MMoving to Japan

How do you book a beauty salon in Japan if you don’t speak Japanese?

  • September 12, 2025

I’m planning to move to Japan soon and was wondering about something practical.
How do people who don’t speak much Japanese usually book beauty salons or hair appointments?
From what I’ve heard, many places still require phone calls in Japanese, which might be difficult for newcomers. Do most people ask friends to help, use hotel staff (if they’re staying short-term), or are there multilingual booking sites/apps that locals recommend?
I’d love to hear what worked for you when you first moved!

by Superb-Impact3452

5 comments

  4. I book mine through the app/website Hot Pepper Beauty- the website is Japanese but you can book without a phone call.

    If you are in Tokyo there are a ton of shops that cater to English-speakers, but you might pay a premium.

  5. What area are you moving to?

    I’m genuinely not trying to sound like a jerk, but as far as practical concerns, there are a lot of practical (and necessary) tasks that are trickier than booking a hair salon.

    Registering your juminhyo, signing up for a My Number Card, health care, and nenkin, getting a phone, bank account, money transfers, credit card, utilities, etc. etc.

    I’m very lucky to have a Japanese wife, and even then, it’s meccha mendouksai. I don’t know how I’d do it without her.

    Be prepared to exercise your patience, you’ll need it!

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