Haircuts

Today, in a bold move, I decided to finally get my hair cut. It was just getting too long and shaggy. Getting your hair cut in a foreign country is a bit of an adventure though, because when you walk and explain what you want done, you are not entirely sure that the barber, who for all I can tell speaks no english at all, understands anything of what you want done. This is all compounded by the fact that the Japanese have some very "interesting" hair styles (about 30% of males and 10% of females have the old Bon Jovi look going on). Luckily for me I was able to explain effectively what I wanted using only hand gestures. The only thing that was shocking, and it was very shocking, came at the end of the haircut. You know how at the end of a haircut they always brush you off with that big soft brush, to get the excess hair off of you. Well in Japan they use a vacuum, and not just a little friendly vacuum, but a big-ass wall-mounted fucker. Imagine my surprise as this little Japanese man just starts vacuuming my head. You know that attachment for the vacuum wand that is used to clean curtains, well apparently you can use it to remove excess hair after a haircut too (you know the one, it has the little brush on it). Horrifying, really.

On a side note I am obsessed with shopping for shoes now. I think it has something to do with me losing my shoes when I arrived in Japan and having to walk around the airport barefoot. It could also be that the selection of men's shoes here is really good. What ever the reason I just bought my fifth pair today; my third pair of athletic shoes. This has to stop. Shoes are expensive. Seriously, I am spending more on shoes than on alcohol. Think about that.