• Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Tokyo Times

Photographs from a small group of islands

  • Photowalks
  • Book and Prints
  • Newsletter
  • Portfolio
  • About/Contact
  • Follow
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • RSS

Oct 21 2011 16 Comments

A Tokyo barber and his best friend

Barbers and hairdressers often seem as common as the ubiquitous convenience store in Tokyo, making it almost as easy to change one’s appearance as it is to buy some booze.

And with competition so intense, it’s inevitable there are going to be some lean times, but at least this barber has his best friend to keep him company when there aren’t any customers.

Tokyo barber and his dog

Categorized: Photography

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. KenHikage says

    10/21/2011 at 5:20 pm

    According to a show I saw here last year there were more salons and barbershops than conbini.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      10/21/2011 at 9:39 pm

      It wouldn’t surprise me. I can’t remember the amount of times I’ve seen a new place about to open, hoped it’d be something interesting, but been disappointed to find that once again it was a hairdressers…

      Reply
  2. Jaska says

    10/21/2011 at 8:48 pm

    Are you referring to the hairy mongrel on the floor or to the phone on his hand? 😉

    Reply
    • Harrt says

      10/21/2011 at 8:54 pm

      >Are you referring to the hairy mongrel on the floor or to the phone on his hand?
      I think he intentionally left it ambiguous:P

      Reply
      • Lee says

        10/21/2011 at 9:40 pm

        Yes, it’s your call!

        Reply
  3. April says

    10/21/2011 at 8:54 pm

    He looks like an old doggie too. Either that or he’s just had a really rough day in the barbershop.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      10/21/2011 at 9:40 pm

      Yeah, probably another rough day sat about with nothing (and nobody) to see…

      Reply
  4. willy says

    10/22/2011 at 2:16 am

    hi Lee,
    I had a barber experience in Fukushima a few times. He was a neighbor so I thought I should give him business. Anyway I always found it strange that he always shaved my forehead…. apparently that is par for the course at a Japanese barber…
    After that I went to another barber who insisted on giving me wild mushrooms that his dad had collected from the woods… all weird.. all fun!
    Cheers,
    Willy

    Reply
    • Lee says

      10/22/2011 at 6:26 pm

      Yes, the barber experience is definitely different here, isn’t it?

      The barber I used to go to used to shave my earlobes too. I used clippers now to cut my own hair, but I really should go back and get my ears done!

      Reply
  5. winnie says

    10/22/2011 at 9:31 am

    The dog is so cute!! He looked sleepy. 🙂

    Sometimes, I wonder how are the hair salons going to survive with so many open
    almost everywhere.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      10/22/2011 at 6:27 pm

      I know what you mean Winnie. Dry cleaners are the same. Sometimes it seems like there’s one on every corner.

      Reply
  6. domo. says

    10/22/2011 at 10:22 am

    Before I saw the dog I almost thought you meant the cellphone was the barber’s best friend.

    Reply
    • Shizuo says

      10/22/2011 at 6:04 pm

      Ahaahaha… I’m not the only one was thought the barberman best friend his cellphone not the dog.

      Reply
      • Lee says

        10/22/2011 at 6:26 pm

        Yes, it really could be either!

        Reply
  7. The Envoy says

    10/25/2011 at 9:05 am

    Nice shot of the wind-chime. Also good to be back here after a long absence…

    Reply
    • Lee says

      10/25/2011 at 5:30 pm

      Good to see you back.

      Reply

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Footer

Copyright © 2025 · Tokyo Times