JAPAN: Anime characters and drag queens collaborate with top hair salons at Tokyo hair show

Record ID: 465517

  • Title: JAPAN: Anime characters and drag queens collaborate with top hair salons at Tokyo hair show
  • Date: 16th March 2010
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) 29-YEAR-OLD HAIR STYLIST, YUSUKE NAKAZONO, SAYING: "Many salons had a lot of dancing in their shows so it was more like a good entertainment rather than a hair event." (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) 30-YEAR-OLD HAIR STYLIST, KEIKO NAKASHIMA, SAYING: "My salon featured a lot of cute models so it went great!" (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) 26-YEAR-OLD ASPIRING HAIR STYLIST, AYA OHASHI, SAYING: "I realised through the show that the flashier the better so I think I can add that to my techniques."
  • Embargoed: 31st March 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Japan
  • Country: Japan
  • Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment / Showbiz
  • Reuters ID: LVAANCMOGGIHTQLD7WZ264OUXD8G
  • Story Text: Top hair salons from Japan and Singapore gathered in Tokyo on Tuesday (March 16) to unveil their latest hair colouring and styling techniques at the Splash International 2010 - one of the largest hair colouring shows in Asia.
    From anime characters to drag queens, five Japanese hair salons put on a hair styling show full of elaborate costumes, stage setting and live music as the models strutted down the runway in a wide range of hair colours and styles.
    Anthony Hair Boutique, one of the most popular hair salons in Singapore, wowed the Japanese audience with futuristic styles with multiple twists, curls and colours.
    Top Japanese salon Kakimoto Arms featured popular Japanese animation characters such as "Dr. Slump Arale chan" and "Lum Invader," as well as American cartoon character Betty Boop as the characters got a complete make-over with salon's new techniques.
    Though many Japanese stylists were more hesitant to play with extreme hair colours last year, hair colouring is back in trend now with more and more salons using bright colours to add new flavours to their customers, according to show organiser and hair colouring product company Hoyu.
    The show finale was filled with surprises as four Japanese businessmen danced across the stage and a crowd of drag queens in bright hair colours and dresses walked down the runway wowing the audience once again.
    Many young hair stylists, who flocked to the show to see their colleagues and competitors, said the show was inspirational in many ways.
    "Many salons had a lot of dancing in their shows so it was more like a good entertainment rather than a hair event," Yusuke Nakazono, 29-year-old hair stylist in Tokyo, told Reuters.
    Top salons across Tokyo have spent months putting together a show and many participating stylists said they were just relieved to end the show in success.
    "My salon featured a lot of cute models so it went great!" said 30-year-old hair stylist Keiko Nakashima.
    Fashion-savvy students also filled up the audience as they remained glued to the latest techniques.
    "I realised through the show that the flashier the better so I think I can add that to my techniques," Aya Ohashi, 26-year-old aspiring hair stylist, told Reuters.
    Hair salons across Japan joined together to start the show in 1999 in hopes to make the event a learning opportunity for the aspiring hair stylists across the nation.
    Now into its 12th year, the annual show has attracted top salons and guests from all across Asia.
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