Let me have a look at your glasses.
- Ruler Glasses Encyclopedia vol.2 -

The rainy season has arrived again this year.
Do people who wear glasses have to fight against fogging of the lenses?

In the last issue of " Monosasu Glasses Encyclopedia ," we introduced the glasses-wearing men of Monosasu, and we talked about their preferences and their distance from glasses, from those who have been wearing glasses for 5 years to those who have been wearing glasses for over 20 years. Glasses truly have a history. In response to popular demand, the second installment will feature the glasses-wearing women of Monosasu.

For people who wear glasses all day, they can be said to be a part of their face. How did people first encounter glasses and how have they lived with them? We asked them about their thoughts on glasses and what they look for when choosing them.

Part 1: Hiromi Yamanaka (10 years of experience wearing glasses)

Glasses I'm wearing now:
Purchase at Zoff (under 10,000 yen)

Tips for choosing glasses:
I used to have red plastic frames, but after people discovered that I like "Mōko Tanmen Nakamoto," people started saying things like, "You're wearing Nakamoto colors," and "Even your glasses match Nakamoto's colors," so I thought I'd try something different (laughs). I just found a service online that helps you choose glasses that suit your face, and when I tried them on, they said that my current glasses (a little larger in shape) fit me. So I searched for them on Zoff and bought them. To be honest, I don't really have any particular preferences for glasses, so that's how I got them.

Why do you wear glasses?:
When I got my driver's license renewed after I entered the workforce, my eyesight had deteriorated and I needed glasses. I didn't want to wear them, so I only wore them when I was driving until I got a ruler. Now I need them for work, but I still don't want to wear them, so I basically keep them on my desk. I take them off when I leave work. I'm sure there are many things in the world that you don't need to see.

Part 2: Natsumi Tanaka (12 years of experience wearing glasses)

Glasses I'm wearing now:
Purchased at Zoff (on sale for 5,000 yen + lens cost)

Tips for choosing glasses:
I like things that look "normal". Metal frames don't suit me, and round glasses look too funny. Black frames mean I don't have to worry about the color of my clothes, and thin square frames are plain and ordinary, so I like the ultimate normal look. I like things that look so ordinary that they blend in with the rest of the store. And they're also reasonably priced. They're so ordinary that they're cheap (laughs).

Why do you wear glasses?:
My eyesight got worse around junior high school, but at that time the lenses were thick and I heard from a friend who wore glasses that the image was distorted. I liked drawing, so I didn't like not being able to see things correctly. When I bought my first pair of glasses at university, I could see the music sheet when playing the guitar and the subtitles in movies, and from then on I became a glasses character. But recently I feel like I want to distance myself a little. When I take my glasses off, people react with "What?", so I want them to recognize me without them (laughs).

Part 3: Ai Takahashi (15 years of experience wearing glasses)

Glasses I'm wearing now:
Purchased at Sunmega in Nakano (¥3000 + lens cost)

Tips for choosing glasses:
The ones I have now are my third generation. The first generation had brown plastic frames, the second generation had silver metal frames, and I want black frames next time. I feel like black frames can be used as a substitute for eye makeup (laughs). I don't have any particular preference for shape, so I enjoy trying out a variety of shapes, from oval to square. I like black frames because they go with any fashion. I also like the thin square frames because they give a professional feel. I wonder what I should get next.

Why do you wear glasses?:
I've always had bad eyesight, but I sat in the front seats until high school, so it wasn't a problem. When I entered university, the classroom was big, so even if I sat in the front, the blackboard was far away. I couldn't see anything (laughs). I can't hold anything close to my eyes, so I can't wear contacts. I can't wear eye makeup, either. I only wore them during class in university, but I've been wearing them all the time since I started working. I quite enjoy wearing glasses.

Part 4: Akane Nakayama (15 years of experience wearing glasses)

Glasses I'm wearing now:
I bought them at Hayashi Megane (a round glasses specialty store in Oimachi). They cost about 37,000 yen.

Tips for choosing glasses:
I've had about nine pairs of glasses so far. The ones I have now are a little bigger, because I wanted to go somewhere between Arale-chan-like tacky and stylish. I wear them from the time I wake up until just before I go to sleep, so they're practically a part of my body. Maybe I treat them roughly because I'm such a family member. I step on them a lot, and the tortoiseshell frame comes off in pieces. Every time that happens, I rush to Hayashi Glasses. I'm a regular customer (laughs).

Why do you wear glasses?:
I hated glasses in elementary school, but in middle school, my friends started telling me that glasses looked good on me. I started to feel attracted to the girls around me who wore glasses, and I thought glasses-wearing characters were cool too. Plain, serious...there are negative images, but glasses-wearing moe only goes so far when you include those negative aspects. I used to hate stylish fake glasses, but now I love glasses in everything. I've become so one with them that I feel like my identity would fall apart if I took them off. I want to live my whole life knowing that "I wear glasses."

The life of glasses is quite complex.
From people who have no interest in glasses at all to those who are already one with them. I realized that people's feelings about and distance from glasses are really different. (The more I listen, the deeper the discussion about glasses becomes.)

Glasses have a history.
If I have the opportunity, I would like to ask the ruler glasses people about various things.