Recently, after a year of letting my hair grow, I bit the bullet and went to the hairdresser for the first time here in Japan.  Compared to the budget cuts I was used to in the US, this was quite an experience!

Because the Japanese are very time-conscious people, I assumed that everything would be done in an efficient way.  And since in the US you are able to do some things yourself (wash, style, etc.) and save some money, I assumed that would be the case here as well. With this in mind, I arrived promptly at the salon having washed my hair, ready for this new cultural experience.

The hairdresser I was going to was a woman who has come to our church occasionally and is involved in a seeker Bible study with Pastor Uchida, so it was nice to already know the person.  I had already taken some time with one of my language helpers to go over different things related to hair cuts. To be safe though, I brought along a picture of the style I wanted, along with a list of words and phrases I could use to describe it.  Armed and ready, I sat down in the chair and proceeded to explain my desired style.  The hairdresser asked a few questions, and I muddled through the answers.  “Interesting.” I thought…

The first thing I found was that (like a lot of other things in Japan) a haircut in Japan is a full service experience. The hairdresser said that the next time I should leave washing my hair to her as she had her own custom shampoo and it was included as a service. Partway through the cut, another woman came in for her appointment.  She and my hairdresser must have been old friends because they began chatting away.  Japanese people are usually friendly, and this hairdresser particularly so, but I didn’t realize how much until I began to notice that she would actually stop cutting my hair for a few minutes every so often because she got so caught up in the conversation.  “Interesting.” I thought…

After the cut, she then put the special shampoo on my hair (here they wash  before and after the cut) and then wrapped this loop of cord around my head and plugged it into a machine. I sat for about 20 minutes while she began to cut the other lady’s hair.  Although I asked her what the loop was for, I didn’t understand her answer and wasn’t sure how to clarify.  None of the people I have asked since seems to know (Colby gave some sort of smart alec remark about it improving more than my hair, but conceded it was probably some sort of ionizer to work with the shampoo).  “Interesting.” I thought…

After, she rinsed out my hair, she led me back to my earlier seat to begin the drying process.  She brought out this machine that was about shoulder height and looked like a person with outstretched arms.  Built into the neck and arms of the machine were several fans.  The hairdresser put the arms on either side of my head and turned the machine on.  She then proceeded to use a hand-held hair dryer to simultaneously blow dry my hair.  While all of this was going on — mind you — she continued her conversation with the other lady.  Blow-drying, pausing, chatting.  Blow-drying, pausing, chatting. This went on for a number of minutes, and then all of the sudden she pressed a button on the machine and steam began to shoot out of the fans!  “Very interesting.” I thought…

Two hours after I arrived, it was finally complete. I paid, thanked her very much, bowed, and was on my way.

I have since found out (after relaying this story to my other Japanese friends) that it is very common for women to go to the salon and spend the morning there while the hairdresser washes, cuts, styles, massages , etc.  I will say, I do like the cut I received, especially since the humid air here (or maybe the cord device) has put a pleasant wave in my otherwise straight hair.

Please pray for the hairdresser as she continues to meet with Pastor Uchida and his wife for Bible study.  Pray that faith would grow and that in the future she would agree to be baptized and become a member of the church.

Quick – How many citrus fruits can you name? Probably not more than five. (And, no California Orange and Florida Orange don’t count as two separate ones.)

The citrus section at our local supermarket.

I have always enjoyed cooking and knew a little bit about different foods. citrus fruits, flavors, and scents have been longtime favorites; and so it was interesting to see how coming to Japan has opened up a whole new world of citrus fruits. I look back now and smile at thinking that the kumquat tree in our yard was just and orange tree in need of pruning and fertilizer or that the people in our neighborhood were so odd for not instantly gathering the “oranges” off their tree as soon as they were ripe.

From what we can see down here in the south of Japan, the Japanese seem to love eating and growing citrus fruits. Almost every other person seems to have some type of tree in their yard. Because of Yamaguchi Prefecture’s mild climate, things can be grown year-round here. Most of the varieties of citrus mature in the winter or early spring. (My suspicion is that they blossom in summer and take a long time to mature.) The only problem with all these new citrus fruits is that many of them are sour.

After buying so many sour oranges last spring, I decided to make a chart to take with me to the grocery store. Outside of the five commonly known in the US (oranges, tangerines, grapefruits, lemons, and limes) it lists 20 varieties. Seven of these can be eaten directly and another 4 eaten if you peel away the bitter white part and the casing around the individual sections. The others are used for their sour juice or their rinds are used for zest.

Speaking of sour juice, one of my new favorite condiments is something called ponzu. “Pon” (like a number of other borrowed food word in Japanese) has some connection to Portuguese and means citrus and “zu” is the word for vinegar. This sauce is a combination of traditional Japanese soup stock, sour citrus juice, and soy sauce. While my Japanese friends all think it’s weird that I dip pastries in tea and coffee, they often dip savory food in soy sauce based sauces. This one makes a great dip for grilled meats as well as boiled slices of mushroom and cabbage.

Me and my favorite sauce.

Praise God that our enjoyment of Japanese food has allowed us to share many meals with Japanese friends. Pray for continued opportunities in this area as well conversations that will help us get to know them on a deeper level.

Spring is truly a wonderful time here in Japan.  The weather is warm, the breeze refreshing, the birds are out and about, but most of all, the cherry trees come into bloom.

There is nothing that signals the beginning of a new season quite like the cherry trees and everyone, it seems, tries to get as much “Hanami” (flower viewing) in as they can.  There is a large (and absolutely wonderful) park in our town that is the most popular place to go when spending time amongst the cherry blossoms.  Many people bring their blankets and grills and set up a picnic for themselves right under the trees.

Colby and I got the chance to enjoy this custom this past Saturday as we took some time to stroll through the park.  While enjoying the flowers, we got the chance to observe the Japanese in a different from normal setting.  Usually, Japanese people are so busy, particularly the men, that it is odd to see them leisurely spending time at a park.  However, it was a pleasure on Saturday to see families out together throwing frisbees, chatting, eating, and of course, admiring the blossoms.

Please pray that as the Japanese see the beauty of creation surrounding them, they would come to understand the beautiful God who made it.