I just got back from four nights in Tokyo yesterday, and it is finally time for me to get a haircut. I've been stubborn about it for some reason and just could not bring myself to make an appointment, but I finally just stumbled into a place and made an appointment for tomorrow.
This place is one pass practically every day. It has an upscale look and has a modern, brightly colored sign in the window that says university students get a deal. I go in and ask the lady if they have any times available today. She asks if I'm getting a cut (this is all in Japanese, of course). I say yes, but then take it back and am like, "A trim?" See, "haircut" in Japanese is just the English word "cut" in the Japanese accent. In English, a haircut and a trim are not the same thing, but I guess Japanese doesn't differentiate, so she didn't understand what I was talking about so I just say, "Yes, a cut." Well, she yells over to So-and-so-kun who comes over and I couldn't tell if this was directed at me or the reception, but he goes "Does she/do you speak Japanese?" And just as the reception lady goes, "Kind of," I'm like, "Yeah, I do."
How rude is this lady? I don't care how bad a client's language ability is or how bad it seems to you; a business should not make its customers feel underestimated, judged, or ignored, particularly on their first time coming in. She knows I speak Japanese, so obviously I would understand her saying at normal speaking volume right in front of me that my language ability is pretty minimal. Furthermore, they have an ad in their window advertising a student deal--the salon is close to where a lot of international students live--so you would think they would know how to treat this particular population they're choosing to cater to.
We set an appointment for the next day since today was a bit tight, and So-and-so-kun walked me out. He held open the door for me and was like, "Your Japanese is pretty good, isn't it." I like this guy. I'm glad he's the one cutting my hair!
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