美容院・Haircuts and Pancakes

(English follows the Japanese below... )

美容院 (びよういん)

「成功への近道(ちかみち)はない」ということはあるかもしれませんが、私は散髪(さんぱつ)をした時に近道を行って時間のロスを埋(う)め合わせました。それは、英語が話せる美容院に行ったということです。それは、渋谷区にある「Gold Salon」という美容院に行きました。

「Gold Salon」

住所(じゅうしょ)：〒150-0001 東京都Shibuya-ku Jingumae 4-11-15 Cinnamon Oak B1

予約(よやく)：goldsalontokyo.com、

　　　03-6438-9722

予約は、ウェブか電話で予約することもできるので便利でした。電話をするのが好きではない人でも簡単に予約することができるのは良いと思います。

最近、このサロンは最近開店したので、すごく綺麗でミニマリズムのようなスタイルで作られています。その上、Gold Salonで働いている人はみんな優しいので、リラックスできるような環境(かんきょう)だと思います。髪を切る前にどのように切って欲しいかということを伝えます。私の場合では、ちょっと知らなかったですが、美容院者と一緒に話して一般的にスタイルを決めることができました。

その上、このサロンは渋谷区の表参道(おもてさんどう)という良いところにあり、近くには色々と素敵なカフェやレストランがあるので、美容院に行く前に好きなところに行くこともできます。私の場合では、「ふわふわパンケーキ」を食べてみたかったので、Gold Salonに行った前に「幸せのパンケーキ　表参道」というカフェに行きました。

「幸せのパンケーキ　表参道」

住所：〒150-0001 東京都渋谷区神宮前４丁目９−３ 清原ビル B1F

サイト：magia.tokyo

電話番号：03-3746-8888

私は予約しなかったので、３０分待たなければいけませんでした。ちょっと時間がかかりましたが、パンケーキもアイスコーヒーも甘くて美味かったので、おすすめします。一番おすすめなのは、「季節の果物」のパンケーキです。パンケーキはとても甘いので、チョコレートのパンケーキの方はちょっと甘すぎて、全部食べられない状態になるかもしれません。

ぜひ、両方に行ってみてください！（＾―＾）

Getting a Haircut in Japan!

It may be said that “there are no shortcuts to success”. However, in the case of getting a haircut in Japan, in order to save you stress and time, there certainly is an exception. That is, in essence, going to a hairdresser where they speak English. In my case, that was Shibuya’s “Gold Salon”.

Gold Salon

Address：〒150-0001 東京都Shibuya-ku Jingumae 4-11-15 Cinnamon Oak B1

Contact：goldsalontokyo.com

　　 　03-6438-9722

In order to book your appointment at Gold Salon, you can do it over phone, or through an online booking service on their website noted above. As someone who is not super keen on phone calls, this suited me and will surely suit others out there who prefer the convenience of finding a free date and time online.

Furthermore, this salon was newly opened, and so from appearances alone it is very beautifully clean and put together in a modern minimalistic style. On top of that, all the people who work at the salon are very kind and accommodating, and thus it is overall a very welcoming and relaxing environment. Upon arrival, they straight away knew who I was and took my bag/ coat. They also offer you a menu of drinks including teas and coffee which come free to enjoy while you have your haircut.

When I went to the salon, I did not really have any idea what I wanted to do past “clean up this mess please”. But the staff were quick to offer advice, ask me about my current hair routine/ what products I used, and helped create a plan together of the best haircut to suit me and my current lifestyle. Something that also really impressed me was the follow-up from the salon. As I left, and also over email, they told me that if I was unhappy with anything after showering or styling my hair myself, I was welcome to come back, and they would do their best to correct it. I have never experienced this from a hair salon before, so I was impressed at how dedicated they were to making sure each customer was 100% happy.

On top of how great the salon was, the area it is located in is also lovely. It is right in the middle of these smaller back streets near Shibuya where a lot of eclectic clothing stores and cafes can be found. Thus, I really recommend you at the very least have a look around before or after your appointment.

Before going to my appointment, I noticed on google maps that there was a place nearby that did “fuwafuwa” pancakes and having never had them before a friend and I decided to go along before my appointment to check it out. The name of the place was 「幸せのパンケーキ　表参道」, or in English “Happiness Pancakes, Omotesando”.

「幸せのパンケーキ　表参道」

Address：〒150-0001 東京都渋谷区神宮前４丁目９−３ 清原ビル B1F

Website：magia.tokyo

Contact：03-3746-8888

We were not able to book a table with them before we went, but even though it was busy we only have to wait 30 minutes in order to get a table*. The pancakes were SUPER fluffy as advertised, and I would recommend this place as a good introduction to fuwafuwa pancakes. However, it will cost you around 1000円 so come prepared to spend a bit more than usual, and also with an empty stomach. The portion sizes? They’re big.

*30 minutes might sound like a long time, but for a popular restaurant in Japan, and nonetheless Tokyo at peak lunchtime of 1pm, this was pretty good. However, I would not recommend you come here with only 30 minutes until your reservation with the hairdresser, for obvious reasons.

#haircut #tokyo #shibuya #pancakes