Getting a Haircut in Japan: Barbers, Prices, Booking and Phrases

Japan · Practical · Barbers and salons

By Nobu · a researched guide, with my own visits to a Fukuoka barbershop · laws, prices and booking rules checked on official pages on 18 October 2026 · Sources at the end

In Japan, shaving a face with a razor is a barber’s job by law: the Barbers Act defines barbering as cutting hair and shaving faces, and a beautician may only do a light shave that goes with make-up. If you want a cut followed by a hot-towel shave, look for a barbershop (理容室, riyōshitsu) rather than a beauty salon. This guide covers which shop to choose, what it costs, how to book, and what to say in the chair.

Barbershop or beauty salon?

Japan licenses two separate trades. Under the Barbers Act, barbering (riyō) means trimming hair, shaving faces and similar ways of tidying someone’s appearance, and only a licensed barber may do it as a business. Under the Hairdressers Act, beauty work (biyō) means perms, hairdressing, make-up and similar ways of making someone look beautiful, and only a licensed beautician may do it.

The split is by trade, not by gender. A 2015 health ministry notice confirmed that barbers may give perms and beauticians may cut hair, and withdrew an older notice from 1978. Either kind of shop can give you a haircut.

The 1948 notice says a light shave that accompanies make-up may be done by a beautician as part of the make-up. It does not say which parts of the face or how much counts as light, but a shave as a service in its own right is barbering, so if a shave is what you are after, book a barber. Since April 2016 the same site can be registered as both a barbershop and a beauty salon, but only if every barber and beautician working there holds both licences, so at a salon ask whether it is also registered as a barbershop. Beauticians do use razors, but for cutting hair (a razor cut), which is a different thing.

The pole is the sign of a barbershop: the national barbers’ federation describes it as the barber’s signboard. You will read that the colours stand for arteries, bandages and veins, but the federation itself only says that this is what people say.

What a Japanese face shave is like

When I lived in Fukuoka I went to the same barbershop dozens of times and asked for a cut and a face shave every visit.

How much does a haircut cost in Japan?

The Statistics Bureau’s retail price survey says plainly that it does not calculate national average prices, because the items surveyed can differ from region to region. If you see an average haircut price, check who made it, where and when, and what the price includes. These are real listed prices from individual shops, all tax included, to give you a range.

THE BARBER’s prices above are from its own course page; its branch pages on Hot Pepper Beauty show different prices, so check the branch you book. Barber the GM lists its cut at ¥5,500 in some branches, including Fukuoka Tenjin, so the same chain can price differently by city. Asking for a particular stylist can add a nomination fee (shimei-ryō): at Barber the GM it is ¥500.

Is a head spa the same as the barber’s shampoo?

No. The Japan Head Spa Association describes a head spa as a combined treatment of hair care, scalp care and head massage. Barbers sell it as its own course: one Tokyo barber chain’s scalp cleansing is ¥2,200 for 20 minutes, combining cleansing, scalp massage, shampoo and blow-dry. A “massage” line on a barber’s menu does not by itself mean a head spa, so check what the course says.

How to book

Hot Pepper Beauty. Many barbers and salons in Japan list on Hot Pepper Beauty, where you see open slots on a calendar and book online at any hour. Some listings confirm the booking on the spot; others take a request booking, which is confirmed only once the shop replies. The site is in Japanese, and online booking needs a member account. I could not find an official answer on whether a non-Japanese phone number works for sign-up, so if the form stops you, use one of the other ways below.

On Hot Pepper you book either a regular menu item or a coupon, a set menu or discounted course with its own conditions; read what it includes before you book. Coupons marked 新規 (shinki, “new”) are for new customers under the shop’s own conditions, which can exclude anyone who has been to a sister branch. They have nothing to do with your first time using the site.

Instagram or LINE. Some shops take bookings by direct message, and a few say so for overseas customers: one Ginza salon states that you can book by DM or LINE without a Japanese phone number. Others keep DMs for regulars and send new customers to Hot Pepper. A message is not a booking until the shop replies to confirm it.

Walking in. QB House takes no bookings at all: buy a ticket from the machine inside and wait your turn. Elsewhere the rules vary: GOLD BARBER YOKOHAMA puts bookings first and takes walk-ins when a slot is free, while Barber the GM takes no bookings and serves people in order of web or in-shop check-in. If you have a fixed time, book where you can.

In Takamatsu, LENGEN, a hair salon with a barber’s skills, asks you to book on Hot Pepper Beauty or by phone but welcomes walk-ins, especially in the daytime; evenings usually fill up. It is one of our partner stories.

Cancelling. Hot Pepper’s terms ask you to cancel promptly and say the shop’s own cancellation policy applies; a no-show can get your account restricted. Shops set their own fees: GOLD BARBER YOKOHAMA charges 50% the day before and 100% on the day, but not if another customer takes the slot.

Paying, children and hair types

Paying, and children

Payment rules differ from shop to shop. Barber the GM is fully cashless and takes no cash; at QB House, which electronic payments a branch takes depends on the branch. Carry both a card and some cash; our cash or card guide covers where each works, and when banks and ATMs close. QB House cuts pre-school children too, as long as they can sit in the chair on their own and stay still.

Curly and afro hair

Specialists exist. A salon in Ebisu, Tokyo, lists a curly cut by a named stylist on its current menu, and a 2023 Tokyo Metropolitan Government article shows that stylist working on natural afro hair. That is one salon, not a national picture, so whatever your hair type, message the shop with a photo of your hair and the style you want before you book.

What to say in the chair

Bring a photo. QB House’s own guide suggests showing a picture of the style you want and explaining any details that matter to you. These words help with the details.

A translation app can help with simple requests; download its offline language pack before you go, since its online features need a connection. Paid link: I may earn a commission if you book.

For other everyday rules, from shoes to queues, see our essential tips for Japan; for the bath after a long day, onsen etiquette.

Haircuts in Japan: questions