Hip colors are ruling hair styles as Japanese shun natural hues
By Simon Rowe
Published: MONDAY, MARCH 8, 2004

TOKYO: Caramel mocha, mocha tea, jasmine tea, pink ash, sugar pink — it could be a beverage list off the table of one of Tokyo's groovy Shibuya district cafés. Except that if you were to drink any one of these concoctions, you would probably meet an untimely end. For these are hair colorings and they are some of the hottest hues among Japanese women right now.

"It is not just the colors but also their names which appeal to my customers. They're easy to visualize and they sound fashionable," said Ayame Tamada, 35, a hair stylist and owner of the Lovely Jubbly hair studio, located in the western Honshu city of Himeji.

Before opening her shop in 1999, she trained for two years at the Vidal Sassoon Academy in London and boasts that she can now create any color her customer demands. But "teddy bear" and "nudy ash"? "They're shades of brown and gray," she explained, pointing out the hair samples in her encyclopaedia-sized menu.

Twenty years ago, if you had stood at Tokyo's busiest pedestrian crossing, where Bunkamura-dori intersects Dogenzaka-dori in Shibuya, a bobbing sea of black hair would have swirled around you. Now, every tone, tint and tinge imaginable is on parade as increasing numbers of Japanese women shun their natural black hair for a lighter, less serious look. Put simply, Western-style hair colors are in, traditional black is out. So says Masahiro Suehira, a stylist at Shibuya's Neolive hair studio, which handles 30 to 40 customers a day and offers a front-row seat view over Dogenzaka-dori's hectic sidewalks.

"I think the expression 'nai-mono nedari' best sums up the growing demand for modern, Western-looking hair styles in Japan," she said. "It means to want something you don't have."
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And with roughly 900 hair salons operating in Shibuya and its neighboring Harajuku, Aoyama and Daikanyama districts — all reachable by a three-minute subway ride — there's no shortage of stylists offering to help women attain that "something."

Masami Hamada, a 32-year-old travel agent from Himeji, explained: "It's a psychological thing. Lighter colors make me feel happier and more optimistic in my daily life."

She visits her favorite salon, Sister Golden Hair, once every two months to chat with her stylist, sip caffe latte, read the latest hair magazines, while having her mocha orange tint refreshed — a process that takes up to four hours and costs ¥12,000, or $110.

It is a far cry from Japan's Edo period (1600-1867), which saw women imitating the towering, rounded coiffures of popular kabuki performers and which eventually became the geisha class's standard hairstyle — the Nihon-gami.

Traditional values have dictated that women wear their hair naturally black, from high school to corporate positions, an approach which Hamada called outdated. "It doesn't fit the image of the independent, modern Japanese woman," she said. On the other hand, fear of being left behind on Japan's fashion superhighway sees many simply following the leader. Thousands of trend-conscious women look to idols like pop singer Ayumi Hamasaki, as a barometer of what's hot and what's not in the hair world. "If Ayumi changes her hair color from chocolate blonde to teddy bear brown, you can bet there will be a rush the next day," said Tamada.

For hair stylists, other factors can mean long hours on the end of a comb: high school graduations in March see students dyeing their hair from "regulation" black to hip brown, and then in April, the process is reversed as many new employees revert to natural black to appear less conspicuous during their first year with the company.

Cold, dry Japanese winters also bring on a surge in demand for deep treatments and scalp care sessions, according to Suehira. Conversely, straight perms are all the rage just before the rainy season hits in July.

While big city salons keep cooking up new colors, shapes and cutting techniques, out among the rice paddies of Honshu's valley lands, rural salons are also doing their best to keep pace. "Our customers bring in hair photos from Japanese Vogue magazine. They don't want to be left behind, but they don't want anything too radical," said Hideyo Naito, a 26-year-old stylist who works at the Agung Sari salon in Mizoguchi, a village nestled in the lush river lands of Hyogo prefecture.

Ninety percent of Naito's clients are female, mainly between the ages of 20 and 40 who visit once a month to update their hairstyle — slightly. "The only times our clients make drastic changes are when they split with their boyfriend, get married or get divorced. New hairstyle, new life, you could say."

Thursday October 30, 2008
Vague in vogue
By S. INDRAMALAR

BAD hair days don’t happen in Tokyo, Japan. Rain or shine, it seems the streams of men and women who fill the bustling streets of the metropolis are always perfectly styled, permed and coloured; and we aren’t even talking about the outrageous and trendy Harajuku area.

With more than 16,000 hair and beauty salons strewn across Tokyo (particularly in city districts like Shibuya, Harajuku, Aoyama and Daikanyama), it is as obvious as a bouffant how seriously the Japanese view grooming.
Not convinced?

A survey conducted by a major hair and beauty product manufacturer late last year revealed that the Japanese use more shampoo than any other nationality, washing their hair an average of 6.4 times a week.

Another survey showed that close to 70% of Japanese women colour their hair.

Japanese celebrities like singer Hamasaki Ayumi, model Ebihara Yuri and even the handsome actor Kimura Takuya determine what’s hot and what’s not when it comes to hairstyles.

An article in International Herald Tribune reported, “If Ayumi changes her hair colour from chocolate blonde to teddy bear brown, you can bet there will be a rush the next day.”


In Tokyo, a carelessly tied ponytail, fading highlights or flat hair will certainly set you apart; and not in a good way.

Trends are closely followed; new styles continuously conceived. It is in such an environment that the Shiseido Trends Academy – a hair show that unveils the latest trends in hair styling and colouring – is truly appreciated and anticipated.

To showcase the 2008-2009 Autumn/Winter trends, a team of hair and make-up experts from the Shiseido Beauty Creation Centre in Japan, Masa, took centre stage at the auditorium of the Shiseido Academy of Beauty and Fashion in Itabashi, Tokyo. Attended by more than 200 hairstylists, salon operators and media from Malaysia, Thailand, South Korea and Singapore, the Masa team of seven prominent Japanese stylists unveiled Vague, the hairstyle of the coming season.

At the show, lead Masa creator Hirofumi Kera and the six other master stylists, (Kazunori Miyasaka, Tadashi Harada, Miki Terunuma, Yoshiko Jinguji, Kenji Toyota and Yuka Ishizuka) demonstrated how to execute the “vague” look on models.

It was like a runway fashion show complete with runway stage and mood lighting, except that this was hairstyles.
A fantasy hairstyle reminiscent of Japan’s anime culture.

With a mix of Western rock and pop music playing in the background, the stylists fashioned a range of looks, from everyday styles to avant-garde dos in front of the mesmerised audience.

Kera explained that the Vague style was essentially wavy and airy, “as if it (the hair) was lifted by a breeze from below”. The look was achieved by perming a medium to long layered bob.

“The word vague refers to the state of being ambiguous or unclear. What we at Masa had in mind was the idea of a mysterious, elusive and alluring woman,” said Kera during an interview after the show.

He explained that twice a year (for Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter), the Masa team announce the “seasonal look” which they conceive.

“These (seasonal looks) draw a lot of industry attention because they represent the cool look for the up-coming season,” shared Kera.

According to Kera, trends in hairstyles go hand in hand with fashion trends.

“If you check out the various international Fashion Week showings, you will be able to see what the fashion and colour trends of a particular season are. Hair and make-up artists forecast, and create hairstyles and make-up trends in collaboration with designers.

“When we suggest a hairstyle, we are actually offering a comprehensive proposal for your entire look,” he said adding that the Masa stylists are often lead hairstylists at runway shows in New York, Paris and other fashion capitals the world over.

For Autumn/Winter 2008, Kera noticed that fashion trends have moved from feminine styles to an elegant, cool look. Colours are monotone with a lot of black and greys.

“As such, our proposed hairstyles have also shifted from feminine to cool.”

A huge influence when forecasting trends, added Kera, was the every day person on the street.

“Apart from fashion shows, we also observe women in the street and from our impressions, we make our predictions,” he said.