03:30Cut the chatter! - Japanese barber offers silent hairstyling without the small talk
A Japanese barber is breaking with tradition by offering his customers haircuts free from chit-chat, as seen in footage captured in Tokyo on Thursday.
Before sitting his clients down for a snip, Takahiro Noguchi provides them with a choice. They can have a 'regular haircut', with all the small talk one might expect, a 'haircut without conversation' or a 'haircut with a little conversation'.
Noguchi has been providing this novel service to customers at the ‘Hair-works-credo’ salon for eight years. He said he was inspired by similar practices in the UK.
"I have been doing this 'haircut without conversation' for eight years. Originally, there were silent rooms and VIP rooms in England, and I found out about it on the Internet and saw that silent rooms were popular at that time, so I thought I could do it since I was the only one at my salon," he said.
Noguchi’s silent haircuts have been well received by his clients, with as many as 20 to 30 per cent of them choosing the 'less conversation' or 'no conversation' options.
"Hairdressers also seem to think they have to talk a lot. Sometimes there is more talk from the hairdresser than from me. I have to adapt to it, and yes, I have to adapt to their mood and energy as well, and it can be very tiring," a regular client at Hair-works-credo explained.
"When I come here, I don't have to talk, I don't have to listen to what a hairdresser talking, I can listen to my favourite music if I like, and I can just relax," she added.
Without knowing it, Noguchi has found himself at the 'cutting edge' of an emerging trend. During the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, Japanese authorities urged citizens to engage in less conversation in public spaces to curb the spread of the virus.
Noguchi’s silent haircuts have proved to be so popular that other barbershops followed suit and still offer the service after all pandemic restrictions have been lifted.
03:30A Japanese barber is breaking with tradition by offering his customers haircuts free from chit-chat, as seen in footage captured in Tokyo on Thursday.
Before sitting his clients down for a snip, Takahiro Noguchi provides them with a choice. They can have a 'regular haircut', with all the small talk one might expect, a 'haircut without conversation' or a 'haircut with a little conversation'.
Noguchi has been providing this novel service to customers at the ‘Hair-works-credo’ salon for eight years. He said he was inspired by similar practices in the UK.
"I have been doing this 'haircut without conversation' for eight years. Originally, there were silent rooms and VIP rooms in England, and I found out about it on the Internet and saw that silent rooms were popular at that time, so I thought I could do it since I was the only one at my salon," he said.
Noguchi’s silent haircuts have been well received by his clients, with as many as 20 to 30 per cent of them choosing the 'less conversation' or 'no conversation' options.
"Hairdressers also seem to think they have to talk a lot. Sometimes there is more talk from the hairdresser than from me. I have to adapt to it, and yes, I have to adapt to their mood and energy as well, and it can be very tiring," a regular client at Hair-works-credo explained.
"When I come here, I don't have to talk, I don't have to listen to what a hairdresser talking, I can listen to my favourite music if I like, and I can just relax," she added.
Without knowing it, Noguchi has found himself at the 'cutting edge' of an emerging trend. During the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, Japanese authorities urged citizens to engage in less conversation in public spaces to curb the spread of the virus.
Noguchi’s silent haircuts have proved to be so popular that other barbershops followed suit and still offer the service after all pandemic restrictions have been lifted.