I have a couple of THREE makeup items I absolutely love! 
In addition to makeup items,  their skin care items are also very popular because of its quality.
I cannot live without these two items:

  1. THREE Balancing UV Protector  SPF30/ PA+++
2016-04-07 11.36.08
It's almost like lotion with an excellent spread and it smells fantastic.
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You can literally feel relaxed by just applying this UV protector to the face.
I always look forward to applying this UV protector to my face every morning.
It gives me motivation to get up early in the morning!

2. THREE Lip Conscious Protector  SPF35/ PA+++
2016-04-07 11.37.14
This item has 3 functions:
1) UV Protector for lips, 2) Primer and 3) Lipstick
For 1) and 2), no explanation needed. Regarding 3), it leaves a very subtle color on your lips.
The things in common with 1. (THREE Balancing UV Protector SPF30) and 2.(THREE Lip Conscious Protector SPF35)  is that both of them make you happy every time you use!
Luckily enough, these are so-called "staple items" so you can easily get them unlike other THREE's limited makeup items!
2016-04-07 11.36.55


Thursday, October 20, 2016

Do you know iherb?

As some of you may have already known, it's an American online shop dealing with a lot of natural skincare/hair care/supplement items.

When I shop at iherb, I always look at items with more Japanese comments. Those items always live up to my expectation! The following items are successful examples...



1) LypriCel, Liposomal Vitamin C, 30 Packets, 0.2 fl oz (5.7 ml) Each




2) MORNINGSTAR MINERALS, DERMA BOOST, REJUVENATING SPRAY MIST, 8 FL OZ




One of the good things about iherb is that you can read reviews in different languages.
(I can only understand English and Japanese though)


Especially, those two above items have more comments in Japanese than any other languages.

(FYI, this LypriCel is very good actually. In winter, my skin always gets dehydrated but I've never felt my skin dried since I started taking this item. Plus, Vitamin C is said to be effective to prevent cancer. So I'm sticking to LypriCel for a little while!)

The number 2) item is also working! Japanese women love using toner - Kesho-sui in Japanese. 

In these couple of years, using oil in skincare regimen has been very popular - whatever it would be - argan oil, avocado oil, jojoba oil to name a few....

It seems that this Acure Organics' argan oil is the most popular one among iherb items....

I personally use this one for almost a year and recommend it to anyone who's interested in!

This is a very valued item 

Acure Organics, Aromatherapeutic Moroccan Argan Oils Trio Set, Coconut, Rose, Citrus Ginger, 3,1 fl oz (30 ml) Each


Most of the time, it's sold out.... If you happen to find it available, it's a must-buy!