HAIRCUT

Those of you who have known me for a while know that I have a habit of growing my hair long and then hacking it off pretty short. And now with summer approaching I decided that it was time for some hacking. Some friends have been to this hair salon called Desange. They told me that if its your first time you get 1/2 off. So I decided I would go there. And as an added bonus they have a stylist who speaks English. So yesterday after church I went down there to have my hair cut.

Here is the before shot. Sorry, I don't know why I can't get it to rotate.

I don't know if all Japanese salons are like this, but this one was quite the experience. First they sit you down with your stylist for a consultation. So I told Taka (the stylist) what I wanted. Then I was whisked away to have my hair washed. Next Taka came back and I explained that I wanted to braid my hair and have him cut the braid off and give it to me, and the braid had to be at least 10 inches long. He asked me why and I told him that it was for Locks of Love and then explained that it is an organization that takes hair and makes wigs for children who have lost theirs due to chemotherapy. I'm not sure if he understood, but he complied with my wishes.

He had asked another girl to bring him a ruler so that he could measure it. As he was braiding and measuring and cutting the other girl was standing there with this look of confusion. She was not there for the explanation and I'm sure she was wondering what in the world this crazy foreigner wanted done to her hair. That's fine; I'm used to the strange looks by this point.

There is the braid after he cut it.

Then Taka cut my hair and we chatted. He had studied in Los Angelas and Paris. So he told me a bit about his experiences in those cities. And I was able to practice a bit of Japanese with him. And I taught him how to pronounce "won't". Hey, he asked me.

Then it was time to have my hair washed AGAIN. That was the best part, because after that guy washed my hair (he was the third person to work on my hair) he gave me a head massage and a shoulder massage. My friends had told me to expect that and I was so sad when it ended. Then guy #3 blow dried my hair. Then Taka came back and he and another girl (person #4) straightened my hair with flat irons. I've never had two people work on my hair at the same time. When my hair was dry and straight Taka proceeded to thin it out. I had never had my hair thinned before, but I love it. As he was doing this I told him that this was probably the best hair cut I have ever had and I think its true.

Here I am after the haircut with Taka my stylist. By the end I was very happy with the results. And I even got a coupon for 30% off of my second visit. So I will definitely be going back there before I go home.