● Originally you were running a nail salon in a different part of town, but what brought you to Kabutocho?

Before opening HANDWORK, I had a salon on Kotto Street in Omotesando. After becoming a licensed nail technician, I worked at several private salons and beauty salons. But I wanted the experience of mentoring others, so I took the plunge and started my own business. After about two and a half years in Omotesando, I realized that the nature of the area made me feel constantly pressed for time; so I began thinking about relocating to Nihonbashi or Kabutocho. And that’s when a client of mine introduced me to this space.

● How does Nihonbashi, Kabutocho compare to Omotesando and other areas?

With the recent influx of inbound tourists, Omotesando has become incredibly crowded. Many clients would rush from their nail appointments to their next beauty appointments, like eyelash perms, making everything feel hurried. I wanted to create a more relaxed space where people could take their time. Kabutocho with its wide streets, historic buildings, and charming cafes, felt like it could offer a fresh experience for my clients. That’s what made me decide to move here.

● This space is quite large for a nail salon! Did you always plan to have a gallery space for pop-up events?

It’s the first time for me to have a gallery space. It’s a spacious room and I wanted to match the atmosphere of the city—so I felt that a nail salon alone wouldn’t fully utilize the space’s potential. Many of my friends are involved in creative fields, and recently, it’s become harder for independent creators to find real-world venues to showcase their work. Since I also make a living through handcraft, I thought it would be great if this space could support other creators as well. That’s how the concept came about.

● I’d like to know the story of how you became a nail technician—could you please tell us about your background? Where are you from, and what was your childhood like?

I’m from Maizuru, Kyoto, a seaside town known for its seafood and red-brick buildings. As a child, I tried many activities—track and field, gymnastics, basketball, tennis—each for about two years between elementary and middle school. I’ve always loved being active. In high school, I worked a lot of part-time jobs: at a teppanyaki restaurant, a yakiniku place, an izakaya, a supermarket, a children’s center, and even a beach house in Fukui.

I originally wanted to become a registered dietitian, that’s why I did so many hospitality jobs. I dreamed of supporting people’s health and beauty through food, and I even took a correspondence course in culinary arts during high school.

● And what made you shift from nutrition to beauty?

In my third year of high school, I did a lot of open campus visits, with an eye toward Universities in Tokyo. When I discussed my career aspirations with a professor, he told me, “You don’t have to become a certified dietitian to work in your desired way.”
At the time, my goal was to provide counseling on diet and nutrition for issues like weight management, and I realized I could still do that without a specialized license.

That made me think, “If I don’t need a license, I want to start gaining practical skills right away.” So, I moved to Tokyo and enrolled in a beauty school specializing in spa treatments. As a child, I used to play with toy nail polish and makeup with my friends, so I had always been interested in the beauty industry. At the same time, my family encouraged me to earn a national qualification, so on my days off, I took a correspondence course for my hairdressing license.

● How was student life in Tokyo?

As soon as I moved to Tokyo I started working part-time selling mobile phones. It was a corporate job where I wore a suit and pitched new contracts to customers. I started when I was 18 and did that for about a year, along with other jobs in credit card sales and retail fashion. I tried lots of different jobs to see what suited me best.

● You took on multiple jobs and courses at once. That’s really impressive!

No no, not really—it was exhausting! Since I was also taking a hairdressing course, I didn’t even get summer breaks. That’s when I decided to focus and eliminate things that I wasn’t passionate about. I realized spa treatments is very physically demanding and wasn’t quite for me. That’s when I rediscovered nails and nail art.

Ever since I was young, I’ve always loved detailed, hands-on work, like arts and crafts. I had only touched on nails briefly in beauty school, but after deciding spa treatments wasn’t for me, I visited a nail school. The teacher there told me something that has stuck with me ever since: “Nails are the one beauty treatment you yourself can admire, at any time; even before you go to bed or while you are riding the train.” Unlike massages or haircuts, nail art is something you can constantly see and appreciate. It’s also the most intimate form of beauty service, as it involves direct, personal interaction. That’s when I decided to pursue nails professionally.

● Finally, you found your path as a nail artist! What was the journey like?

Unlike beauty school, where there was a focus on design as well as customer service, nail school focused strictly on technique and certification. Many students at the school worked jobs, myself included, I would work in an office during the day and attend school at night. I also tried a variety of other jobs – I worked in an office, in fashion retail, at restaurants, call centers, and at a golf club— all while attending class. My parents were supporting me, so I felt like I had to keep trying and see this through.

● And through that hard work, you eventually became a professional nail artist.

That’s right! Around that time, I started using Instagram and discovered a nail salon I absolutely adored, thinking, “I definitely want to work here!” I applied, but they initially turned me down. However, when I passed my Level 2 Nail Technician Certification, they reached out and hired me as an apprentice. That’s when I left nail school. It was a private salon, so I kept my office job while working there part-time, about two or three times a week.

That salon had a meticulous approach, with detailed designs and a delicate approach. The level of creativity was amazing, they even featured designs that would be inspired by famous painters. Nail salons often make ‘sample tips’ and let customers choose their own designs from them—but since everyone’s skin tone and nail shape are different, nails can look different when they are actually applied. Instead, we would create custom colors from scratch to match each client’s skin tone and nail shape. It really helped me develop a sharp eye for aesthetics and technique.

● And it was that experience that shaped your current style, right?

Absolutely. Later, I worked at a popular Harajuku beauty salon and another private salon before opening my own salon in Omotesando, which eventually led to HANDWORK in Kabutocho. Visiting art museums and architectural sites for inspiration became a habit I picked up from my previous workplaces, and it still influences my work today.

● What do you focus on at HANDWORK, both in nail art and in managing the gallery space?

After the pandemic, it felt like there was less face-to-face communication. Thankfully, through this job, I get to talk to many different people every day. I hope my clients and the artists exhibiting in the gallery can experience that same sense of connection. I run this salon because I think places that allow for physical interaction are so important to society.

Many of my clients trust me with their nails and give me creative freedom. I often design based on seasons—Valentine’s Day in February, graduation ceremonies in March—but also draw inspiration from art and fashion, such as taking inspired looks from the Paris Fashion Week. I don’t want this space to be just for fashion-forward people; I want people to come and feel welcome and to come and discuss ideas and starting points together.

● That sounds like a really nice idea! Could you tell us about what you think the future holds for HANDWORK?

I want the gallery space to be a welcoming platform for independent creators. It doesn’t matter if they are well-known or not, I want to support creators, give them a platform, and also connect with them. I’ve even hosted pop-ups with multiple artists at once. I hope HANDWORK continues to be a place where people inspire one another. Right now, we have three nail artists, including myself, and since we’re all still new to Kabutocho, I’d love for more people to get to know us through future events and collaborations.