Frugal Japan » Grooming

FJ Friend: J-Cool

Frugal Japan — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 21:00:46 +0000

Longtime Frugal Japan/Frugal Watch supporter Shaney Crawford recommends this hidden jewel of a hair salon in Tsukuba, a university town in Ibaraki with a large number of foreign residents. Shaney swears by Kubota-san’s excellent service and reasonable prices, and told us a bit more about J-Cool.

“The shop is called J-Cool and it is owned by Masaru Kubota. Masaru has studied in both the US and Japan and opened his shop with the express purpose of catering to the foreign population in Tsukuba. He can speak in English and he is working on training his staff to speak English too. He has experience dealing with a variety of hair types and styles.”

Finding a reliable barber/hair stylist in Japan that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg is something I view as a necessity to a happy long-term stay in Japan. Interested? Check out the website.

“FJ Friends” are foreign-owned or foreign-friendly businesses and services around Japan. If you know of a worthy business, or would like to introduce your own business to our readers, contact us!!

FJ Friend: BOY

Frugal Japan — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 21:00:04 +0000

Cut/Color/Perms Without Worry in Shinsaibashi, Osaka!

Finding a foreigner-friendly place to get a haircut in Japan can be quite stressful, especially if you color your hair, don’t speak great Japanese (hard to explain your desired style through gestures alone), or simply have had a ‘bad experience’ before. BOY, a small salon in Osaka, offers a friendly, convenient location, English-speaking stylists (ask for Ai Nishino), and great prices – a 20% foreigner discount to boot! The salon seems particularly popular with NOVA teachers and other locals, and many are long-term clients.

‘BOY’ Higashi Shinsaibashi Bldg. 5F
(1-minute walk from Shinsaibashi Station, Midosuji Subway Line, Osaka)
TEL: 06 6252 7630
Call in advance for directions!
Cuts (20% of these prices): cut, 4,500 yen; color, 8,000-10,000 yen

Frugal Gadgets

Frugal Japan — Sat, 25 Sep 2004 21:00:31 +0000

Called “setsuyaku goods” in Japanese, these frugal gadgets claim to save you tons of money in water, gas, or electricity bills. Are the claims true? I can’t tell you, but I can introduce a few interesting looking products.

The Eco-Watt Electricity Use Measurement Device
Price: Y2,940

This is so cool! The Eco-Watt is a simple device that lets you know how much electricity you use with your appliances. Simply plug Eco-Watt into your outlet and plug your appliance into the Eco-Watt.

The EcoWatt will display how many kilowatt hours (KWh) of electricity your item uses, and will display the cost of that electricity. (Energy costs are set at Y25 per 1KWh, and the unit is designed for indoor use with items under 1200Watts.) The EcoWatt is available from a variety of vendors, but I found it here.

The Multi-Function, Water-Saver Shower Head
Cost: Usually Y5,980 – Availble at Rakuten.com for Y2,480

Savings: Approximately Y21,600/year in water and gas costs. This shower head works by stopping the water, and then releasing it again, thus improving water pressure — something that residents
of top-floor condominiums will appreciate, too. Adjustable height and 360-degree rotation are also two additional features.

Sanpatsuki Hair Cutter
Cost: MSRP Y15,000 Rakuten Price: Y8,379

Frugal Japan list members apparently love to cut their own and their family members’ hair. This “Flowbee” like clipper and vacuum-sucker hair cutter might be a helpful tool. The product advertises easy cleanup and three potential haircuts: short boys’/mens’ cuts, bozu (the skinhead cut popular among Japanese high school baseball players), and short girls’/womens’ bob haircuts. Personally, I get a professional to do the job for me, but for the adventurous at heart, this may be something to try!