hi ! first time posting on this sub. i’m filipino and will soon begin to look for work as an english teacher/educator (my first job !) in japan, specifically in tokyo which is where i live. thing is, i have plans on getting a balayage in a few weeks but i just remembered that japan can be quite strict with hair colours. i read some few reddit posts about this topic and from what i’ve gathered, shades of blonde and brown could be alright (unnatural hair would mean bright red, blue, etc.), but i think those posts were referring to solid, whole-head colours of brown and blonde. this said, i was wondering if blonde/brown balayages, highlights, or ombrés would be alright to don? i haven’t really decided on what specific style/colour to go for but [these are some possible hair inspos](https://imgur.com/a/EdJAr3B), and i also plan to have a [“money piece”](https://imgur.com/a/JV1jayc) which are these two dyed face-framing pieces at the front sections of one’s hair. but nothing thick, i prefer to have my money piece thin and not dramatic-looking.
would really appreciate any help/answer that i could get. thank you so much !
5 comments
Generally you have to follow the lead of the other women around if you want to keep the peace. Everything depends on the people you work with and how serious they are about keeping a professional image. Some places don’t care and others will harass you for highlights. That said, the second pic with drastically different front is a bit much for professional Japan. To pull that off you would have to be Japanese and pretty far up the ladder especially in education. Honestly, I have only seen women who lead super expensive business seminars pull off that look.
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Careful with the posters here. Lots are living in a fantasy world and don’t speak a word of Japanese. They will say it doesn’t matter and then a month later post something like “I lost my job, what are my rights?”. They truly believe they can force their ideals on their employers and cry when their contracts don’t get renewed.
I think that you need to keep in mind the difference between working a job and looking for a job. I think that the hairstyles that you linked with ‘natural’ colors, i.e. not pink or blue, would be fine for working at some schools, not all, but some. Of course, ESID.
However, when looking for a a job, you should try to be as conservative as possible. You don’t want to give a potential employer a reason not to hire you and having an extravagant hairstyle *might* be one. Even if it is something that they would tolerate when working it could be used as a reason not to hire someone. Keep in mind that in Japan, with its group oriented culture, when recruiting they are looking for someone who will *fit in* and not someone who stands out.
It highly depends on the school, the school I work at has teachers and students who have natural colored highlights in their hair, while others are very strict about anything that isn’t jet black. As others have said, I’d be conservative for the interview, then once you get to the school, see how the other teachers are and maybe you can change it based on that.
Also Filipino.
One student told me years back that black hair is just boring lol 😆
Maybe he’s right, I’ve been dying my hair since then. Never got in trouble. That said, I only teach adults and now I just WFH forever.The end.
Hello! I am someone who does this with my hair and would say have had a significant brown to blonde balayage for a while. I’ve been teaching here for 3 years.
I job searched recently (in Japan) with brown to blonde balayage and I kept my hair in ponytails during interviews. When I applied outside of the country, I did the same as well. Conservative is best I think when job hunting. I was never asked or talked to about it.
After I got my first job, I had a balayage and my school never seemed to care. But I still think it highly depends on your school and people around you. (Students never seem to care). I always love doing fun things with hair but I stray from irregular colors like purple or pink and go for more fun with natural colors as I think that’s easier to get away with. I even do like ash brown/grey stuff and no one says anything.
Subtle is always better. If you did a money piece that is subtle and blends together, it would be better. The stark contrast ones might be ones that managers or people might not be okay with, depending on who they are.
I would say, conservative hair/ponytails during interviews and feel it out once you get the job and see what other people are doing around you. Save the drastic stuff for once you get the job and have a good relationship with colleagues.