Ive only been here less than a year, so forgive me if this is obvious to most.
I just recently started walking to work, and in that 45-50 minute walk, I pass by like 60-70 hair salons. Some streets will have at least 6 hair salons in my field of view at any one time.
Almost all of them are completely empty as well, very few having one single customer no matter what time I pass by.
Is this… normal? Are they a front for something? I’m so curious because there’s no way even 30 percent of them can be turning a profit.
by Buckston_Water
25 comments
well, ever noticed how everyone’s hair(especially women) in Japan so well kept and maintained?
Japan has more hair salons per capita than any other business. More than all types of medical practitioners. More than the number of post offices. More than even the number of convenience stores across the county. There are more hair stylists in Japan than police officers.
Source: Some interactive variety show I was watching on Japanese TV. To be honest I totally believe it.
There’s like 10 within 5 minutes from my house.. it’s amazing they stay in business..
Followed closely by dentists..
Hair salons and dentists… so many dentists. My wife and I joke that any new building/office is going to be another dentist, and it seems like half the time it is!
Yeah I was shocked when I moved to my new area and the cute little street with cute little shops turned out to be nearly all salons.
I’m certain that 80% of all the small businesses I see here only survive because that land plot has been passed down from generations and therefore they don’t have to pay rent.
You charge 2000 yen for your service that takes an hour to perform, I only see 1 or 2 customers a day, IF THAT! AND you employ people. HOW??!?
This post implies the existence of a biblically accurate number of barber shops. This is the kind of theology I can get behind.
As others have said, dentists, hair salons–add to that medical clinics and chiropractors.
Hahaha I had a similar conversation with my husband a few days ago because our town does have a ridiculous amount of hairsalons, and we went to Koenji and Jingumae recently and noticed the same thing over there. At least now I know how Japanese women upkeep their hair so well lol
I think that rents in Japan are super low so they can stay in business with few customers. This is unfathomable in the West.
There’s an ungodly number of dentists in my area
There’s a hair salon in my neighborhood that has these extremely bright vanity light bulbs all around the outside of it. When I’m out jogging late at night they’re still on. It must piss the neighbors off so much. If they do turn them off it must be after midnight.
When I first moved to my town I kept seeing these trendy-looking cafes… that all turned out to be hair salons.
Also dentist, 歯医者さんin every corner. Like conbinis
It is amazing. I was walking home from Jiyūgaoka Station and counted 12 salons just on one road…
A lot of salons don’t have high customer retention. A lot of people always jump between salons to get the first visit discount every time.
My town has an u godly amount of dry cleaners
Just checked …. Within 10 mins of walking around my place it’s 17 salons 😂
And they usually have the nicest buildings too. Nice facades. Expensive lit signage. Greenery out front. Parking.
My tiny little town doesn’t even have a proper supermarket but we DO have 4 hair salons, 2 dentists, 2 eyebrow specialty salons, and 2 dry cleaners…
It’s interesting what you say, they do give the impression of being a front for something. Like many sunbed salons in the UK are kind of known for money laundering.
Yep
1.美容室
2.接骨院
3.歯科医院
In this order in inaka
If supply exceeds demand so why do I need to spend 5,000 yen for a haircut in a proper salon (not QB house)
I made another reply but I’ll give another post here. But what a lot of people in the thread automatically think of are the turnstile 2000 yen barbershops when you see a salon, when in most cases a proper salon isn’t that at all.
Most salons are usually run by either single individuals or a very small team of three or four stylists. A salon session, as opposed to a 20 minute hair cut and shampoo, usually range from 1.5 hours to over 2. That’s only about 3 to 4 clients a day at single owner salons, 8-12 at group owned ones. Now you can imagine why the number of salons are so high when you factor in how big a city’s population can get and how important hair is to a lot of the population.
The number of salons directly correlates to the insane demand for good ones. And if you’re a decent cut you know you’ll be fully booked weeks, if not months, ahead of time simply because most people can’t get access to the ones currently open. A lot of people can’t settle for that 2000 yen cut (definitely good enough for me), but more people want the full personal routine that gets them looking just like their favourite idols or movie stars, and are willing to pay extravagantly for it. A single client usually pays 2万 or so, so just having 2 or 3 a day is more than enough to keep you afloat.
So you might see the streets littered with salons, but tough luck actually getting into a chair at a decently rated one within the month.
I just wanted to mention that the Salon industry in Japan is incredibly black. My girlfriend works in one and it has been horrible, we are working on transitioning her to a self-owned one person salon
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