So on Saturday I wandered to a salon called Symphony, which is inside of ‘Caines Mall’ a big grocery store that is a mere 15 minute bike ride from JCMU. (Its the closes place to buy food….and luckily its very very large and nice.) I went with Cassidy because I was way too scared of going by myself. Trying to communicate to your hairdresser exactly what you want is hard enough in English, let alone in a language you don’t know. We got there around 3:45pm, and they told us to come back in about an hour. So we did a little shopping, and returned around 4:30pm. Then we waited. And waited. And waited some more. We watched the women working there whispering to each other and kind of looking at us…after a white we figured maybe they were too scared to come over and try to help us. But by around 5:30pm, they came over and gave us some books with hair styles in it, and we both picked one out. 5 minutes later they came back and asked us what they picked out. The style I wanted required a perm, so they took Cassidy off to get her hair cut started, and they called over the one woman in the whole place that could speak a little bit of English to explain it to me. So after I explained to the woman that I only wanted about 2 inches cut off, she walked off and didn’t return for ANOTHER HOUR.

So by this time is about 6:15pm. Someone finally comes over to start my haircut. In the hour that I was waiting for my turn, I decided that I was going to take the plunge. I’ve had long hair for years now, and lately its become quite bothersome. So I thought, what the hell, I’ll just cut it off. If I hate it, it will grow back in the 7 months I have left until I get back. So the woman starts to cut my hair. And its getting shorter, and shorter, and shorter. Then she tells me that she’ll cut more after the shampoo. Yes apparently in Japan, they shampoo your hair in the middle of your haircut. So I sit in this chair, and instead of just leaning back and sticking your head into a sink, the chair actually moved up so that I was now level with the sink. Then they put a towel over my face (so it won’t get wet? so I can’t see them? both?) and then lowered a hood over the sink which also covered my hair. Then the woman pressed a button and……my hair was shampooed in this very high tech, head-massaging, totally Japanese way. It was very strange. Felt nice though.

So after my 15 minute shampooing, they brought me back to the original chair I was sitting in, and the English-speaking woman was taking turns cutting both mine and Cassidy’s hair. As my hair was become more and more layered she asked me something about changing around my part….so because I just wanted anything different I told her she could do whatever she thought would like nice. Around 7pm we were finally done. Yes, it was 2 hour 30 minute long hair cut. But, it only cost 1990yen! (maybe $18), and since its Japan, no tipping!!

So….what’s the verdict? Well, its different all right. At the moment…I think I hate it. Its just way too…Japanese looking. Which would be fine, since I’m in Japan, but I’m about as far away from looking asian as they come. But lots of people (who have been doing double-takes as they walk past me) assume me that its “very cute” and “looks neat” so I guess I should just take their word for it. Right now its still too much of a shock. Oh well….7 months left to let it grow out.

Here I am trying to strike as stereotypical of a Japanese pose as possible: