Nowadays, when we want to find an information, we tend to use smartphones for anything. In Japan, it is even more the case. We had the opportunity to interview a young Japanese lady about her smartphone’s usage. Natsumi is a 22 years old nurse living in Fukuoka. In her free time, she enjoys going to onsen, beach and for hiking. Besides, because she loves fashion, she often go shopping in Tenjin or Hakata district.
What Kind of Apps do 20s Girls who live in Fukuoka Have
FJ: Hey, Natsumi, thank you for accepting answering to our questions.
N: You are welcome.
FJ: You told us that you are a nurse, but can you explain more about your job ?
N: I am taking care of patients who have heart diseases. My job consists of helping the doctor giving medical treatments, medicines, and a nutrition plan.
N: On the side, I am also a bartender in an International cafe.
FJ: Why do you have another job ? Are you not too busy ?
N: Because, I like working in this cafe. It helps me meeting new people and practicing my English.
Favorite Application is Instagram
FJ: Can you tell us what is your favorite application ?
N: The application I use the most is probably Instagram. I can follow new fashion trends on a daily basis, not only from Japan but also from all around the world ! The feature that I like is the “Story” through which I can see what my friends are doing at the moment, which is awesome.
FJ : What about Facebook ?
N: Japanese people usually don’t use Facebook much.
FJ : I see on your phone one application called “Beauty Plus”, what is it for ?
N: This application is convenient for photo editing. Especially, to enhance some aspects of your physical appearance. For example, you may be aware that Japanese girls like big eyes and deep face features. With this tool, it is easy to get this “kawaii” look. It is so well made that you may not recognize yourself after the edit. For instance, you can erase pimples, wrinkles and change your skin color!
FJ: You said that you work in an international cafe to study English, but do you also study in private ?
N: Usually, I go to a cafe with a textbook and my Ipad so that I can check the grammar points on Youtube.
FJ : Oh really, Youtube ?
N: I subscribed to a channel called “Bilingual Chika”. Chika is Japanese youtuber who lived in Los Angeles during her childhood, and she teaches English via Youtube podcasts. It is really comprehensive of the grammar and accessible to any Japanese person. Besides, on her application, “Hey Chika”, it is possible to interact with the fan community, know more about her lifestyle and deepen some of the grammar points with exclusive video contents.
N: Another useful application for English study is “Next English”. This one concerns the spoken language. In other words, the vocabulary and expressions that you can’t find in textbooks. There are several categories such as “Video”, “Music” or “Pictures”. Each category features content with both English and the Japanese equivalent. It is meant to make it accessible to non-native speaker. For instance, Video has subtitles, Music has lyrics and pictures, short funny phrases with explanations below.
FJ: Wow, this is really elaborated ! I am surprised that even slang expression are being taught through this application.
“Tabelog” Is The Best Application To Find Restaurants
FJ : You seem to go out quite often, is there any useful application to find the best places ?
N : When it comes to restaurants and bars, “Tabelog” is the best application. The things that catch my eyes the most in it is : reviews, menu, pricing and pictures. It is amazing because you can check beforehand those details and then make a choice. Every time, I make sure that it corresponds to what I am looking for before going to the shop. Also, because their contact information is available, I can call them directly to reserve and even sometimes do it online.
Use “minimo” for the Beauty Care Services
FJ: I noticed that in Japan, people uses their smartphones a lot to check good deals and bargain campaigns, do you also make that usage of your phone ?
N: Yes, I think a lot of young girls use “minimo” for the normally expensive beauty care services. Whether it is nails, eyelash or hairdressing, you can find really cheap prices. When a store has a fresh recruited employee, they prefer to “offer”a cheap pricing, considering the service not worth a “normal” cost. Therefore, it is constantly changing and you have to search for a new salon each time. In the application, there is a search menu in which you can input your preferences : location, type of service and wished price range. If your research is fruitful, you can reserve.
FJ : Thank you very much Natsumi, we have now a better understanding of a Japanese lady’s lifestyle !
N: It is my pleasure.
We hope that this insight was fun to discover ! This article is part of a long series, so do not miss the following ones !
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