There are three ways to get your hair cut in Japan. No surprise these are: expensive, mid-range and rock bottom. I started in the middle and worked my way down.

Visit to my local QB low cost haircut place. Click to play video

The ratio of hairdresser to inhabitants is high in Japan. There are almost as many as restaurants, many more than there are kombinis. The expensive ones cater mostly to women. They can be recognised by their large windows, spacious locales and high prices. Simply look like any international high end hairdressers. Never been to one. I don’t want to spend 5000 and more to get my hair cut.

Then there are the mid range barber shops. Usually decorated with the spinning blue and red stripes. The international symbol for barbers. I wonder where it comes from. These places are nice. For around 3000 yen they give you the full program. Very kata-ized and Japanese.

At my local place it starts with the assistant taking my coat. Then the barber runs his program. Besides washing, cutting the hair and shaving it also includes shaving the ears with a very small trimmer and a brief massage of the shoulders. When it is done the assistant gets my coat and opens the door for me. Both the barber and the assistant follow me outside and bows until I am literally out of sight. I like this place and went a few times, this was before I discovered QB.

QB is a low cost chain that cuts your hair in ten minutes for 1000 yen. They can be found in such obscure places as next to the bus station under the railroad bridge or at the second floor of the mall next to the video game parlour. It’s cheap, efficient and clean. They have got their thing down to an exact science. It’s like the McDonald’s of barbers.

You start with paying by buying a ticket in a machine. Only accepts 1000 yen bills. No change is done. No refund after purchased ticket. Then sit in line and wait for one of the (usually) three barbers. Take a seat in the chair when your number is up. Many times the barbers were these anti-bacterial surgical masks that are so popular in Japan. This can somewhat obstruct the discussion on the style of your haircut. Take advantage of the time in between customers when the barber wipes the scissors with alcohol.

The cutting will be over in ten and you can observe your neck as the barber holds the mirror for you in the traditional way. If you get bored with staring at yourself in the mirror during the ten minutes there is a slide show with news on a monitor next to it. It always shows the latest baseball results and usually also the prime ministers latest comments on world affairs.

The combs are only used once and if you want to you can keep it. If you say no the barber breaks it in two and disposes of it. Then he sweeps your hair to a slot in the wall and pushes a button, a built in vacuum cleaner takes it away. Before this he has used another vc to clean the hairs from you before removing the cloth you are covered with.

You are done, arigato gozaimashta. Next. The barber does not have a break between clients.

Technorati Tags: hair, cut, Japan, hairdresser, barber shops, washing, cutting, shaving, QB, scissors, combs

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