so i heard that in japan its seen as unprofessional to have piercings of colored hair for jobs but ive seen many people my age online that live in japan with colored hair or piercings
i was wondering what sort of jobs there allow that sort of thing that foreigners can get? alot of jobs foreigners can get a visa for are usually for the smartest of the smart and im bad at stuff in the computer field abd my appearance will make it harder on top of that to find a job
not sure what to tag this as exactly as it could fit in multiple categories
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so i heard that in japan its seen as unprofessional to have piercings of colored hair for jobs but ive seen many people my age online that live in japan with colored hair or piercings
i was wondering what sort of jobs there allow that sort of thing that foreigners can get? alot of jobs foreigners can get a visa for are usually for the smartest of the smart and im bad at stuff in the computer field abd my appearance will make it harder on top of that to find a job
not sure what to tag this as exactly as it could fit in multiple categories
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Honestly, basically no jobs. You can’t even go to an onsen with a tattoo really. Call it what you like, but that’s the way it is here.
That being said, what qualifications do you have, and what jobs are you looking at?
Unsure of your age, but let’s assume 18-25?
The majority of online people you see with colored hair, piercings, visible tattoos would:
1. Maybe in university or trade school, not working
2. Working, but in something like construction, back of house kitchen work
3. NEET – not going to school or working, but living at home with parents
Then some MIGHT (and this would be very few):
1. Be making money online via YouTube, IG, TikTok
2. Work in a creative industry such as fashion
>ive seen many people my age online that live in japan with colored hair
I’ve seen quite a few people with subtle blue or pink or purple highlights. But I’ve never encountered anyone with coloured hair in a service role. A friend of mine when she was living in Canada had bleached her hair blonde. Nothing wild, just blonde. When she came back to Japan and signed up with a temp agency they made dying her hair a more natural colour one of the conditions of her employment.
>i was wondering what sort of jobs there allow that sort of thing that foreigners can get?
Something that isn’t customer facing most likely. Most IT jobs wouldn’t care as long as your work is professional. Most factory/assembly type jobs wouldn’t care as long as you’re legally able to work. Even Eikaiwa jobs wouldn’t be off the table if your look isn’t too extreme (bright pink hair may be okay, but a bright pink mohawk would definitely not be well recieved).
I’m out in western Tokyo, an hour out from Shinjuku.
• One time I saw an older woman (guessing 50s-60s) with a little stripe of dark blue. Just one.
• Otherwise the only locals (or at least Japanese heritage) I see with interesting hair or piercings work in tattoo parlors.
• Everyone else I see with fun hair or piercings are foreigners with SOFA status, and most don’t work (or if they do, they’re teleworking for non-Japanese companies).
🤷🏻♀️
A few years back I saw one or two ALTs at a company meeting with colored hair, but I’ve no idea the circumstances of how “allowed” it was or anything about them otherwise, and being an ALT is certainly not a “get permanent residency” type of job.
Definitely won’t be at a school that’s for sure or domestic traditional company those places are bastions of Japanese traditional work culture.
But the dude who works at the lawson several blocks from my has dyed hair and painted nails, so maybe there?
Clothing stores and small businesses that are into trendy things maybe? My mind thinks of village vanguard lol. The hair stylist in the neighborhood is a woman with black hair but underneath is the most beautiful red that shows when the turns her head. I’m not really one to color my hair but i find that style really cool to be honest.
Night life entertainment? Maybe being a hostess or working as a bar tender? It also depends on the style of the bar.
The rare few super liberal companies where people can go to work in super casual clothes.
You could wage slave at a 雑貨屋さん. How do you feel about standing for 12 hours?
I was at the H&M in Shibuya a few hours ago and the Japanese staff all had crazy hair cuts and totally dyed blond hair and some various tatoos too, and like 50% of the clients were foreign tourists so I guess that could be ok in those special parts of town..not sure about the visa though