Letter from Boston Finding a Hairstylist By MASAKO YAMADA	フレームで見る  英文をプリントする  脚注をプリントする
美容師探し 気に入った美容院を見つけるのはなかなか難しいものです。特に、アメリカ在住の日本人の場合、髪質の違いなどを理解してくれる店を探さなければなりません。雅子さんがここ数年通っているのは、ボストンの中華街にある美容院です。先日、日本のファッション雑誌で希望の髪型を見つけ、切り抜きを持ってそこを訪れました。

I recently met a young Japanese woman who moved to Boston five years ago to marry an American. She could barely speak English, but she met this man in Japan and she made the incredible decision to leave her home country soon after. The funny thing is, although she was bold enough to say good-bye to Japan, she could not say good-bye to Japanese hair-stylists.

I noticed her stylish hairdo and asked her where she had her hair cut. She told me that she goes to a Japanese stylist at a fashionable salon in Boston. She chooses Japanese doctors and hairstylists because she can communicate with them better. This is from the mouth of a woman whose dear life partner is American. (Doesn't she need to communicate with him?) It shows that hair cannot be taken lightly!!

When I was a schoolgirl at the Japanese School of New York, most of my friends had their hair cut at the numerous Japanese salons in the area. Even those with plain, straight hair went to these salons. I was shocked to hear that they paid as much as $30 ( 3,210) to have their hair trimmed straight across.

At the time, my siblings and I usually went to discount chains, where clients wait in line for the next available stylist. The cuts at these types of stores cost less than $10 ( 1,070). Shampooing and blow-drying are not included.

Ive grown beyond that, but not by much. I've tried going to four or five Japanese hair salons, but I've never gone to the same one twice. This is because I've never felt comfortable at these salons. The stylists were ... a bit too stylish.

I've always felt awkward in these salons. This has nothing to do with language, since I can convey my ideas perfectly well in Japanese. It's more that I'm intimidated by the mysterious, artistic demeanor of Japanese stylists.

I'm sure they act that way to seem more professional, but I prefer a more straightforward relationship with people in the service industries. I hate it when doctors, lawyers and teachers act with overt pride, even though I know that many clients find comfort in that kind of confident attitude.

That said, although I've also tried going to a number of American salons on fashionable Newbury Street in search of a more comfortable atmosphere, I've never gone to the same salon twice there, either. I haven't been happy with the cuts. They may look good on the Caucasian models in Vogue magazine, but not on me.

For the past several years, I've settled into going to Chinatown in Boston. One of my high school friends had her hair done in New York's Chinatown and she told me that it was very cheap but that she was embarrassed to admit to her Japanese friends that she had her hair cut there. Perhaps because I'm not an adolescent anymore, I feel no such embarrassment.

What I like about this salon is that the stylists are used to cutting thick, black hair in a way that flatters Asian features. The particular salon that I go to caters to a young crowd. There are neon lights in the salon and TV sets blaring Chinese pop music.

My stylist always used to ask me whether I wanted blond highlights — I think a lot of his clients like blond highlights — but he wouldn't push further when I told him I just needed a plain cut. The salon's prices are much lower than those at the Japanese salons in Boston or the salons on Newbury Street, so I've been a happy customer.

Of course, things are not always perfect, even at this salon. I decided to get my hair permed today and I showed the stylist a picture from a Japanese fashion magazine. I basically wanted long, straight hair with some loose curls at the end, something that looked barely permed.

I ended up with a cross between suburban "mall hair" from the '80s and the hairdo on the stereotypical Asian heroine in B movies. It looked like a minor explosion site. The stylist didn't follow my request, and I had just reason to complain.

However, the fact is, I like the style. It looks rough, and I think it suits me better than a cut copied straight from a magazine. I'm genetically Japanese, but my body language and facial expressions are different, so I think my hairstyle should be different too.

Shukan ST: June 9, 2000

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