Everyone bow down to Yukiro Dravarious, evil genius of Japanese nail art! Can you believe he did these intricate designs entirely on his own hands — WITH his own hands? (They’re not fake claws, either!) Spill the beans, Dravarious… how on Mars do you do it?

“I mostly use nail polish from the marvellous 100 yen stores found all over Tokyo; I have over 40 different colors by now. I started experimenting with nail art years ago and it’s not really as hard as it looks. You just have to be patient and do one finger at the time, slowly and precisely. My suggestion is to watch a bad movie while you’re painting your nails and waiting for them to dry.”

“First, I paint a layer of hardening polish so the nail’s foundation is steady and won’t shatter. Then I pick a basic color and do the first coat. Careful: don’t start with the second layer before the first one has completely dried. Once you’ve gotten to know the materials better, you can try mixing them together for more complex results — but if you’re a beginner, keep it simple and take your time.”

“After you’ve finished the layered designs, you can put a top coat over your nails for an even stronger result. But if you are incorporating jewels and diamonds, I recommend that you glue them on last. Otherwise, it’s hell to get rid of them with nail-polish remover…”

“A fascinating aside: my female friends always complain that their nails break easily compared to mine. It’s a fact that girls have weaker nails than boys, so my conclusion is that more boys out there should be flaunting colorful manicures! ^_^”

“As for inspiration, I try to match my nail art to my outfits or special occasions. If Halloween is coming up, I’ll paint orange and black pumpkins. If I’m going to wear a new green wig, I’ll start with a greenish base.”

“Every time you paint your nails, I encourage you to experiment with something different. As with make-up, nail decoration is difficult to begin with but gets easier, so don’t give up ね！Go out and by some nice nail polish, make me proud and remember… DON’T f@#$ it up!” 魔と愛～ユキロ★☆

† Thought you’d enjoy this CNNGo article about Japanese host clubs in photographs. Pretty-boy clones with big hair!
† Quite a few of you mentioned a documentary about Tokyo hosts and customers called Great Happiness Space. I’ve reserved it at the local library; excited to check it out!
† Guardian UK published an article about “why Japanese female pop stars matter” including Nana Kitade, Ayumi Hamasaki, Tommy Heavenly/February.

Amazing news: I heard my Japan bento inspired cookbook, Cute Yummy Time, is on display at Urban Outfitters! My book is carried in the NYC stores and other US locations, and coming to Canadian branches soon. You can also see more and purchase it here.

Are you as impressed as I am by Yukiro’s Harajuku-style nail decoration? Will you give nail art a try?

For more photo inspiration, check out this and this post about intricate nail art in Japan. If you liked today’s post, it’d be awesome if you could Tweet or share it with your friends. Domo!