Girl Day Part 2

I have to describe today's experience. We brought the girls because Brian wasn't here. They were armed with a bag full of things to entertain themselves. They have been very challenging the past few weeks and I was worried this behavior would rear its ugly head while out and about today. We talked about how the Japanese really appreciate manners and since we are "ambassadors" for our country we need to be on our top game in public. The girls couldn't have made me more proud. They kept themselves quietly entertained for two straight hours. They were polite, gracious, and respectful. The employees of the salon were very appreciative and they brought the girls tea, candy, and a lot of praise. Kenzie got a braid in her hair and Emily bonded with a lady via the mutual language of Nintendo and cute stuffed animals. It was worth the summer of bickering and testing to have them hit one out of the ballpark today!

Customer service is next to none in Japan. I doubt I will ever see its equal in this world again and I can already tell it will be one of the things I pine for upon returning to the States. The Japanese pride themselves on their work ethic, attention to detail, and service. It is amazing to experience, and you can't help but reciprocate with appreciation. I think a lot of our problems as a nation would be solved if we learned to treat each other with the level of respect the Japanese do. Hands down, the most important thing to bring to Japan is your manners!!! You will always be an outsider, but you can achieve a level of acceptance by being respectful and understated.

I am rambling again.. this is going to be a long post! Back to the hair...When we came in our purses were collected and put in a clear acrylic locker. We were handed a key on a bungie that went around our wrist. Mom, you would have loved it! After consulting with my stylist, Murayama, a young lady helped me don a protective cape (with arms and everything) and whisked me off to the shampoo room. The chair was exactly like a dentist's chair. The entire thing elevated and you lay at a slightly downward angle into the sink. They covered my lap with a warm towel and carefully placed others around my neck and shoulders. Finally, something akin to a cheesecloth was placed over my face and the shampoo began. Luckily, D was already in the shampoo room, so I got to preview the face covering. Otherwise, I think it would have surprised me a bit. After returning to my seat in the main room, I had a pile of English magazines awaiting me. A different gentleman offered me a lap pillow to rest my reading material on and proceeded to redrape me for the haircut. He set up Murayama's station and quickly dropped to the background, available for any requests by the stylist. The lady who shampooed me helped Murayamasan comb out my hair and the haircut began. When it was over, they both blew dry my hair. Murayama took a brief break while the gentleman who set up his station prepared me for the hair color. I was undraped and redraped in a different manner. He applied a small layer of wax around my hairline to prevent color leakage and put tiny shower caps over my ears! Murayama returned to section my hair and begin coloring. He had an assistant the whole time to hand him clips and foils. I never heard them talk to each other above a low whisper, but it was like a ballet. Everyone knew right where to be and when. Nobody walked either...they scurried! While processing I was offered a tray of tea with candies on the side. Then it was off to the shampoo room again. The process from earlier was repeated with the blissful addition of a scalp massage. Upon returning the styling chair, I was treated to a lengthy head, neck, and shoulder massage by one of the assistants. She put product in my hair and Murayama magically appeared to do the final styling. Total heaven! I actually paid less here than I did back in the States. I was so relaxed it was hard to walk afterward, I felt like a noodle! D, the girls, and I had a lot of fun. Here is a picture of D and the two of us...you will have to read her blog to see her "inspiration" picture....