Curly Hair?!

[pompoko]

[Ketou]

I think you're much less likely to have unwanted physical contact here than in the States. I wouldn't worry too much.

[dimwit]

The key word being unwanted.

[FG Lurker]

I would say that random people who don't know you won't touch your hair. They'll openly stare maybe, but most every gaijin gets that to some degree.

Once people know you a bit though they will probably ask about it a lot, and yeah, some of them are going to take a handful for a closer look.

[Charles]

People in Tokyo are (or pretend to be) way too cool to bother with random gaijin passersby.

Let me give you a piece of advice. Forget ALL that crap people told you about Japan. All that junk is just going to get in your way. There is no advice, not even from your teachers, nihonjin, or long-term expats, that can prepare you in ANY way for the experience of actually being there. I know they mean well but they're not doing you any good. I know plenty of people whose heads were so full of stupid preconceptions that they never actually noticed what was happening right in front of their faces. So forget everything you've been told about Japan, just keep an open mind, keep your eyes open, and take it as it comes. Seriously.

[Taro Toporific]

So, people who clearly have very curly hair: what has the reaction been from the Japanese populace? I have curly hair and in the States older women, and sometimes men, on the street will randomly compliment/touch it because of its supposed "beauty" .

WOTS hair?

[kurohinge1]

... forget everything you've been told about Japan, just keep an open mind, keep your eyes open, and take it as it comes. Seriously.

I must admit, interspersed with his cheap, narrow-minded, Aussie-bashing posts, Charles does have the occasional lucid moment.

He hit the nail on the head here. The above bit is good advice.

Have fun in Japan pompoko.

And don't forget to donate the hair left over on your brush each morning to the Taro Toporific Fund while you're in country.

[Taro Toporific]

Have fun in Japan pompoko.

A long while back, another FG who will remain nameless <hee, hee> once said:
"J people are always cooing and touching my hair, and some cheeky sods (ie:kids) call me [SIZE="5"]ramen head[/SIZE] grrr "

[Buraku]

back in the old days people would point, kids would mimic or laugh and scream







http://www.fuckedgaijin.com/forum/album_mod/upload/0b898afaac627046fff8be4f41844661.jpg
http://www.fuckedgaijin.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=865&stc=1&d=1143667798
http://www.fuckedgaijin.com/forum/album_mod/upload/a5076fb7357a6a04547190ac8c14f365.jpg
but since the past decade the gaijin shock value has vanished even the smaller J-cities have frequently gotten to see freaks...errr *cough* I mean non-Japanese looking people all the time
http://www.fuckedgaijin.com/forum/album_mod/upload/8549b6b28875565e2799abd6caae26b1.jpg

[Charles]

I must admit, interspersed with his cheap, narrow-minded, Aussie-bashing posts, Charles does have the occasional lucid moment.

Maybe those ozzie-bashing moments are the times when I'm most lucid and insightful, you're just too close to the problem to admit it. But let us not argue in front of the newb, he's already confused enough. Arguments are down the hall, second door on the left.

Nevertheless, you missed the meta-irony in my advice. No advice is going to help, not even my advice to forget all the advice he's been given. I fear that this guy has already had his head filled full of nonsense, or else he wouldn't be seeking advice about such a matter. Advising someone to forget what people told them is unlikely to do much good, but I put it out there, in case it might.

I know I struggled with this problem when I was fresh off the boat. Sure some of the advice from my teachers was of minimal use, like making sure you take off your shoes in the genkan, but during those moments, I would have benefitted much more from the simple advice, "hey, look out, watch your head!" They're all about getting you worried about your shoes, when a 6'2" guy like me really needs to know not to bash his head on the lintel. My host family even got into the act, they would see me crouching through a low door, and they'd yell out "ki o tsukete!" and I'd straighten up like a shot, looking for the danger and bash my head even worse. They would laugh and laugh, the cruel bastards. It didn't take me long to figure that out, but I still have bumps on my skull.

[kurohinge1]

... Nevertheless, you missed the meta-irony in my advice ...

"You assume too much."

A long while back, another FG who will remain nameless <hee, hee> once said:
"J people are always cooing and touching my hair, and some cheeky sods (ie:kids) call me [SIZE="5"]ramen head[/SIZE] grrr "

Maybe she (who shall remain nameless) was just a messy eater & often had ramen in her hair - a common problem which now has a solution:



And they can also double as a sanitary seat for trips to the bathroom.

[sillygirl]

A long while back, another FG who will remain nameless <hee, hee> once said:
"J people are always cooing and touching my hair, and some cheeky sods (ie:kids) call me [SIZE="5"]ramen head[/SIZE] grrr "

Maha! Ramen head here.

No-one tried to touch my hair in the street or anything. Crikey, would have bitch-slapped any random stranger touching me personal bits....

A few times in shops, the girlies have said 'suteki na paama' (perm my ass, this ramen is all natural).

[Greji]

'suteki na paama' (perm my ass, this ramen is all natural).

They are short! They might have been talking about, ahh, your arm pits maybe?

[sillygirl]

They are short! They might have been talking about, ahh, your arm pits maybe?

No.

I have long ramen.

[pompoko]

No advice is going to help, not even my advice to forget all the advice he's been given. I fear that this guy has already had his head filled full of nonsense, or else he wouldn't be seeking advice about such a matter. Advising someone to forget what people told them is unlikely to do much good, but I put it out there, in case it might.

Ok, first of all, I'm female. Second of all, I felt I made it fairly clear in my original post that I AM SKEPTICAL of what people tell me. I am aware that Japan is made out to be this magical Asian country of robots, anime, school girls and rice, Ok? I was under the impression that this board was for people living in Japan who would consequently have experience with native Japanese residents. I am not yet living in Japan, so I'm asking this board for their opinions and feelings on a topic that I found to be concerning. The basis for my question is that people grab my hair in the United States. I'm not saying, "OMG I read this super cool article that says in Japan gaijins get randomly glomped by Japanese women who say, 'I LOVE YOUR HAIR IT'S SO KAWAIII LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL'. I wanted to know if this very annoying thing had been documented in Japan.

Give me some credit.

I'm going to Japan with an open mind, because making generalizations about people based on their superficial actions or culture is a narrow-minded and ignorant thing to do. Maybe it's because I'm a pretentious, faux-worldly college hipster who thinks she's smarter than everyone else, but WTF.

This is the internet. Don't make assumptions about me or my perception of Japan because I asked some stupid question about freaking hair.

...Can't we all just be friends and drink lattes together on cold nights by a blazing fire?

[Ketou]

Nevertheless, you missed the meta-irony in my advice. No advice is going to help, not even my advice to forget all the advice he's been given. I fear that this guy has already had his head filled full of nonsense, or else he wouldn't be seeking advice about such a matter. Advising someone to forget what people told them is unlikely to do much good, but I put it out there, in case it might.

I thought the real irony was here

I know plenty of people whose heads were so full of stupid preconceptions that they never actually noticed what was happening right in front of their faces.

[Big Booger]

I have thick curly hair (down below) and I have never been rubbed... at least not unwanted.

[Mulboyne]

Ok, first of all, I'm female.

Then sillygirl is definitely your best guide.

How on earth do you deal with people grabbing your hair in the US? If someone with curly hair in Britain asked me if Americans would grab their hair then I would have replied of course not but now you have me worried.

[pompoko]

How on earth do you deal with people grabbing your hair in the US? If someone with curly hair in Britain asked me if Americans would grab their hair then I would have replied of course not but now you have me worried.

It's usually very wrinkled old women with thinning hair and a cane, so I just sort of say thank you for the compliment and go along with the whole, "Oh, curly hair is so difficult to take care of that you can have it! I would love to have straight hair!" thing which makes them smile or laugh. It's not as if this is a daily occurence, but it happens a few times a year.

Plus I live in NYC, so I'm used to all the crazy people. I've had stranger things happen to me than old ladies on the subway touching my hair. For instance,
once this random guy like... stuck his face in my hair and inhaled very deeply. That was kind a personal space/you are clearly disturbed issue.

[kurohinge1]

... once this random guy like... stuck his face in my hair and inhaled very deeply...

Yes.

Sorry about that.

I tell myself it's more of a hobby than a sickness.



[color="Red"]Another "medication moment", brought to you by FG.[/color]

[Greji]

No.

I have long ramen.

That's a shame. I love to sniff short, curlie ramen. But of course, I also hang out around fire plugs looking for others with mutual interests!

[maraboutslim]

Are any Japanese girls rockin' the curls these days? Once upon a time in the 90s, I used to pass this hot (japanese) chick with long, (permed) curly hair once a week on the way to one of my jobs. Finally had enough and stopped her and as luck would have it, she was eager and willing to become my mistress. We'd meet during the day for lunch, a little window shopping or whatever, then hit the hotels for a "rest" before I went off to work. It was so good that the mere thought of her makes me want to drop my wife and kids and job and hop on a plane and go find her right now and beg for another piece. Just once more would be worth throwing away everything for. Boy, those were the days, let me tell you. She made me go see Blur and Morrisey with her and I tried to get us into Stone Roses but not even the chimpiras had tickets for sale for that one. Then life got all serious like and well, here I am sitting infront of a freakin' computer.

Curly hair? Two thumbs up!

[Blah Pete]

Are any Japanese girls rockin' the curls these days?

I think the curl happening these days in the Nagoya curl...

[Charles]

I think the curl happening these days in the Nagoya curl...

I gave a Japanese fashion magazine to my haircutter here in the US, she looked at pictures of the Nagoya Curl and said "They're mullets!"

[GomiGirl]

Plus I live in NYC, so I'm used to all the crazy people. I've had stranger things happen to me than old ladies on the subway touching my hair. For instance,
once this random guy like... stuck his face in my hair and inhaled very deeply. That was kind a personal space/you are clearly disturbed issue.

On a train* this happened to me... a creepy guy was behind me and was feeling my hair (it is long, red and wavy) and sniffing it. But this sort of thing has only happened once in 6 years..

An aside from a girl living in Tokyo...
*not all the train groping stories are as bad or as rampant as the media will tell you - sure it does happen but make sure you just don't look vulnerable and you will not have any trouble. The train gropers are a fairly cowardly bunch and tend to prey on the young and weak and the ones that look like they are not going to report them to the police. But if you do meet one, just grab the offending hand and hold it up in the air while calling attention to yourself. The usually "minding their own business" Japanese folk will rush to your aid if they think a groper is on the train. The person will be dragged from the train and taken to the station master and will probably be charged. But perhaps you should read some of the other threads on this subject. Just search on "chikan" or train groper and lots of threads will appear. But as I said, no need to worry so much about them, just keep aware as you would in NYC.

There are crazy folk here too but you are more likely to see them wandering down the street muttering to themselves then confronting you like they might in NYC.