I've heard tons of bad stories from people who have lived in Japan and tried to get their Western hair dyed in Tokyo. My hairdresser back home told me about girls getting their hair fried because the dye in Japan is stronger. But today I went and did my hair and it was perfectly fine. 
I didn't realize it at first, but compared to the average Western (AKA Caucasian AKA Mine) strand of hair, Japanese hair is up to five times thicker. Also, compared to the twelve natural shades that are average for Western hair (from dark black to white blonde) Japanese hair naturally has three shades. So there are a lot of differences. That and the language barrier means that if you don't want your hair to get fried or cut into some trendy new style involving thinning shears and razors, you should shop around for a good hairdresser in Japan who knows how to dye, cut and style Gaijin hair as well as Japanese hair.
This is so typical of me, but of course I didn't shop around. I just decided today after my Japanese lesson to get my hair done and I called the first place I saw in a Metropolis Magazine (the foreigners-in-Tokyo English language magazine I love) advertisement. Half an hour after the phone call, I was sitting in their salon chair. Luckily the place was fantastic.
I went to Watanabe Hair Salon. Their ad says it's in Shibuya but actually it's in Harajuku. My stylist lady was named Chie Funakura and she lived in England working as a London hairdresser for four years. Her English is perfect and she was calming and relaxing and didn't talk a lot or ask annoying personal questions like hairdressers do back home. She was super professional. The salon was clean and minimal. The picture of Watanabe hair salon is that picture above. Chie-San dyed my hair and trimmed it up a little and then straightened it for me. It looks natural, which was what I wanted.
There are 860 salons in Shibuya alone, which is one for every 230 residents. Minato-ku, with the next highest concentration, has 567 - or one for every 250 - people. London has around 2600 hair salons, Los Angeles has around 2500, but Tokyo has over 16,000 hair salons. Because of that kind of competition, you can actually get a great haircut and dye job for a cheaper price than you can back home. And because of the famously excellent Japanese service quality, I got a 20 minute head and neck Shiatsu massage and I didn't even have to tip! It was so good I felt guilty.
Please go to Watanabe Hair Salon. I really recommend it. Chie Funakura was so rad and such a professional stylist. Her advertisement actually says she will "make all your WISHES come true" and wishes is capitalized. Napoleon Dynamite probably designed it. The music was calm background piano and sometimes The Police. No annoying house music or "sexy lounge" music like every salon back home. Please go there.
To find Watanabe Hair Salon, just get off at Harajuku station and walk down Takeshita Street (that's the crazy, supercrowded pedestrians street full of cheap sock shops and goth clothing stores that you probably hate if you live here. Everyone says that Takeshita Street is "appropriately named" but that's a bit of a cheap joke that's too easy to make.) Anyway, once you're out, you'll see that there are two roads labeled "Harajuku Street" and you need to take the one to the left. When you're on Harajuku Street, just walk for about two minutes and you'll see Watanabe Hair Salon on your left. It's underground. If you call the store, they'll give you directions in English.
Also, if it matters to you, Forbes Magazine calls this salon the best salon in Tokyo for foreigners, and Harper's Bazaar Australia calls Chie the best hairdresser in Tokyo. Chie Funakura has also worked for magazine photo shoots in ID Magazine (which I like) and also in GQ and FHM (which I don't like, but good for her for being in them). Here is the address.
Watanabe Hair Salon
3-25-6 Jingumae Shibuya-Ku Tokyo, Japan
03-3405-1188
PS. If you have African hair, I read that a good salon that deals specifically with that kind of hair in Tokyo is called Room 806. 4/U is apparently another good one and it's really close to Roppongi. I was in Roppongi a while ago at an English bookstore and walked past some salons that looked like they do extensions, relaxers, etc. You could also check Being A Broad, this magazine for foreign women in Japan. They have tons of resources to help women from every cultural/racial/situational background in the world but now living in Japan.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Watanabe Hair Salon is the Best in Tokyo
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27 Comments:
Looking to get a hair cut in Tokyo, and I was curious how much your cut and dye cost. My hair looks like it's about the same length as yours is (post-cut). Thanks much!!
Glad you loved Chie and Watanabe!
Your hair looks gorgeous!
Hi, I'm doing some research about Japanese hair salons and I was wondering where you got your statistics.
Watanabe salon is amazing!! it was my first salon experience inside of japan, and i am really happy with the result. I had been lightening my hair for at least one year and the condition was very bad, i had about 2 inches of regrowth. Chie (my stylist) only colored the lenghts and not the roots, and it came out te be the excact same color!!! in my country they wanted to color everything, and now i am able to grow everything out naturally and enjoy the power of my own haircolor!!!!
totemo ureshiiii!!!!
Stefani
Yes, I love Chie and Watanabe hair salon. It's crazy. I went there just before Winter vacation and my hair stylist gave me a Christmas present!! What kind of stylist gives a Christmas present to her client?? I love Chie!! Usually it's the other way around. I feel so lucky that the first hairdresser I ever had was Chie and that she's great.
I told Julia, my co-worker about Watanabe hair salon after we had a conversation about blond hair and she found out my hair is actually brown. My co-worker also went to Chie and got her hair dyed and cut. It looked great. She really is the best.
Hi - thanks to your praise I went to Watanabe today and have to say that I never got such a good haircut and good service before! Watanabe and his staff are really great!!
Evelyn
I'm really happy for you!
I really can't imagine anyone being disappointed with that place. Even the prices, while sort of high, are nothing compared to back home where the massage costs extra and you have to tip and nobody offers you tea. Chie is so good and I can't say enough good things about Watanabe hair salon.
I thought I was only me having trouble getting haircuts here...That post was very informative. Thanks.
-AIM: ArthurVito
Thanks for the recommendation. I have a Japanese stylist, but she can't do foreign hair coloring.
Do they have a way of letting you see how the color will look on you first? I've had bad dying experiences in the past when I lived in the US and want to get it right.
Also, how much does the coloring cost?
J!
I don't know what you mean about seeing how it will look before getting it done... you mean like a strand test or something? I'M not sure if they have that service available. I think most salons don't have that, or maybe I don't know because I have never asked for it. If you have brown hair you can see how Chie made me blonde in the pictures on this site. And my hair feels healthy and isn't breaking or anything. I think she does a great job because I saw what she did to my co-worker, too.
Not sure about the prices. You have to phone Watanabe and ask. I think it depends how long your hair is, etc etc. But for what you get, it's cheaper than what I paid in Canada. And there's a massage.
But I'm not affiliated with Watanabe Hair Salon or Chie. I just like them a lot! So don't ask me about prices! Ask them. I posted their number on my site. They speak (perfect) English on the phone. You can just call them and ask them anything. You can tell Chie you heard about the salon from me, if you want to mention it. She is so awesome!
If any of you guys got your hair done at Watanabe hair salon, send me a picture and I'll be happy to post it on my site!
xox
I got my hair cut there last year and I've waited 4 months just to go back!
I'm a guy, and Chie did my hair really well too...
i'll definitely write down that address for future reference! thank you for sharing!
I was just reminiscing about Japan and fondly remembering all the many haircuts I had at Watanabe over the 4 years I lived there. I left Japan more than 8 years ago so I was wondering if this salon was still around! I'm so glad to see that it is! At the time I found the price reasonable (6500) for the time and attention I received. To this day, the best cuts EVER
Yeah, every time I go to Watanabe I see a mix of people getting their hair done. Guys and girls, Japanese and Western people... everyone loves this place because they're so good.
I am looking for a salon in the Shibuya area that does colored hair piece extensions. I want to have turquoise woven through my hair. Can you advise?
Hi, I'm wondering what more or less, the price for highlights and simple cut(shoulder-lenght hair) at Watanabe Hair Salon could be?
Thanks a lot for your answer, Weronika
I don't work there. Watanabe's phone number is on my site and they speak English. Feel free to call and ask them any questions.
thank you so much for posting this info... im a blonde and live in the rural southern inaka of japan and going to tokyo this weekend. looking forward to a "real" hair cut :))
Hi!I'm italian and I've red colored hair, I've just call Watanabe Hair Salon to take an appointment, according to what you say it will be very well!I really hope so, it's the first time for me getting an hair color and cut in Japan!!!
I happened to come across your blog randomly and chose to go to Watanabe Hair Salon today based on the comments written here. Chie was wonderful, and I concur that it's the best salon in Tokyo or any other place I've traveled to in the world! I would highly recommend this place to others. Thanks for creating the opportunity for me to visit there :)
Hi, ,julie san How are you??
Thank you for your blog ! I still have lot of nice People
came from your blog.
Do you have any plan to come to tokyo?if you do please come to salon.I am looking forward to see you.
I don`t have your E mail add please contact to salon.
Thank you so much agin.
Chie
OMG! I think you just saved my life! I recently moved here from the US and my blonde locks need a tuneup if you get me drift! Thanks for the info. Much love!
I LOVE MY HAIR NOW!
she told me she knew you and shyte...
and thansk to your blog i have wonderfull hair nooow <333
Hi! Found your site when I did a search for "hairdresser Tokyo". While I'd really prefer to be in and out in 10 minutes, like at QB, I'd rather avoid any potential calamity, so I'll check out Watanabe based on all the enthusiastic praise. (By the way, in my search for a hairdresser that led me here, I noticed that quite a bit of your content was duplicated on this site: http://makusingki.multiply.com/. Just in case.)
Chie is truly fabulous with blonde Western hair. I have had my hair colored from all the "best" colorist all over world, and Chie ranks up there with them all; and she is such a joy to work with!
Thank you for your posting. It saved me heartache of going back and forth to the states to color my hiar.
Thanks for the detailed review of your experience at Watanabe Hair Dressing. Haven't gone there yet, but it'll be soon.
BTW, I just wanted to say that I think your comments would be great on Sunnypages.jp. That's where I first saw their advertisement, but there were only 3 reviews, so I wasn't sure about them. I did a general Google search and that's how I found your blog.
Looking forward to my new hair. I'll let you know how it goes.
Thanks again.
Hey All -
Just to say that I got my hair cut by Chie at Watanabe Hair Salon today and everything went fine. It was my first hair cut in Japan. I'll be living here for a while so did have to find a place to get this done. I don't speak Japanese and that wasn't a problem at all.
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