Headline
Japanese Pay $55 Per Hour To Learn Smiling
Published
2 years agoon
By
Editor
Some Japanese students are now taking classes from professional instructors to learn how to smile after getting accustomed to wearing masks.
Over three years since the pandemic started, the demand for smile coaching services in the country has surged as more people try to get used to exposing their faces in public after the government relaxed its mask requirements in March.
“I hadn’t used my facial muscles much during COVID so it’s good exercise,” Himawari Yoshida, a 20-year-old art student, told Reuters.
Such gap is where smile instructors like Keiko Kawano come in to bridge in order to ensure that Japanese get back their smile after a protracted period of face-masking.
READ ALSO: Two Bankers Arraigned For Alleged N20m Theft
“People have not been raising their cheeks under a mask or trying to smile much,” Kawano told the New York Times in early May. “Now, they’re at a loss.”
Students like Yoshida attend smile lessons hosted by Kawano as part of their school’s efforts to prepare students for the working world.
Kawano, a former radio host, runs a company called “Egaoiku,” which translates to “Smile Company,” per Reuters.
She started out teaching smiling at a gym before she transitioned into coaching employees from corporate clients, including IBM Japan, the New York Times reported.
READ ALSO: FG Records N930bn Two-month Fiscal Deficits – CBN
A private, hour-long lesson with her costs 7,700 Japanese yen, or $55, per Reuters.
“A typical smile lesson starts with checking your current smile,” Kawano told Insider. Next, Kawano will show her students the shape of a smile that she calls the “Hollywood smile,” and have them try to mimic it.
“However, I know that the facial muscles do not move as expected,” Kawano said. “We will do exercises to shorten and stretch the muscles of the cheeks and create a beautiful mouth shape.”
For those who want to be a smiling coach like her, Kawano also offers one-day training workshops for 80,000 Japanese yen, per the New York Times.
She told NYT that while her business was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, she still had the occasional client. Her business, however, boomed after the mandatory mask mandates were lifted.
You may like
Headline
Again, Russia Claims Another Village In Ukraine’s Region
Published
1 day agoon
August 25, 2025By
Editor
The Russian army Monday claimed to have captured another village in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region, moving deeper into Ukrainian territory as peace efforts stall.
Russian forces are slowly but steadily gaining ground in costly battles for largely devastated areas in eastern and central Ukraine, normally with few inhabitants or intact buildings left.
Russia’s defence ministry said its forces had seized the settlement of Zaporizke in the region, which Russian troops recently advanced into for the first time in the three-and-a-half-year offensive.
READ ALSO:Russia, Ukraine Exchange Prisoners Of War, Civilians
Kyiv denies that Russian troops have gained a foothold in the Dnipropetrovsk region, an important industrial hub.
After another push by US President Donald Trump to broker a Ukraine-Russia summit, hopes for peace dimmed when Russia last week ruled out any immediate meeting between presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky.
The central region of Dnipropetrovsk has previously been largely spared from fighting that has ravaged swathes of eastern and southern Ukraine, until Russia said its forces broke through in July.
READ ALSO:Russian Politicians Mock European Leaders After White House, Ukraine Talks
Dnipropetrovsk is not one of the five Ukrainian regions — Donetsk, Kherson, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia and Crimea — that Moscow has publicly claimed as Russian territory.
Ukraine said Russia had launched over 100 drones Monday, killing a 37-year old civilian driver and wounding two people in the northeastern Sumy region.
Moscow said Kyiv had launched about two dozen drones targeting western Russia
Headline
US Comedian Reggie Carroll Shot Dead In Mississippi
Published
1 day agoon
August 25, 2025By
Editor
A United States comedian, Reginald “Reggie” Carroll, has been shot dead in Southaven, Mississippi.
The 52-year-old Carroll, widely known as the Knockout King of Comedy, was reportedly killed on Wednesday, August 20, 2025, after sustaining multiple gunshot wounds.
The Southaven Police Department confirmed the incident in a Facebook statement on Saturday.
“Southaven officers located one male victim suffering from gunshot wounds.
READ ALSO:US Defends New Social Media Vetting For Nigerian Visa Applicants
“The officers and medical personnel provided life saving techniques but the individual succumbed to his injuries,” the statement partly read.
The victim was later identified as Carroll, a Baltimore native.
Police said one suspect was arrested and charged with his murder.
“One male is in custody and has been charged with the murder of Reginald Carroll.
READ ALSO:Russia, Ukraine Exchange Prisoners Of War, Civilians
“Our thoughts are with the family of Mr. Carroll.
“Thank you to the community for their patience and understanding,” the department added.
The police further assured that there was no ongoing threat to residents, describing the case as “an isolated shooting.”
Carroll, who built his career in stand-up comedy, gained national recognition touring with Katt Williams and headlining his own showcase, Knockout Kings of Comedy.
READ ALSO:Leader Of UK Christian Group Convicted Of Sexually Abusing Women
He also featured in the 2000 edition of Showtime at the Apollo, appeared on the UPN sitcom The Parkers alongside Mo’Nique and Countess Vaughn, and starred in the 2022 television film Rent & Go.
In 2023, he produced the stand-up special Knockout Kings of Comedy.
The Southaven Police Department disclosed that an investigation into his death is ongoing.
Headline
US Defends New Social Media Vetting For Nigerian Visa Applicants
Published
1 day agoon
August 25, 2025By
Editor
The U.S. Mission in Nigeria on Monday reaffirmed that the safety and security of the United States remain the cornerstone of its visa application and decision-making process.
The US said this following its directive last week that mandates Nigerians to disclose all social media usernames and handles used over the past five years as part of the visa application process.
US Mission said Nigerian visa applicants must provide a comprehensive list of their social media profiles on the DS-160 visa application form, and warned that omitting the information could lead to visa denials.
READ ALSO:US Ambassador To Paris Slams Macron Over Rising Antisemitism
Reacting to the development, the Federal Government said US citizens intending to visit Nigeria will be subjected to the same measures.
“The best we can do is to carry out reciprocal action. Some people from the US might want to apply for a visa, and we will adopt the same measures,” spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, said last Monday.
However, in a statement released Monday on X, the US Mission said prospective visa applicants undergo careful vetting to maintain a safe and welcoming environment in the US.
READ ALSO:US Suspends Work Visas For Nigerian, Foreign Truck Drivers
It said, “The safety and security of the United States is at the heart of every #USVisa application and decision process.
“That’s why prospective applicants undergo careful screening to ensure a safe and welcoming environment for all.”
The Mission added, “These measures help protect American citizens and communities while supporting secure and responsible travel.”
- Edo Hospital Denies Complexity In Death Of Twin Babies
- OPINION: A Voyage To Caligula’s Rome
- Sports Commission Boss Commends Team Edo Athletes For Continental Triumph
- Enabulele Confident Of Team Edo’s Success At 2025 NYG
- PHOTOS: Brazil Welcomes Tinubu With Full Military Honours In Brasília
- Tinubu Signs Direct Flight, Other Agreements With Brazil
- Four Die, Three Injured In Delta Crash
- PDP Zones 2027 Presidential Ticket To South
- NAFDAC Warns Of Fake Postinor-2 In Circulation
- Brazil Names Squad Without Neymar, Vinicius For World Cup Qualifiers [FULL LIST]
Trending
- Metro5 days ago
Customs Seize N905m Rolls Royce, Other Contrabands In Ogun
- News4 days ago
BREAKING: FG, State, Local Governments Share N2.001trn July Revenue
- News5 days ago
JUST IN: Okpebholo Nominates Another 5 Persons As Commissioner-designates
- Metro4 days ago
Village Youths Capture Bandit During Midnight Attack In Benue
- Metro5 days ago
Lagos Skit Maker Hacked To Death By Suspected Cultists
- Metro3 days ago
Edo Govt Demolishes Building Owned by Suspected Cultist
- News5 days ago
Benue Bans Nursery Graduations, Customised Textbooks In Schools
- News4 days ago
BREAKING: Benue Assembly Suspends Four Members For Attempting To Impeach Speaker
- Politics3 days ago
US Desperate To Remove You, Cleric Warns Tinubu
- Entertainment4 days ago
Wizkid Is Married – DJ Tunez Reveals [VIDEO]