Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Tissue


Japanese consume 18 boxes of tissue per capita in a year.  We are the most tissue consuming nation in the world.  I learned it from a morning show the other day.  They did a street interview about Japanese tissues to the foreigners visiting Japan.  One person described Japanese tissue as soft as a cat and another one said it was smooth like silk.  It’s very interesting.  We seem to have good quality tissues compared to tissues overseas.  It’s not about tea, but I’m going to talk about it today.



So, why do we have thin and soft tissue?  The TV show explained it.  Japanese have 20-30% thinner skin compared to people from other countries.   Not to get one’s nose red by blowing, Japanese prefer fine texture tissue.  And also, many people suffer from hay fever in Japan, and the chances of blowing nose are comparatively high.  I thought it’s a reasonable reason.  I really appreciate for soft tissues during the hay fever season. 



You often find some men giving away free tissues on the streets in downtown.  It is a popular advertising method in Japan.  By saying “Konnichiwa, Dozo (^0^)/”,  I have actually done that job. hahaha
There are some premium tissues, which are an extra-smooth one, one with fragrant or design-printed one. 

Come to Japan to try some tissues.  I’m sure that you are going to be addicted to it, haha (^-^)

8 comments:

  1. That's really interesting! I had no idea about people needing tissues more or how soft they are.

    I kind of want to see if I can find any online - what are some common brand names?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kate-san, The popular bland that I often find at stores are …
      Elleair >> http://www.elleair.jp/products/family/01.html
      Nepia >> http://www2.nepia.co.jp/homeuse/
      Scottie >> http://www.crecia.co.jp/consumer/facial/facial_scottie.html

      A extra-smooth tissue that I want to try someday is
      Nepia Hana-celeb >> http://www2.nepia.co.jp/homeuse/product/celebrity.html
      If you try it, let me know how you like it.

      Delete
  2. Yes! I remember being given tissues when I walked around the shopping districts; very convenient!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anastasia-san, You are right. It’s convenient. But the same time, some people feel it’s annoying. Most people just ignore those giveaway tissue guys. However, when I’m offered the tissue, I politely decline it by smiling and bowing. I have done that job, so I’m kind of nice to them. Hahaha.

      Delete
  3. It was my understanding that blowing one's nose (in public at least) is considered quite rude in Japan. It is better to sniff. I remember that my mother was always scolding me when I was sniffing, telling me to blow my nose once and for all ! ;-) Funny difference. ^^ Anyway, I find your tissues too thin, but I was raised using cloth tissues...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. David-san,David-san,
      Yes, we consider that blowing one’s nose is not polite. I myself hesitate blowing my nose in front of other people. But, I feel also embarrassed to keep sniffing. I would probably blow my nose rather than keeping sniffing. Haha.
      Cloth tissues?! It is different from our custom. But, using cloth is more eco-friendly than using papers and also friendly on the wallet (^-^)

      Delete
  4. very interesting information,Kohei.But l guess when l catch cold l would have used up all those 18 Japanese tissue boxes in one week.:)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hahaha, you must have a huge trash bin.

    ReplyDelete