If Italians make the best lovers and French women don't get fat, then the Japanese should adopt a national boast that they just don't seem to age. It might be the copious amounts of fresh sushi, or the fact they use umbrellas to bat off the sun's rays, but it's more likely down to their pursuit of flawless skin with kooky beauty secrets.
Bird droppings on your face, silkworm cocoons on your hands, or bull semen in your hair, anyone?
From wacky all-natural ingredients through to downing daily skin supplements, it's all on the beauty menu in Japan where tanned faces and bleached hair are big no-nos and pale faces and glossy locks are the Geisha-inspired goal.
"As a nation we are always looking for something new, extreme and strange," explains Mikiko Ashikari, a researcher of modern Japanese cosmetic and beauty practices.
"The respect for natural therapies and the more bizarre ancient beauty traditions like facials using nightingale droppings is a way of preserving their unique Japanese identity."
With Kate Moss said to be a fan of the brightening effects of SK-II masks and Thandi Newton describing her SUQQU skin care soap as "a revelation," it seems the West is catching on to Japan's weird and wonderful youth-boosters.
No need to splash out on an airfare to Tokyo. You can tap into the beauty aesthetic of the Far East from home with our guide to going Japanese.
The Weird...
There's nothing strange about the Japanese beauty brands that have become familiar favorites over here such as Shiseido, SK-II, Issey Miyake, SUQQU, and RMK. But look beyond the luxury counters and some of the more "natural" Japanese skin tonics may not prove quite so appealing to the unadventurous Western customer.
Skin lightening is big business in Japan and a product called Uguisu No Fun is regularly used for brightening the face.
The main ingredient? Hold your nose ... uguisu is the name of the Japanese nightingale and its natural droppings are widely used as a traditional application for silky white skin.
Other inquisitive finds you can pick up on the beauty shelves include silk worm cocoons, used as a natural moisturizing ingredient, and shark liver oil, to treat dry skin.
Expect far-out treatments on the spa menus in the Far East, too. Facial shaving is a common practice in Japanese beauty parlours, especially before getting married.
The Japanese might fix a bad hair day with the Bull Semen Hair Treatment -- packed with protein to deeply condition and repair tresses. Or how about checking your feet in for the Goldfish Pedicure? The treatment involves miniature fish nibbling at your tootsies to alleviate dry skin.
The Wonderful...
It's not all bird poop and bull sperm on the Japanese beauty agenda. These daily must-haves might just help you on your quest for Geisha girl youth:
ABURATORIGAMI -- No Japanese woman would step out without these oil-blotting paper miracles in their handbag, which remove excess oil and keep skin fresh. Try Paul & Joe Blotting Paper (www.asos.com).
SUN CHLORELLA -- A daily superfood supplement Japanese women have been taking for decades that contains dried chlorella -- an algae stuffed full of vitamins, minerals and protein that encourages cell renewal for youthful skin and stronger hair and nails. Try Sun Chlorella (www.sunchlorella.co.uk).
COLLAGEN DRINKS -- Forget botox, Japanese women sip on small bottles of liquid collagen to give their skin an instant lift. Try Pro-Active Liquid Collagen (www.bodyedge.co.uk).
NAKABUKURO -- The Japanese pooh-pooh pricey exfoliators and opt for a rice bran bag. The rice extract filters through a cotton bag for a gentle massaging effect to improve the skin's texture. Try Space NK Life Japanese Wash Cloth, available from September, (www.spacenk.com).
