HomeEducation in JapanAs a foreigner, white male, if I have bleached blonde hair but still style it professionally, would I be okay for hire? I want to teach in Japan but know they can be strict about hair color and appearances.
As a foreigner, white male, if I have bleached blonde hair but still style it professionally, would I be okay for hire? I want to teach in Japan but know they can be strict about hair color and appearances.
As a foreigner, white male, if I have bleached blonde hair but still style it professionally, would I be okay for hire? I want to teach in Japan but know they can be strict about hair color and appearances.
Interesting question, as I’ve wondered the same thing too: Would it look “natural” here if a caucasian male bleached their hair?
They probably wouldn’t know the difference.
I’m pretty sure you’ll have to dye it black.
I bleached my hair after some of my coworkers here suggested it. They also loved it when I colored it red, purple, etc.
Higher quality paying jobs would probably look down that (along with tattos, piercings etc) but low quality low jobs are fine with that
Has more to do with the industry than the quality of the job. No one cares if a warehouse guy has purple hair. Cashiers generally can’t.
You’ll be fine, they might even guess it’s your natural colour. I got away with bleached hair as a female teacher and I’ve seen a few male teachers with it too. Just keep the style neat and tidy.
Technically no, in most cases yes. I know a few people with neon hair that work here and none of them have problems, in fact the students love it. I just wouldn’t count on it though. If you have the option not to have it bleached at first, then do that. You can then bleach it if you feel the school is cool enough to let you.
If you do it just be prepared to keep it that way, until your first long holiday. For the most part foreigners can get away with any hairstyle as long as you keep it the same. Like if you bleach your hair, you just have to keep it that way and no one will say anything. The trouble usually comes when you suddenly change your hair overnight.
Japan is still a conservative country, you might be viewed as ‘trailer trash’ or whatever the Japanese equivalent is by less enlightened people.
Wow thank you all so much 🥺 i have bleached blonde hair already, but think I might dye it back to brown maybe just to be safe? Idk!!! I really appreciate the comments (pls continue to give me advice!) and I’m so happy so many of you have cool work places! :>
In my experience, as long as it is a color that can be considered natural for you or someone else it’s entirely possible since there is such a range of natural hair colors. If your hair is purple or blue for example, that’s not really a common natural hair color, and I wouldn’t interview in it or show up in it on the first day. For those colors, either read the rules for the job and see if it’s possible, or wait a long while until you have earned comfort and standing and do it if your heart is really set on it.
So basically, as long as your hair is neat you should be totally fine!
I came here with bleached hair.
But no one here can bleach properly. They always do it yellow
I worked for a pretty strict Eikaiwa company, and while the Japanese workers were only allowed to dye their hair to a darker brown, foreign employees were generally allowed to do “any color hair can naturally be”. So very light blonde was fine, as it’s a real color that exists among humans, but purple wasn’t allowed. I’m sure it depends on the company but if even that strict company allowed dyed hair, I feel like it should be generally fine. You could err on the side of caution for the interviews though I guess.
I know someone with a rainbow for hair working as an ALT. They don’t care as much as it’s made out they do.
You’d probably look Swedish or Norweigian XD
You would be first choice or near the top anywhere you apply.
In general natural looking hair colors are ok for foreigners.
This is nothing if you smell like a pig. Just smell good and look presentable.
It wont be a problem. during my few years in Japan I seen a pretty good amount of short term teachers from America that came over with hair dyed all the colors of the rainbow. They will certainly judge you and talk about you behind your back but that’s about it.
I’ve known a CIR who bleached his hair white while working at a prefectural office.
It may cause you to get passed on for a job depending upon who interviews you, but once you are on the job, your professionalism, work ethic, and consideration for your coworkers will be all that matters.
And if someone has a problem with it, it’s not you. It’s them.
You’re not a high school student so it should be fine.
Never got my hair bleached but I assume it should be fine as long as you keep your hair the same color for the school year and as long as it’s a natural hair color.
My school has a rule, any color “natural for your ethnicity” is fine but you musn’t reveal it’s dyed and you need to maintain the same shade for the entire school year. So it should be fine.
IMO no eikaiwa will care. I’ve seen dudes with a strong smell of weed/tobacco on their breath/clothes, fluoro-coloured hair, massive tats all over, confronting piercings (nose, sleepers, 20+ studs in the forehead…etc) with whacko hair styles who’ve come over here purely to surf/snowboard.
Before coming over my view was that I’d only get a job if I combed my hair into a part, shaved daily, wore a suit and was a complete cleanskin (which is me BTW). After my first day, I realised this was complete bull and they let all types in (including the above description with zero uni degree / hygiene / etiquette).
Some ‘dudes’ are here with an image of taking kids to the beach bare-footed, showing off their tats, describing what their ‘full meaningful’ tats mean to them and then pulling out their guitar to sing a song while everybody lights up a bowl and is like ‘woooord… what a cool sensei!!!’ In reality eikaiwas accept them as cannon fodder, use them to fill short-term staffing gaps, rinse and repeat for the next intake.
25 comments
Interesting question, as I’ve wondered the same thing too: Would it look “natural” here if a caucasian male bleached their hair?
They probably wouldn’t know the difference.
I’m pretty sure you’ll have to dye it black.
I bleached my hair after some of my coworkers here suggested it. They also loved it when I colored it red, purple, etc.
Higher quality paying jobs would probably look down that (along with tattos, piercings etc) but low quality low jobs are fine with that
Has more to do with the industry than the quality of the job. No one cares if a warehouse guy has purple hair. Cashiers generally can’t.
You’ll be fine, they might even guess it’s your natural colour. I got away with bleached hair as a female teacher and I’ve seen a few male teachers with it too. Just keep the style neat and tidy.
Technically no, in most cases yes. I know a few people with neon hair that work here and none of them have problems, in fact the students love it. I just wouldn’t count on it though. If you have the option not to have it bleached at first, then do that. You can then bleach it if you feel the school is cool enough to let you.
If you do it just be prepared to keep it that way, until your first long holiday. For the most part foreigners can get away with any hairstyle as long as you keep it the same. Like if you bleach your hair, you just have to keep it that way and no one will say anything. The trouble usually comes when you suddenly change your hair overnight.
Japan is still a conservative country, you might be viewed as ‘trailer trash’ or whatever the Japanese equivalent is by less enlightened people.
Wow thank you all so much 🥺 i have bleached blonde hair already, but think I might dye it back to brown maybe just to be safe? Idk!!! I really appreciate the comments (pls continue to give me advice!) and I’m so happy so many of you have cool work places! :>
In my experience, as long as it is a color that can be considered natural for you or someone else it’s entirely possible since there is such a range of natural hair colors. If your hair is purple or blue for example, that’s not really a common natural hair color, and I wouldn’t interview in it or show up in it on the first day. For those colors, either read the rules for the job and see if it’s possible, or wait a long while until you have earned comfort and standing and do it if your heart is really set on it.
So basically, as long as your hair is neat you should be totally fine!
I came here with bleached hair.
But no one here can bleach properly. They always do it yellow
I worked for a pretty strict Eikaiwa company, and while the Japanese workers were only allowed to dye their hair to a darker brown, foreign employees were generally allowed to do “any color hair can naturally be”. So very light blonde was fine, as it’s a real color that exists among humans, but purple wasn’t allowed. I’m sure it depends on the company but if even that strict company allowed dyed hair, I feel like it should be generally fine. You could err on the side of caution for the interviews though I guess.
I know someone with a rainbow for hair working as an ALT. They don’t care as much as it’s made out they do.
You’d probably look Swedish or Norweigian XD
You would be first choice or near the top anywhere you apply.
In general natural looking hair colors are ok for foreigners.
This is nothing if you smell like a pig. Just smell good and look presentable.
It wont be a problem. during my few years in Japan I seen a pretty good amount of short term teachers from America that came over with hair dyed all the colors of the rainbow. They will certainly judge you and talk about you behind your back but that’s about it.
I’ve known a CIR who bleached his hair white while working at a prefectural office.
It may cause you to get passed on for a job depending upon who interviews you, but once you are on the job, your professionalism, work ethic, and consideration for your coworkers will be all that matters.
And if someone has a problem with it, it’s not you. It’s them.
You’re not a high school student so it should be fine.
Never got my hair bleached but I assume it should be fine as long as you keep your hair the same color for the school year and as long as it’s a natural hair color.
My school has a rule, any color “natural for your ethnicity” is fine but you musn’t reveal it’s dyed and you need to maintain the same shade for the entire school year. So it should be fine.
IMO no eikaiwa will care. I’ve seen dudes with a strong smell of weed/tobacco on their breath/clothes, fluoro-coloured hair, massive tats all over, confronting piercings (nose, sleepers, 20+ studs in the forehead…etc) with whacko hair styles who’ve come over here purely to surf/snowboard.
Before coming over my view was that I’d only get a job if I combed my hair into a part, shaved daily, wore a suit and was a complete cleanskin (which is me BTW). After my first day, I realised this was complete bull and they let all types in (including the above description with zero uni degree / hygiene / etiquette).
Some ‘dudes’ are here with an image of taking kids to the beach bare-footed, showing off their tats, describing what their ‘full meaningful’ tats mean to them and then pulling out their guitar to sing a song while everybody lights up a bowl and is like ‘woooord… what a cool sensei!!!’ In reality eikaiwas accept them as cannon fodder, use them to fill short-term staffing gaps, rinse and repeat for the next intake.