Shogo Yoshida, a young hairdresser from Nagoya, suffers from a genetic condition that causes his fingertips to swell up like ping-pong balls, but he has managed to turn this physical defect into an asset.
Yoshida, who goes by Bachi Yubi-san (Mr. Drumstick Fingers) on social media, started attracting attention in Japan in late 2022 by posting photos and videos of his deformed fingers on social media. The feedback wasn’t always positive, as some called his hands ‘gross’ or ‘grotesque’ and scolded him for trying to make money off of his disability, but the young Japanese man had been used to criticism for a long time. Ever since he was diagnosed with pachydermoperiostosis (PDP), a rare genetic condition that caused his fingertips to swell up like small balls, Shogo Yoshida had to face the ridicule and disgusted looks of his peers, but as he grew older, he learned to manage his uniqueness and turn it into something positive.
Photo: @bachiyubisan/X(Twitter)
In an interview with Oricon Magazine, Shogo Yoshida said that he and his brother suffer from the same condition and that he started noticing its symptoms during puberty. He was still in elementary school when he noticed that the shape of his fingertips had begun to change, but they underwent a dramatic change in the following years. At first, he hated his hands and tried to hide them as much as he could, but as time passed, he began to accept his condition and realized that he could turn it into something positive.
Photo: @bachiyubisan/X(Twitter)
As a teenager, Shogo Yoshida started to accept that pachydermoperiostosis and his drumstick fingers were a part of him, a part he had to live with. But he did more than that, he turned lemons into lemonade, as they say. Yoshida was quick to realize that his physical quirk made him stand out, so he started posting photos and video of his unique fingers on social media. He had noticed that his high school colleagues had become more accepting of his deformity when he began making jokes about it around them, and he figured he could do the same thing online.
Photo: @bachiyubisan/X(Twitter)
When he was in junior high school, Shogo visited a hair salon and knew that was what he wanted to do in life, but his fingertips made it quite a challenge. He couldn’t wear normal gloves, couldn’t even hold the scissors properly, or handle the curling rod. He had to work extra hard to make it in this business, but he was happy to do it, and in the end, his disability proved an asset.
@bachiyubisan バチ指ヘッドスパ #バチ指 #バチ指美容師 #コンプレックスを個性へ #バチ指ヘッドスパ #ヘッドスパ #ASMR #名古屋 ♬ Chopin Nocturne No. 2 Piano Mono – moshimo sound design
“Even when I was an assistant at a hair salon, I was often complimented on how good the head massages felt,” Yoshida said. “Also, people could easily recognize me, like, ‘That guy who has those fingers,’ or ‘He’s good at massages.’ Even now that I’m a hairdresser, it’s a big advantage that people can remember me because of my physical characteristics.”
Taking on the persona of Bachi Yubi-san on social media, Shogo Yoshida constantly uses his bulbous fingertips to promote himself, either by filming himself giving clients soothing scalp massages or painting his large fingernails. Even though he sometimes gets criticized for making money by promoting his disability, Yoshida doesn’t care, just as others use their best assets to promote themselves, so does he.
@bachiyubisan ヘッドスパと他メニューの組み合わせが人気です。 美容院での施術の『ついで』に頭を揉むのもあり。 ヘッドスパをメニューの『メイン』にするのもあり。 自分に合った頭皮ケアを。 ———————————- 昔はコンプレックスだった、『肥厚性皮膚骨膜症』の症状である『バチ指』。これを逆手に取り、様々な事にチャレンジしてます。『バチ指でめちゃくちゃ遊ぶ男』です。 (バチ指ヘッドスパや他メニューのネット予約のリンクはインスタのハイライトにございます。) #バチ指 #バチ指美容師 #handihand #バチ指ヘッドスパ #vlog #バチ指ネイル #頭浸浴 #Handihand #ASMR #ヘッドスパ #名古屋ヘッドスパ #vlog #おすすめ #名古屋美容師 #ヘッドスパマッサージ #プレゼント ♬ Chopin Nocturne No. 2 Piano Playing – moshimo sound design
Having made a name for himself on social media because of his unique fingertips, Bachi Yubi-san is now one of the most sought-after hairstylists in Nagoya, with people lining up to have their scalps massaged by those ball-shaped fingertips.
