Day 5 : Barber and Good Company
Today was a bit of an easier day. The only thing on my agenda was to get a shave. Later, we had plans to go to dinner with my friend’s mom’s friend—a new friend who spoke a little English.
First up: the barbershop. It was close to the house, and when I arrived, I took a number. There were a lot of people ahead of me, so I spent the wait going over what I should say. It felt like waiting for a school presentation—if you remember that kind of anxiety, you know exactly what I mean.
I planned to say, in Japanese, “No haircut, just face and neck shave, please.” But when I got called, the barber shook his head and said something I didn’t understand. He was asking for my number. After giving it, I tried again, and he finally said “uhhh higesori”—which just means shaving. I said yes.
The shave was very thorough. I wouldn’t say it was relaxing—I was still tense because I didn’t really know what was going on—but it was a pleasant experience overall. I’m hoping to visit more barbershops across Japan during this trip.
Here’s a before-and-after picture.
It felt really weird. I hadn’t had my beard professionally shaved down to the skin in several years, and I definitely look different now. My beard is usually longer, but I had shaved the day before leaving for Japan—so the photo on the left is just five days of growth. Let’s hope this professional shave holds up for at least a week.
After the barbershop, we rented a share car to go to Nihondaira. It’s basically a high point in the city with panoramic views. What surprised me more was how simple the process was: we just walked up to a parking lot, she paid $10 through an app, and the car was unlocked for us to use. I’m not sure if that exists in America, but it was pretty cool.
We then went home and changed into something nicer for dinner.
Fit check!
I probably look like a missionary or a priest or something. Remember, I only have clothes for walking Japan, so nothing here is “fancy.” Long-sleeve thermal, knit top, snowboarding pants… that’s my dinner outfit.
Also, ignore the weird grip on my phone—it’s just a ridiculously big phone.
Meeting her friend was a bit slow at first, but the moment we sat down and ordered food and drinks, everything changed. If you don’t know what “flow state” is, it’s like being in the zone. English and Japanese were flowing naturally, and I was using so many new vocabulary words that my confidence kept rising. I was having an absolute blast talking with him—it was fun and engaging from start to finish.
He ordered motsu kare for me and laughed, saying, “Try it, try it!” I kept replying, “Okashii nandesuka?” (What’s funny?) multiple times. His smile was huge, so I figured it had to be something strange—or at least not exactly “foreigner-friendly.” I ate it and actually liked it, so I still didn’t get the joke.
I whispered, “Is it… penis?” in Japanese and he laughed so hard he could barely stop. I still couldn’t imagine what it was. Then he told me—it was intestines. Honestly, I didn’t have a problem with the idea, as long as it tasted good.
10/10, great company.
