COVER STORY: The Way of Cool

Caption: A nail artist decorates a customer’s nails with seashells and rhinestones.
Credit: TADASHI AIZAWA

Art “Deko”

es NAIL, a nail salon in Shibuya, Tokyo, frequented by popular models and famous show-business personalities. Masako Nakajima, who works in an apparel store in the city, says, “I came here because I wanted my nails to have a sea-themed design for the summer.”

Deko neiru is the three-dimensional decoration of the nail using rhinestones (a type of imitation diamond), or plastic parts with motifs such as flowers or ribbons, in addition to the existing practice of applying a manicure and polish to the nail. Nakajima has been having her nails “decorated” for five years, and says that she visits a nail salon once a month.

The cost of deko neiru varies according to the parts, but is around 15,000 yen for both hands. On this day, fragments of seashells and rhinestones were laid on an aqua-blue manicure base, creating a refreshing finish for Nakajima’s nails. The person looking after Nakajima’s nails was Yui Yamazaki, who has four years’ experience as a nail artist

“Nail artists learn the basic techniques at school, before refining their sensibilities on the job. Junior and senior high school students rate it as one of the jobs that they would most like to do in the future, you know. The store has even taken on junior high school students for work experience,” says Yamazaki. “Overseas tourists too come here four or five times a month. They say that Japan is the only place where they can have deko neiru done. Some are repeat customers.”

An increasing number of people are also having “deko” done on their mobile phones, notebook PCs, business card cases and so forth.

In Japan’s Edo period (1603–1867), intricately carved fasteners called “netsuke” were fashionable. Down the ages, well-designed accessories have always been part of fashion for the Japanese. “Deko” is a modern art borne of this Japanese sensibility and dexterity.