My hair was getting long and it can get very hot and humid on Okinawa, so I decided to go for a haircut. I normally use a #4 guard when I buzz my own hair, and when I hopped in the chair I jauntily said, "shi kudasai." I was quite proud I could say "4, please," in Japanese.
My jaw nearly hit the floor after she took the first pass through my hair. Her response was: "Short, ne?" I couldn't do anything but laugh and have her continue.
What we had, was a failure to communicate. In the states, the number of the guard represents quarters of an inch. A #4 guard is 4 eighths of an inch - a half inch. Japan uses the metric system, however. A #4 is 4 mm or ~ 0.16 inches.
That english to metric conversion will get an engineer into trouble every time!
Funniest. Thang. EVAR!
When you get home, remind me to tell you the discussion Mrs. Ashy and I had about the guards and how they work. "From the hair down", she says....
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