First Haircut in Japan and Giving Thanks (お礼)

The weather is getting warmer here and the wind is blowing strongly each day.  My long locks have become increasingly annoying... so I decided to get a haircut this week.

Getting my first haircut in Japan was a much better experience than I expected.  I initially worried about how to communicate the look I wanted, or what words I'd need to say "a little shorter" or "this long", etc.  Of course, I brought in a picture of what I was hoping to have my hair look like in the end.  

Speaking with my co-workers first, I discovered that almost all hair salons require an appointment (予約) and do not take drop-in customers.  I asked and researched several questions and words I'd need to ask this and went searching for a salon on my next weekend off.  It turns out there is one right around the corner from my apartment.  Due to the convenience, and lack of sources to research/compare salons (no Yelp here), I walked into this salon on Sunday morning.  

I still remember the "deer-in-the-headlights" look I received from the hairstylist.  He was in the middle of cutting another man's hair and when I walked in, he kind of froze and stared for 15 seconds before asking me tentatively (in Japanese) if he could help me.  He was clearly not expecting an American to walk into his small town salon.  While I recall this as a funny moment, I had my own "oh crap" seconds where I scrambled to organize my thoughts and ask my question in Japanese.  Through our tentative conversation, I was able to book an appointment for this Wednesday morning.  I could tell he was not 100% sure I understood everything, but he just kind of took it in stride and continued on as if I was a regular customer.  I really appreciated it.  

It wasn't until after I was walking away down the street to work that I realized I hadn't given him my name or that he hadn't asked for it.  Haha!  I wondered what he wrote down in his schedule book:  American Girl or Foreign Girl or something...  I thought it'd be weird to go back and give my name, and I figured I was unique enough of a phenomenon for him, that he'd know me when I returned on Wednesday.

This morning I returned to the salon for my appointment and was greeted by the same hairstylist.  His shop was empty and he escorted me to a chair, motioning me to put my things down and take my jacket off.  There were a lot more motions than words, and I was still nervous about the whole thing.  I showed him the picture I brought on my tablet - through gestures and a few phrases, I explained how I wanted the cut.

The next 45 minutes made it the best part of my day today - we talked.  It sounds so simple, but we were able to have a conversation (about 95% in Japanese) for the whole time.  And, I learned so much about him and was able to share about myself as well.  It was mainly small-talk topics - when did you come to Japan, what is your job, where did you come from, and such.  But, I was really happy with the whole experience.  I did not speak perfectly and had several broken sentences or just phrases, but for the most part did fairly well.  I reverted to English for a few things, especially once he said he knew a little from some foreigners he met while working at his previous salon in Tokyo.  

We came across some words I didn't know though - for example, 発音, read as "hatsuon."  It turns out it means "pronunciation," but he showed me what it meant by bringing over a box that had the word "creator" on it.  He pronounced it in English, then I pronounced it.  He said it was different, and how did I teach that in class - so I figured out what he meant.  It was fun and interesting how you can communicate with people when the words aren't the same sometimes.  

Anyways, by the time I left the shop, I had the haircut I requested and what seemed like a discount on my haircut.  I had forgotten to ask the price beforehand, but during the cut, I saw a sign that said Ladies cuts were 3500 yen.  He only charged 3000 yen though.  :)  

Also, at this point, I asked his name and told him mine.  I had to write mine down in both English and Japanese (ヘザー, using katakana).  He said he'd never heard it before, but that's not too surprising since he hadn't traveled much outside Japan.  

He has lived in this town for over 30 years, and had mentioned how it changed.  He said he really liked when it used to be that neighbors would greet each other on the streets as they passed by.  Nowadays, he doesn't recognize a lot of people and they aren't as friendly.  Considering this, and how much I enjoyed talking with him, I decided to convey my thanks and appreciation.  It's common in Japan to provide a gift and a short message.  I asked my manager at work to help me with the phrasing, but she agreed it was a good idea and one he would hopefully appreciate as well.  Given that we are practically neighbors (remember this place is just around the corner from my apartment), I will probably see him around in future and would like to be able to greet him at that time.  

So, after work, I stopped by the store on the way home to buy a small box of mini-cakes and some stationary to write the message on.  I plan to stop by tomorrow morning when his shop opens and give it to him.