Heaa Katto

At long last I just got my first hair cut in Japan. Yes, after 4+ months I finally bit the bullet and got my ears lowered. I have a forehead now! I had been putting it off for awhile now because I had been really nervous about getting it without being able to speak the language. It can sometimes be difficult to get your hair cut the way you want it even when you speak the same language, so I was a little terrified. Before going in I armed myself with a few phrases that I thought might help, but I didn't really need them. I picked a style out of a magazine that I felt looked closest to what I wanted, crossed my fingers and hoped for the best. First, a nice young Japanese woman led me to the back to get my hair thoroughly washed and conditioned, and a nice scalp massage. After that, I was then led to the stylist's chair where I attempted to explain what I wanted in broken Japanese. The woman then gave me a "massage" which mainly consisted of her hitting my shoulders and upper back repeatedly. She was then replaced by the man who would end up cutting my hair. I re-explained to him and, he cut away. He actually chatted me up quite a bit, and though there were a lot of language difficulties, we were able to communicate through the little Japanese I knew. Anyways, my hair didn't turn out 100% the way I wanted it (he way over-layered it) but given the circumstances, it's not too bad, I think. See below:

Before: 4+ months of shaggy hair


After: Clean cut all-American good boy (though still with a 5 o'clock shadow). Much, much better, I'd say.


Our vacation is half over, only 3 weeks left. We'll have to make the most of it. Bye!