RResidents in Japan

Would (some) barbers in Tokyo be willing to deal with short-haired women?

Hello r/japanlife!

I keep my hair very short, usually with both sides and back of my head shaved.
I let it grow so that I don’t have to get an haircut every two weeks. But as much as it helps with the cold weather, my hair’s length is starting to become a little uncomfortable for me.

I haven’t been living in Tokyo for long and I have mostly come across hairdressers/hair salons which are quite pricey, in several neighborhoods. I understand this is the standard here, so I was wondering if I could get around with going to a barber. I live in Shinjuku, but I wouldn’t mind moving around at all, if needed.

I have been to barbers before, although they were mostly women. Male barbers and even male hairstylists have sometimes been reluctant to use hair clippers/hair trimmers on me, even upon request, because I’m a woman (therefore, I tend to avoid them when I can).

I wouldn’t try and go ask for some info to a Japanese barber/barber studio if it is considered impolite or inappropriate, or if I am likely going to be met with some of the reluctance I have already faced in the past (or worse). Plus, I know some of them are kind of pricey too.

I am thinking 3000-3500¥ maximum. Do you guys believe it’s an unreasonable budget for Tokyo barbers/hairdressers? If yes, I will just suck it up and spend more money.

I was hoping perhaps to receive a piece of advice, or even recommendations for specific barbers/hair salons. Opinions coming from short-haired ladies would be much appreciated.
Thanks!

11 comments

  1. If you keep it that short, why don’t you just go get some good rechargeable cordless National clippers from Bic Camera and do it yourself? Stay well-trimmed while saving tons of money. That’s what I did years ago and have been highly satisfied.

  2. For about 4000-ish you can hit up the chain [Ash](https://ash-hair.com/) and ask for their lowest level (stylist).

    There are also tons of tiny, nice neighborhood salons farther from stations in the 3500-4500 range. Most places near a station will be 5000+.

  3. > I have been to barbers before, although they were mostly women. Male barbers and even male hairstylists have sometimes been reluctant to use hair clippers/hair trimmers on me, even upon request, because I’m a woman (therefore, I tend to avoid them when I can).

    I’m a guy and even I have trouble verbally chastising “stylists” (lol, sounds like subway sandwich artist” and barbers alike into cutting my hair short. There’s this thing where they’re like:

    “Oh no that would be tooooo short!”

    I respond:

    “But…that’s how short I want it onegaishimasu!”

    they eventually give in (as they should…?) but half the time they end up cutting off way more than I wanted, presumably because they’re not used to cutting hair that short. Apparently Japanese hair-cutters don’t understand the idea of “pretty short but I’m not joining the bloody army”.

    Of course I could go to somewhere like QB House but I’ve heard they do pretty rough/crap cuts (pretty cheap for Tokyo prices though). My goal has been to get a haircut between 2500 and 3500 where they will just cut it quite short but not too short and without being reluctant/annoying about it.

    So.. yeah I can only imagine what it’s like for you (a woman in Japan) trying to get people to cut your hair short.

  5. Hair Resort Ai in Takadanobaba is good and they’ve used clippers on me before. It’s a unisex salon, so that probably helps. Pricing is reasonable.

  6. Look around busy commuter stations. There are usually reasonable chain places that will cut your hair for a couple of thousand yen at most. I don’t think I ever had a male barber there. My wife, who also keeps her hair relatively short, also used such a place.

  7. I live in Saitama and it would be a long trip, but my barber would be OK doing this. He does all hair from little kids, women, to bearded men. But the price is higher than usual. So look for a fancy looking barber and ask…

  8. 3500 is probably unreasonable if you want a good cut in central Tokyo.
    Normally it doesn’t matter how long is your hair, cuts have a fixed price, which is somewhere in the 5000 ballpark. Add to that shampoo, treatment and styling and all and it goes up to 6000. That’s about the norm.

  9. There’s a unisex chain called QB who used to buzz my hair for about 1100 yen! They don’t do anything fancy but if all you want is a quick trim, they’re great.

  10. I just watched a news segment about a barber in Asakusa (in the oldest underground mall area in Japan?) offering 800 yen haircuts and they showed a woman who frequents it… so I’m assuming that some, if not all, barbers will be willing to do this for you. You can try asking around at QB House to see if they would be OK with it.

  11. There’s a small mom-and-pop barber I go to for 3000 yen, comes with shampoo, shoulder massage, etc. in Suginami.

    I don’t want to flood them with new people, so PM me if interested

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