Facial hair finds favor in Japan?

The Japan Times had an article on Friday about Schick’s attempts to convince Japanese men that beards are cool:

In February, Schick’s Japan unit started the Web site hige-chen.com that lets users upload their photos and experiment with 1,000 different forms of facial hair, including amusingly shaped ones such as hearts and numbers. The Web site, which can be viewed in 3-D, helps users work out which style of facial hair looks good on them.

It also offers advice on the most suitable style depending on the occasion. The online campaign is designed to promote the company’s Quattro4 Titanium Revolution, which is a four-blade razor at one end and an electric trimmer at the other.

“Unexpectedly, our survey found that the biggest obstacle is Japanese men’s perception that facial hair doesn’t look good on them, rather than rules set by their companies,” said Masue Murata, a product supervisor at Schick Japan. “We also found that men want to experiment with different styles. Some want to shave, while others want to trim a little bit. That’s why we decided to set up the Web site to change their perceptions.”

Try out the beard-tastic website here!