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Japan Today
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Japan Today
Japan's World Barber Classic tries to bring back business
A barber gives a model a haircut during the World Barber Classic in Tokyo By Tomohiro OSAKI Hundreds of rowdy spectators, many heavily tattooed, roared Monday at a Tokyo arena usually reserved for boxing -- except the contestants were not athletes, but barbers. A dozen Japanese and foreign contestants were taking part in the World Barber Classic, showing off their hairdressing skills surrounded by national flags and the blare of hip-hop tunes. The event is part of a bid by Japan's struggling barber industry to attract young male clients lost in recent years to hair salons, which are popular for their high-quality services. "In many countries, men getting their hair cut by barbers is an established culture," whereas in Japan young men favour salons, competition organizer Sho Yokota told AFP. "What we're trying to achieve is to elevate a men's cut, or barbering, as a culture for men." Popular culture in Japan driven by boy-band idols and young male actors steers men towards longer coiffures instead of the shaved, cropped or slicked-back styles usually associated with barbers. A TV trend at the turn of the century which made top hairdressers into fashion icons also increased the popularity of salons over traditional barber shops. There are around 110,000 barber shops currently open in Japan, but twice as many salons. Most Japanese barbers are elderly but a new generation has emerged, armed with social media savvy. Among them is contestant Shoma Sugimura, who made it to the final three on Monday. "Our haircuts are often manly," the 29-year-old, whose neck and shaved head were covered in tattoos, told AFP. The competing barbers were tested on their self-expression Monday, with each given a minute to woo the audience with a speech. Barbers in Japan are renowned for their skill, organizer Yokota said, but were often viewed as lacking showmanship. "I think hair is more than just hair," judge Giancarlo Burgos, from Los Angeles, told AFP. "It's a way of communicating yourself, but also connecting people. It's a language that anybody can understand." Another contestant Takumasa Suzuki, 32, told AFP he was trying to emulate American barber culture to bring business back and keep the barber trade alive. "In Japan, people just go for trendy haircuts," but in the racially diverse United States, "they want their haircuts to encapsulate their own culture and heritage," he said. "If barbershops in Japan can become a place where we can help customers express who they are, then I don't think we will vanish." © 2025 AFP
Japan Today
03-05-2025
- Japan Today
Inflation, hotel prices curtail Golden Week travel
Traditionally, Golden Week gives Japanese workers one of their longest breaks in the year, with many taking the opportunity to see other parts of Japan By Tomohiro OSAKI Japan's annual Golden Week holiday period gets into full swing Saturday, but inflation and hotel prices sent soaring by record inbound tourism have left domestic travelers less eager to pack their bags. Traditionally, Golden Week -- which includes three consecutive public holidays -- gives Japanese workers one of their longest breaks in the year, with many taking the opportunity to see other parts of Japan or to travel abroad. But this year consumers in the world's fourth-largest economy are feeling the pain of rising prices for everything from cabbage and rice to electricity bills. The Japanese yen has lost around a third of its value since 2022, one factor behind the record number of foreign tourists also lured by the country's numerous attractions from Mount Fuji's majestic slopes to shrines and sushi bars. The inflow of tourists has sent demand for hotel bookings spiraling upward, with the room rate in Japan's five major cities around 16 percent more expensive at the onset of this year's Golden Week than last year, according to a survey from the business daily Nikkei. All this has translated into a tepid desire among Japanese residents to travel for this year's Golden Week, surveys have shown. The latter part of the holiday period began Saturday and lasts until Tuesday. "The biggest reason seems to be the inflation that has curtailed their willingness to spend lavishly", Atsushi Tanaka, a tourism studies professor at Yamanashi University, told AFP. "Because the inbound tourism is booming so much, hotel operators don't need to lower their accommodation prices, which is making it harder for Japanese people to travel," Tanaka added. A poll by major travel agency JTB showed last month that 20.9 percent of its respondents will or "probably" will go on a trip during Golden Week, down 5.6 percent from last year. Another survey by marketing research firm Intage similarly found last month that the percentage of those planning to travel domestically during the holiday period dipped by two percent from a year earlier to 13.6 percent. While factors like a desire to avoid crowds are also at play, "the tendency to refrain from going out due to financial burdens" seems to be growing, Intage said. When it comes to traveling abroad, that is verging on being an "unattainable luxury", it said. The same study, however, showed the average budget for Golden Week outings this year has edged up to $201 from $192, underscoring holidaymakers' acceptance of the status quo. "It shows they are resigned to the fact that it just costs them more this year to do anything," Intage's Motohiro Shimogawara told AFP. Japan logged more than 36.8 million tourist arrivals in 2024, topping 2019's record of nearly 32 million. The government has set an ambitious target of almost doubling tourist numbers to 60 million annually by 2030. But as in other global tourist magnets like Venice in Italy, there has been growing pushback from residents against overtourism. Residents and authorities in Japanese tourist hotspots, from tradition-steeped Kyoto to towns near the majestic Mount Fuji, are increasingly voicing frustration about overcrowding, traffic violations and bad behavior by some visitors, both Japanese and foreign. © 2025 AFP
