A Country with Rules, Japan

Are there any rules for nails in your workplace? 
Do companies prohibit their employees from getting nails done?

In Japan, when you look around a city, you may feel that many women leave their nails as they are without painting. This website introduces unique Japanese nail designs and salons to you, but you may be asking yourself, “Do they not care for their nails that much?” Hum...it is deeply related to Japanese culture.

1. A hygiene concern

When you first visit Japan, the cleanliness of public spaces like bathrooms, streets, restaurants... etc may surprise you at how well maintained they are. People are likely to expect a high standard of hygiene including the hygiene of workers who provide them services everywhere. People are not so welcoming of the flashy painted nails because those nails can be chipped or fall into their spaces. It seems to be an awareness of getting nails done rooted in this country’s culture for a long time rather than a generational thing. If you are a mom who raises kids, with painted nails, some people may imagine you do not cook well or hurt your kids. Which is totally a stereotype of what parenting should look like. My opinion is that it is more about the length of nails.

2. Nails with Rules

Many women feel it is very costly to get their nails done on a monthly basis. If their workplaces have strict rules with nails, they are not able to get what they actually want on their nails. One colored nails or gradation nails are suitable for many workplaces even where workers can get nails done. Some of them enjoy only manicures on their holidays so that it is much easier to remove than gel nails. If you do not know the difference between gel nails that are always talked about on this website, and the manicures, please check another article below. Manicures vs Gel Nails

3. The nails disturb daily lives

Some women feel like only having long nails looks good with painting. Because having long nails can be annoying sometimes, they choose to not have long nails in the first place. It is true that doing daily house work with long nails can disturb you at first. But once you get used to it, it becomes easier to carry on your normal life without caring about the length of your nails too much. You can decide whether having nails done can be based on your current life.

Reasons why people do not have their nails done can be mostly categorized into one of these that I mentioned above. Many companies in Japan have stricter grooming policies compared to other countries. Not only having painted nails, but also having dyed hair or wearing accessories can be prohibited in some specific places. We would love to hear how the culture works in your country.