Friday, December 11, 2009

The 1,000 Yen Tokyo Haircut



Getting a haircut in Tokyo can be expensive. Usually I go a guy who has been cutting my hair for a long time. I have even followed the guy when he switched shops from Harajuku and Shibuya. Well, times are tough for everyone and a 12,000 yen haircut is just not in my budget right now. I can style my own hair pretty good but I am not yet brave enough to do a DIY haircut. I decided the solution would be to break down and get a 1,000 yen ten minute haircut.

I had heard about the amazing 1,000 yen ten minute haircut for a while but never got one. I don`t let just anyone touch my hair but when money gets low and hair gets too long a ten minute haircut starts to sound like a good idea. So, while enjoying a night out I stopped at Kita-Senju and rolled into one these infamous 1,000 yen hair cut joints.

The deal is pretty straight forward. You walk in and feed a little machine 1,000 yen. After you pony up the 1,000 yen the little machine spits out a ticket. There are a row of about two or three people standing next to chairs. You choose the express barber of your choice and the process get underway. Now, there is no way in hell you can get a full cut in ten minutes. Rather, the deal seems to be a quick trim with no fuss. If your Japanese is not so good make sure to bring a native speaker along with you. There is no time to try and explain what you want in broken Japanese. Currently I have been growing my pomp out bigger so all I wanted was to trim up the back part of my hair. My gal told them what I wanted and before my ass evened settled into the seat it was all over.

I cannot say it was the best haircut I had ever received but the job got done none the less. So if you need a quick trim and don`t have the cash for a professional to attack your hair the 1,000 yen haircut is the way to go.