Asian T.V. Drama Hana Yori Dango Makes Flower Boys Popular

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="300"] Hana Yori Dango Returns (TV series) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)[/caption]

J Drama and K Drama are a big hit in Japan, Korea, Taiwan and in the Asian American Community right here in America!  Among the top favorite Asian Drama Series is Hana Yori Dango (meaning Flower before boys in Japanese).  This 1992 comic book series became a japanese cartoon series in 1996. In 2001, the first of the Hana Yori Dango T.V. dramas series originated in Taiwan called Meteor Garden. In 2005, Japan made its first Hana Yori Dango T.V. series debut.  Gaining much fans and attention around the Asian World.  Korea then made its Hana Yori Dango series called Flowers Before Boys in 2009.  Becoming an overnight hit, Hana Yori Dango has made Japanese Actors Matsumoto Jun and Shun Oguri and Korean Actors Lee Min Ho and Kim Hyun Joong an icon for young men today.  After the Korean broadcast of Hana Yori Dango, "hallyu" (a korean popular wave) among young men wanting to look more trendy like the actors in the drama, including wearing makeup, was noticed in S. Korea.  This trend called Flower Boys (young men) or Flower Men (older men) is becoming quite popular.  In fact today the fastest growing beauty trend is mens skin care and makeup in S.Korea.  According to Good Morning America the Euromonitor International, a global market research firm, says 21% of men's beauty came from Korea in 2011 and expects to double in the next year.  Today, Flower Boys are appealing to the young asian girls.  Living in a world of first impressions; being trendy, fashionable and having good looks is a must for these Asian Flower Boys.

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Asian Women's Secret to Flawless Younger Skin

What is the difference between American women and Asian women? For the typical American woman, she is obsessed with body image.  Whereas, a woman from Asia is obsessed with flawless skin.  Japan is the largest skin care consumption per capita in the world.

1. "Japan has the world’s oldest population, with 22% over the age of 65 in 2007. According to Euromonitor International, 'The country is the biggest consumer of skin care on a per capita basis. In 2007, Japan accounted for 20% of global skin care consumption with $13.1 billion in sales, while making up only 2% of the global population.'" *

In Asia, skin is the most important part of a beauty regiment.  Good skin equals good health and beauty.  Despite the popularity of some westernized types of surgery in Asia, Asian women are obsessed with keeping up their youthful appearance in the traditional way.  Asians are not as passionate about stripping the skin with chemical peels as Americans are, rather they like to plump the skin, giving a more youthful look. Many Japanese and Korean girls spend hours on just skin care routine.  So whats the secret?  The secret is Japanese facial massage.

Japanese facial massage focuses on prevention and detoxifying.  Developed to improve health and longevity,  the Japanese have perfected the facial massage over centuries.  A specific technique called Ko Bi Do is used for balancing ki for overall health improvement.

Western vs. Eastern facial massage.

Western facial massages mainly focuses on the external skin.  This typically is a gentle massage with light touches and strokes and could include treating a skin concern with topical skin regiments. Chemical peel such as glycolic peel are common.

Eastern facial massages mainly focuses on the condition of the skin internally, focusing on acupressure points to balance (ki) internal organs.  The Japanese facial massage uses deeper pressure and deep kneading to stimulate the muscles beneath the skin, increasing blood circulation.  This in turn will reduce wrinkles, repair and balance the skin, and minimize the aging process.

Typically Asian women will include some form of this massage in their daily skin care routine.  The Tanaka Massage is one of the simpler routines and can be done by yourself.

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* 1. http://www.beautypackaging.com/articles/2009/01/where-china-goes-asia-follows