世論 What Japan Thinks

One of the first uses I put my gaijin card (foreigner ID card) to was when I went to a barber, pointed at my mug shot and asked for a cut like that one. My Japanese may have improved since then, but neither my hair style nor my choice of cheap cuts has changed. This recent survey from MyVoice looked at how the Japanese view haircuts. Note that I had to delete one entry from the graph to the right, the visiting pro at 0.1%, as it was causing my graphing package a problem.

Demographics

Over the first five days of March 2008 15,004 members of the MyVoice internet successfully completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 54% of the sample was female, 1% in their teens, 15% in their twenties, 39% in their thirties, 9% in their forties, and 16% in their fifties.

I just had a haircut this evening in my usual shop nearby a station where I change trains. 2,000 yen for the full works; haircut, shampoo, shave, eyebrow tidying and a 15 second scalp and shoulder massage.

In Q8, containing the list of best haircuts, it’s interesting that the top two for both men and women are the same, that both men and women choose men on the whole, and that many of the people have heavily dyed tonsorial arrangements, and there are almost no traditional straight haired people. I personally think Yukie Nakama has just about the best head of hair in Japan, a lovely long, straight, simple, natural black style. Thinking about it, most of the Japanese women that I consider to be beautiful (including the wife) have natural black hair.

Research results

Q1: Where do you usually get your hair cut? (Sample size=15,004)

Hairdresser	57.8%
Barber	31.8%
Cut myself	5.4%
From family at home, etc	3.7%
From friend at home, etc	0.6%
From visiting professional at home, etc	0.1%
Other	0.6%

Q2: How often do you go to a hairdressing salon or barber shop? (Sample size=15,004)

	Men	Women
Once a week or more	0.0%	0.0%
Once every two or three weeks	0.5%	0.0%
Once a month	26.0%	8.9%
Once every two months	39.2%	26.7%
Once every three or four months	19.0%	37.3%
Once every six months	2.8%	15.9%
Once a year	0.2%	3.7%
Less than once a year	0.0%	1.6%
Never (to Q6)	9.8%	4.6%

Q3: When do you go to a hairdressing salon, barber shop? (Sample size=shop users, multiple answer)

When my hair gets long	91.9%
When colour fades or perm wears off	27.4%
To cheer myself up	19.1%
Before events like weddings, graduations, etc	18.2%
When I want to change my image	16.5%
When I feel my hair is damaged	11.5%
With the change in seasons	10.0%
When I have the spare cash	9.6%
For job interviews or other work-related reasons	9.3%
When I feel hot	9.3%
When I feel stress	5.4%
When I want to feel like a new start when starting a job, getting married, etc	3.7%
When I want to feel uplifted	3.3%
When other people mention it	2.2%
When I look like a girl	1.7%
When I get ditched	0.5%
When I thing I want to gather information	0.1%
Other	2.1%
No answer	0.5%

Q4: What services have you used at a hairdressing salon, barber shop? (Sample size=shop users, multiple answer)

Cut	95.9%
Perm	52.2%
Hair colour	43.8%
Treatment	33.4%
Shave	26.2%
Get hair setting for kimono	20.4%
Hair relaxing	16.3%
Eyebrow work	15.7%
Hair styling, setting	14.0%
To buy salon-only hair products	12.6%
Make-up	10.7%
Head spa, hair massage	10.4%
Hair esthetics	5.2%
Hair care, hair quality improvement	2.5%
Hair extensions	1.4%
Other	1.7%
No answer	0.7%

I don’t suppose “Something for the weekend, sir?” falls into the Other category…

Q5: What is important when choosing a hairdressing salon, barber shop? (Sample size=shop users, multiple answer)

One I’m in the habit of visiting	74.5%
Reasonably-priced	52.4%
Close to home	41.0%
Good technique	32.0%
Good customer service	30.0%
Styles just the way I hope for	27.0%
No wait time, soon served	26.2%
Good sense	23.9%
Easy to talk with staff	21.7%
Clean equipment	21.3%
Can relax	21.1%
Easy to book	15.8%
Gives advice on hair care	12.8%
Wide range of services	9.0%
Friends, family go there	7.9%
Can use discount coupons	7.7%
Know the hairdresser, barber	6.5%
Follows the latest designs, trends	5.3%
Somewhere I pass by when I go out	4.4%
Particular about the medication they use	3.6%
Close to work	3.5%
Good reviews, often appears in magazines	1.7%
Posh	1.1%
Well-known chain	0.6%
Located in a concentration of hairdressers, barbers	0.4%
Well-known hairdresser, barber	0.2%
Other	2.1%
No answer	0.5%

Q6: What is your image of barber shops? (Sample size=15,004, multiple answer)

For men	65.3%
Reasonable price	40.5%
For middle-aged and older people	28.2%
Good technique	26.5%
Quick service	18.0%
Conservative	17.8%
Clean	9.9%
Particular	7.1%
Not particular	3.6%
Has elegance, sense	2.8%
Poor technique	2.2%
Posh	1.3%
Slow service	1.2%
For women	0.9%
For young people	0.8%
Revolutionary	0.5%
Don’t know	7.4%
No answer	0.5%

Q7: What is your image of hairdressing salons? (Sample size=15,004, multiple answer)

For women	62.3%
Has elegance, sense	44.2%
Good technique	30.2%
Posh	29.1%
For young people	25.4%
Particular	15.6%
Revolutionary	13.9%
Clean	12.5%
Reasonably-priced	6.7%
Quick service	6.0%
Slow service	2.8%
For men	2.6%
Poor technique	1.9%
For middle-aged and older people	1.8%
Not particular	0.9%
Conservative	0.7%
Don’t know	8.8%
No answer	0.5%

Q8A: Which famous person has winning hair? (Sample size=6,902, men, free answer)

Rank		Votes
1	Takuya Kimura	530
2	Joe Odagiri	167
3	Masaharu Fukuyama	96
4	Hiroshi Tamaki	54
5	Shun Ogura	47
6	Ichiro Suzuki	44
7=	Satoshi Tsumabuki	39
7=	David Beckham	39
9	Mokomichi Hayamizu	37
10	Junichiro Koizumi	35
11	Yuri Ebihara	31
12	Norika Fujiwara	29
13=	George Tokoro	24
13=	Shingo Katori	24
15	Tsuyoshi Domoto	23
16	Sanma Akashiya	22
17	Eita	21
18=	Tomohisa Yamashita	20
18=	Goro Inagaki	20
20	Junichi Okada	17
20	Hanawa	17
20	Tamori	17

Q8B: Which famous person has winning hair? (Sample size=8,102, women, free answer)

Rank		Votes
1	Takuya Kimura	352
2	Joe Odagiri	182
3	Yuri Ebihara	173
4	Norika Fujiwara	172
5	YOU	169
6	Hitomi Kuroki	113
7	Yuko Takeuchi	111
8	Masami Hisamoto	107
9	Ryoko Yonekura	103
10	Ayumi Hamasaki	98
11	Namie Amuro	88
12	Kaela Kimura	77
13	Miho Kanno	69
14	Masaharu Fukuyama	66
15	Hiroshi Tamaki	63
16	Shun Ogura	61
17	Shingo Katori	59
18	Eita	46
19	Aya Ueto	44
20	Hikaru Utada	43