What It's Like to be a Beauty School Student in Tokyo, Japan

A trip to Tokyo's Yamano Beauty College is an incredible journey through the history of hairdressing. From the 1930s perm machine on display, to the Geisha make-up brushes and decades-old tools and blowdryers, the Yamano family has found a way to preserve the traditions and culture of Japanese hairdressing with innovation and technology for the modern student.

While touring the facility, as part of Pivot Point International's Study Abroad program with Federico Beauty Institute, Penrose Academy and Xenon Academy, we got to experience a day of beauty for ourselves. It began with a tour of several local salons owned and operated by the Yamano family. The day continued with a tour of the Beauty College where we were treated with how to perform a traditional hand massage and parafin wax treatment. Then, we were able to spend some time in the classrooms with the students.

I had the opportunity to interview the manager of general affairs at the Yamano Beauty College to learn about what it's like to be a beauty school student in Japan. How much it costs, what the day to day is like, how long it takes, and more.

We learned that it takes generally two years to finish the program, and that it costs about 2.5 million Yen (roughly $25,000). I asked him about the male to female ratio in hairdressing (you may be surprised at his answer!) and about what kind of living a hairdresser can expert to earn in his or her career. Check out our interview below to hear is VERY interesting answers!

One of the most exciting moments of the day was learning about Yamano's Beauty and Wellfare elective course--a class designed to treat the beauty and wellness needs of Japan's aging population (more families are opting to have fewer children and, as a result, there are more elderly people in the country that will, eventually, need alternative beauty care needs. Students, in turn, learn how to operate a wheelchair, how to shampoo a client's hair if they are in a bed, how to cut hair while your client is laying down, and more.)

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