So, let's start at the beginning.
I was actually contacted by Shotaro through instagram, which moved onto LINE via some rapid googling of the salon to see if it was a real place and what sort of thing to expect. We managed to understand each other despite neither of us speaking the other's language particularly well.
The first step was to organise a meeting to discuss the shoot. We met in Omotesando and chatted over lunch. One thing I will say is that trying to find the correct exit in Omotesando station when you don't know where you're going is a damned nightmare. It was also raining really hard, so I had a day of umbrellas at eye-height. Anyway, we had a good talk about what I've done to my hair in the past and what would probably be done to it this time. According to a range of people in this country, I look like Taylor Swift (I don't really see it, but whatever), so it was decided to do a shoot inspired by her.
Shortly after that, we headed into Harajuku to buy some clothes. Most of them are white, which is a colour I hardly ever wear. I'm getting used to it now, and it's certainly much cooler in summer here as a result.
Next step was on the 7th of July - hair dye. I went to the salon in the evening and spent a good few hours stripping most of the red out of my hair until it was a sort of strawberry-blonde colour. It was also my first experience in a Japanese salon, and now that I've compared it to my other experiences in Japan and England, I can say that it is far nicer here than in England. It's much more of an event and the whole process is more relaxed.
So, now onto the shoot itself. After getting changed, doing my hair and make-up, we headed to the studio in Shibuya. Myself and another girl were modelling, each with our own hair stylist (myself and Shotaro; Misaki and Ryuta). They were all very sweet and very patient with my awful Japanese. In return, I entertained them with the English pronunciation of words. We had a few hours to get everything done, including a range of outfit changes, and I was pretty unsure of what to do when we first started - I've never modelled for anything in my life. I got into it after a while, and Shotaro seemed happy.
Here are some of the photos that I was sent, and I'm pretty happy with them. My favourites are the first two.
The whole thing was a really good experience!
Whilst I was wandering around Harajuku before getting my hair done, I was approached by a lovely girl named Ayumi who asked me to model for her as part of her training with Toni&Guy. As a result, my fringe is shorter (I'm rocking it) and my hair is thinner (which is much easier for summer). At the moment, I am waiting to hear back from the salon manager with regards to a photoshoot with them, though I'm not holding out much hope as my work schedule is really impractical for everyone else (my days off are Thursdays and Fridays, and my hours are weird). Hopefully, we can get something organised.
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