Todd Jay Leonard, Blog
Continuing on my list of "Todd's Top Ten Things Japanese" is number seven, which is actually a composite of several things I like. All, however, are related to getting one's hair cut in a Japanese salon.
The city where I live, Hirosaki, has a disproportionately high number, per capita, of hair salons and barbershops. This fact rarely goes unnoticed by Japanese and foreigners alike who visit my city. Just about every corner, and certainly on nearly every street, there is a beauty shop, hair salon or barbershop.
I don't really think people's hair grows faster here than in other places, or that they have more of it, necessarily, but for some quirky reason, we are inundated with hair salons.
Over the years, my hair has gone from being so bushy it was unmanageable, to being quite thin on top - but no matter, I still treat myself at least once a month to an afternoon at the hair salon - hair or no hair.
Perhaps the biggest difference that sets Japanese hair salons apart from their American counterparts is the attention to the minutest of details to ensure that the customer has a pleasurable and enjoyable experience.
After all, competition is keen, and getting the city's finite number of potential customers through the door is certainly a case of "survival of the fittest." Just as new salons open on a weekly basis, a number of established salons close their doors.
Offering extra services, and going the extra mile to make sure the customer is satisfied, is a reality of the hair-design industry in Japan.
Individual attention
Being pampered is a part of the Japanese hair salon experience. Members of the salon staff-from the door greeter, to the shampooer, to the cutter, to the receptionist - all go out of their way to make you as comfortable as possible.
For instance, when one gets a haircut in Japan, the shampoo-person places a sheer cloth over the client's face to protect the eyes from any wayward soap suds that might inadvertently fly around.
At least this is the reason I am always given by Japanese people regarding the face veil, but I tend to think it has more to do with modesty and discreetness to offer the customer more privacy. Being in such close proximity with the shampooer, face to face, could make the client uncomfortable.
The simple solution is to cover the person's face in order to avoid any awkwardness and eye contact. Perhaps this is another reason why the face is covered - so the client and shampooer do not feel obligated to engage one another in conversation.
There is not a lot of chit-chat during this process except for a couple of predetermined questions the shampooer asks the client: "Is the water temperature all right?" and "Does your head itch anywhere?" Of course, the standard responses are "Yes, the water is fine." and "No, my head doesn't itch anywhere."
Many years ago a television program placed a hidden camera at the shampoo sink of a busy salon. Even though all the clients said their heads didn't itch anywhere, as soon as the shampooer was finished, each person reached up to scratch a part of their head.
Perhaps it would be too assertive to instruct the shampooer to scratch the head, even though she or he offered to do so.
Humility is the key, and being a bother to another - even a service-related worker - is not being humble.
However, it is during the shampooing part of the process that the client is the most relaxed; the forced quietness is refreshing, allowing the customer to be transported to another place. It is meditative to have the head massaged for 5-10 minutes by the shampooer, using a variety of aromatic hair products in the process.
It is a cultural trait of Americans to pass time with banalities that often times have no purpose or real meaning. We are uncomfortable with prolonged silence.
In Japan, silence is not necessarily an indication of boredom or anger or any other underlying reason other than it is sometimes peaceful to be alone with your thoughts. It's all right to have nothing to say.
I have learned to relish this aspect of Japanese culture, enjoying a long car ride through the mountains without feeling the necessity to fill the entire time up with inane conversation.
Waiting-room courtesy
The shop I patronize offers customers hot tea or coffee in the winter, and a cold barley tea or ice coffee in the summer. Of course, the cups are dainty and elegant, with the latest magazines neatly laid out at the station where the hairstyling is done, along with the selected drink.
To protect the client's clothes from hair clippings and chemicals (like hair dye or perming solution), some shops offer customers a light kimono-wrap to wear over their street clothes to keep everything pristine.
Once finished the entire staff walks customers to the door, bowing and thanking them for their business. Of course, such individual attention is not exactly cheap, but not outrageous either.
A cut and a shave, please
The same thing is true for barbershops featuring the tell-tale red, white and blue swirling striped poles. One of my most favorite things to do here, and something I've never had done in the United States, is to get a shave.
In preparation for the shave, the barber places steaming hot towels all around the face area to open the pores. Then, hot lather is generously put all over the face. A straight razor is then used to shave the face.
In Japan, everything on the face gets shaved-forehead, nose and even the tops of the ears. In fact, one of the most relaxing things to have done at a barbershop while getting a shave is to have your ears cleaned.
The barber uses a small scoop-like instrument to scrape gently away all the little hairs that grow around the earlobe and in the ear canal. Admittedly, the first time I had this done, it was a bit nerve-racking to have a stranger put long metal instruments deep into my ear canal. It goes against all conventional wisdom given to me as a child that nothing smaller than your elbow should ever go into your ear.
Luckily, these people are highly trained and are very careful when probing in the ear.
Ear cleaning by a spouse is a sign of love
Japanese wives, as a way to show love for their husbands, will gladly do this little chore. The husband lies with his head in her lap, submitting completely as a way to show his absolute trust in his wife. Also, Japanese children lay with their heads in their mothers' laps to have their ears cleaned.
It is a pleasurable experience, once you relax and the initial fear dissipates. It is an experience that I welcome and appreciate.
Great clips Japanese style
A new type of hair salon and barbershop has started to become trendy - the discount cut with no frills. In these shops, the customer buys a ticket out of a vending machine and waits in the order he/she arrived.
The stylist wets the hair with a squirt bottle and does a very standard haircut with no shampooing, massaging, beverage, or other perks normally associated with hair salons in Japan. The normal 60- to 90-minute hair session of full-service salons is whittled away to a mere 15 minutes or so in these new types of conveyer belt establishments.
These "in-and-out" shops, at first, catered largely to students on a budget and salary men who had no time for the lengthy full-service treatment. Today, men and women both patronize these establishments because people are more "yen" conscious than in years past when it comes to seeking out discounts and bargains.
A dear friend of mine here wanted my mother to experience a Japanese hair salon, so as a gift, she treated my mother to a full-service treatment - head and back massage, shampoo and conditioning treatment, and a stylish Japanese-style haircut.
My mother loved the experience and was very appreciative to have had the opportunity to be pampered with the royal hair salon treatment. The close-cropped haircut, at first sight, did surprise my stepfather, who was accustomed to her American-style hairdo, but he soon got used to the new look.
If ever you find yourself traveling to Japan, forego getting coiffed before your trip and wait until you are here to have a unique hair experience. You won't regret it. I promise.
By TODD JAY LEONARD
Columnist
Japanese hair salons offer chance to relax, unwind
Monday, July 02 , 2007
