This evening I'm waiting in for a parcel so I thought I would share with you my first experience of Japanese hair salons. I know, I know. I write about such riveting topics.
I had my haircut in the UK a few weeks before I left for Japan. It was getting out of control really and I needed it to be decent enough for my graduation photos, so I had it cut more or less shoulder length with a trimmed fringe and layers. I think I remember paying a lot of money for it at a salon in the city centre, determined not to let someone hack into it and do a terrible job like the previous year (it still plays on my mind now.) Bad haircuts are somewhat traumatizing after all. This goes partway to explaining why I waited until December to get it cut in Japan; I didn't trust anyone enough as I couldn't go on word of mouth about which salon was best. The other, perhaps more obvious reason, is that my Japanese is still pretty pitiful and I didn't trust myself to communicate my wishes to the hairdresser. In two and a half weeks, however, my fella will be arriving from the UK so I decided I would prefer him not to find a birds nest with nearly six months of split ends. Swallowing my fear (and a little of my pride) I began studying phrases to face this mammoth task. The challenge itself can be broken into two:
Part 1) Making the appointment
Part 2) Going through with the appointment
I chose a salon near to the station as I had seen its staff out and about leafleting regularly. A young and friendly bunch, they all had decent hairstyles themselves. Even if they didn't understand what I wanted, I reasoned, they might still do something that suits my face. Right?
So I sat down and studied. よやくはできますか。(Could I make an appointment please?) カットです。(Just a cut and blowdry.) あした、四時半から。。(Tomorrow, from 4.30pm...)
Then, one day after school, I marched into the salon without thinking too hard about it so I couldn't change my mind. Five minutes later, I walked out with an appointment for 4.30pm the following day with the top stylist (second cheapest hairdresser) - Part 1 accomplished!
Studying for Part 2 commenced with a feverish desperation. しゃしんがあります。。 (I have a photo..) 前髪 (Fringe.) まえがみはみじかくきりすぎないでください (Please don't cut it too short at the front.) ここまでカットをしていますか。 (Could you cut it up to here please?) パッツン前髪 (Hairstyle with the fringe cut completely straight.)
The last one was to illustrate what I didn't want doing.
In any case, it turned out I didn't need to panic, as it turned out to be one of the best hairdressing experiences of my life - what service!! My hair was washed by a lovely guy who, despite talking very quickly, managed to coax enough Japanese out of me to maintain a conversation for the ten minutes he was washing my hair and giving me a head and shoulder massage. Three guys then fought over who got to dry my hair and comb it for me (they rotated in the end, two dried and combed whilst one would talk to me - who was my favourite rock band? Did I know Oasis? What did I think of Japanese boys? What was my favourite Japanese food?)
The haircut itself was exactly what I wanted - that is to say exactly what I had done last time I got it cut. The guy cutting my hair was funny and kind and patient, and took plenty of time to work out what I was trying to say with my pidgen Japanese. His colleagues continued to hover and joke around, firing more questions at me and showing me things they had that had English writing on them. One of them, upon hearing that I was a vegetarian, disappeared for a few minutes and came back with a keyring that had a large button on it. The character on the button was from Dragonball Z and it said 'Vegeta' on it. It's a present for you because you are a vegetarian, he said, handing it to me. When you press the button, it says phrases in Japanese. He said I should listen and repeat in order to improve my Japanese (which I won't be doing as I have no idea what it says, but I love it all the same!)
Finally, when my haircut was over (not a single stray hair was left on my neck to irritate me) I was handed my coat as three of the guys in the salon broke into You're beautiful by James Blunt (only three lines of the chorus mind, I don't think they knew any more of the words). What an amazing experience! I could speak so little of their language and yet they treated me like a princess. Customer service is something else in Japan. Not in Kobe, customer service is pretty shoddy in big cities, but out here where I am I have managed to find some truly lovely people.
And I'm happy with my haircut. Win.
I had my haircut in the UK a few weeks before I left for Japan. It was getting out of control really and I needed it to be decent enough for my graduation photos, so I had it cut more or less shoulder length with a trimmed fringe and layers. I think I remember paying a lot of money for it at a salon in the city centre, determined not to let someone hack into it and do a terrible job like the previous year (it still plays on my mind now.) Bad haircuts are somewhat traumatizing after all. This goes partway to explaining why I waited until December to get it cut in Japan; I didn't trust anyone enough as I couldn't go on word of mouth about which salon was best. The other, perhaps more obvious reason, is that my Japanese is still pretty pitiful and I didn't trust myself to communicate my wishes to the hairdresser. In two and a half weeks, however, my fella will be arriving from the UK so I decided I would prefer him not to find a birds nest with nearly six months of split ends. Swallowing my fear (and a little of my pride) I began studying phrases to face this mammoth task. The challenge itself can be broken into two:
Part 1) Making the appointment
Part 2) Going through with the appointment
I chose a salon near to the station as I had seen its staff out and about leafleting regularly. A young and friendly bunch, they all had decent hairstyles themselves. Even if they didn't understand what I wanted, I reasoned, they might still do something that suits my face. Right?
So I sat down and studied. よやくはできますか。(Could I make an appointment please?) カットです。(Just a cut and blowdry.) あした、四時半から。。(Tomorrow, from 4.30pm...)
Then, one day after school, I marched into the salon without thinking too hard about it so I couldn't change my mind. Five minutes later, I walked out with an appointment for 4.30pm the following day with the top stylist (second cheapest hairdresser) - Part 1 accomplished!
Studying for Part 2 commenced with a feverish desperation. しゃしんがあります。。 (I have a photo..) 前髪 (Fringe.) まえがみはみじかくきりすぎないでください (Please don't cut it too short at the front.) ここまでカットをしていますか。 (Could you cut it up to here please?) パッツン前髪 (Hairstyle with the fringe cut completely straight.)
The last one was to illustrate what I didn't want doing.
In any case, it turned out I didn't need to panic, as it turned out to be one of the best hairdressing experiences of my life - what service!! My hair was washed by a lovely guy who, despite talking very quickly, managed to coax enough Japanese out of me to maintain a conversation for the ten minutes he was washing my hair and giving me a head and shoulder massage. Three guys then fought over who got to dry my hair and comb it for me (they rotated in the end, two dried and combed whilst one would talk to me - who was my favourite rock band? Did I know Oasis? What did I think of Japanese boys? What was my favourite Japanese food?)
The haircut itself was exactly what I wanted - that is to say exactly what I had done last time I got it cut. The guy cutting my hair was funny and kind and patient, and took plenty of time to work out what I was trying to say with my pidgen Japanese. His colleagues continued to hover and joke around, firing more questions at me and showing me things they had that had English writing on them. One of them, upon hearing that I was a vegetarian, disappeared for a few minutes and came back with a keyring that had a large button on it. The character on the button was from Dragonball Z and it said 'Vegeta' on it. It's a present for you because you are a vegetarian, he said, handing it to me. When you press the button, it says phrases in Japanese. He said I should listen and repeat in order to improve my Japanese (which I won't be doing as I have no idea what it says, but I love it all the same!)
Finally, when my haircut was over (not a single stray hair was left on my neck to irritate me) I was handed my coat as three of the guys in the salon broke into You're beautiful by James Blunt (only three lines of the chorus mind, I don't think they knew any more of the words). What an amazing experience! I could speak so little of their language and yet they treated me like a princess. Customer service is something else in Japan. Not in Kobe, customer service is pretty shoddy in big cities, but out here where I am I have managed to find some truly lovely people.
And I'm happy with my haircut. Win.
