Hair Salons in Japan
6/16/2016
For many of us, our hair is a sacred and a distinct attribute for how we present ourselves to the outside world. A good haircut can completely transform someone’s look. But a bad haircut….well, hey, it grows back, right?
One of the difficulties that some foreigners have when in Japan is finding a good hairdresser. Many places do not offer services in English and are not familiar with how to manage the variety of hair types and textures that westerners have.
However, Japan is considered highly-ranked in terms of their hair salons, with some of the best hairdressers in the world. So how do you get your perfect cut? Here are some tips to help you out!
Pick up some of the lingo
Hair salons that offer English-speaking services can really rack up the yen. In order to get your best cut for the best price, it would be a good idea to learn some words that are commonly used at Japanese 美容院 (biyooin) hair salons.
Lucky for us, many words are in カタカナ(katakana), which is the Japanese alphabet used for foreign words. This means they generally sound similar to their English counterparts:
カット (katto) cut
カラー (karaa) color
パーマ (paama) perm
ストレートパーマ (sutoreeto paama) relax (In Japanese, this sounds like “straight perm” but it means getting your hair relaxed)
シャンプー(shanpuu) shampoo
ブロー(buroo) blowdry
前髪 (maegami) fringe/bangs
If you just want a trim, your best bet will be to say ちょっとだけ (chotto dake) which means, “only a little” and indicate the amount you want taken off with your fingers.
Just learning a few of these, or even printing out a list and pointing to the one you want can really go a long way in terms of communicating with your hair stylist.
Bring a picture
One of the easiest no-hassle things you can do is bring a picture of what you want to the hair stylist. If the color and style you want are different, bring two different pictures and say “color” for one and “style” for the other. You can take a picture from your phone or print one out at your local convenience store.
Ask a friend Many hair salons in Japan give customers a discount if they are referred to by someone else. If you and a friend are not busy on the weekend, make a day of it and go to the salon together. This is good for their business as they can increase their clientele and it reduces your bill.
Many hair salons in Japan offer two or three different kinds of stylists. These range from normal stylists to “top stylists” and the difference lies in the experience and talent of that stylist. Of course, a regular level stylist will still give you a nice haircut. However, if you are really searching for a new “do” or that perfect cut, you may want to consider spending a little more.
Whatever “look” you’re looking for, Japan has a ton of options for everyone. Doing something new is always a little scary the first time, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll be a Japanese hair salon pro!
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