Welcome

Welcome to Clearing My Head. This blog-style website documents the adventures I had when I decided to have a haircut in Japan in the summer of 2010. Please explore the links at your leisure, share it with anyone else who may be interested, and leave a comment to let me know what you think!

 Thank you,

Sparky Mark Baldwin

                                       November 2011

断髪式 (Danpatsushiki) - The Final Cut

After the final dreadlock had been removed, I was left with a scalp featuring many hairs of varying lengths. The overall effect was reminiscent of hairstyles seen in the decade of my birth, and could be described using the name of a certain species of fish.

The summer heat was still intense, so after a couple of days, I was more than ready to be rid of this headfish.

The removal of the final remaining hairs took place on a Sunday evening at a family barbecue in the garden of Shinya's brother's house.

Since Ji had not been allowed to cut off any dreadlocks, despite having made great and heroic efforts towards the cause, and since the electric hair clippers we were those that he used to shave his own head, it was appropriate that he would start and conclude the final cut.

To start off the ceremony, I proffered the clippers to him and said, "I have a favour to ask..."

Ji knew exactly what I wanted, and seized the clippers with great relish.

 I had forgotten how good it felt to have one's head shaved.

Members of Shinya's family and my other peach farm colleagues took turns to shave my scalp.

After it was all over, my head felt very light, and I knew that having short hair would take a while to get used to.

This was shorter than I had ever had my hair before (see history) and I found out that the scalp is a very good and sensitive temperature guage.

Throughout that evening and for the next few days, I could feel the turbulence of the air as it flowed around my head. As I walk forward, the air flows from the front and eddies caught and cooled the back in a centralized stream. Conversely, whenever I stop moving, I can feel the heat of the day or evening permeating my head. So it seems that the hair is good insulation for the brain.
 The following day, I got sunburnt on my scalp for the first (and not the last) time. I also found that hitting my head on doorframes had become at least twice as painful, now that I had no cushioning.

So,
What happened to the remaining hair that was cut off on this momentous occasion?

Encounter 46: The Forty-third and final dreadlock removal

As the young couple approached the peach shack, I had a subtle feeling of "This is it!" And indeed it was. After asking where I was from, the second comment he made was "that's cool!" which he said whilst making a gesture in the vague direction of the side of his head. I asked him what exactly he thought was cool, and he answered, "hairstyle". So I told him my spiel as I got my scissors out and handed them over.

As Daiki (for that was the cutter's name) excitedly brandished the scissors, I told him that I had had 42 dreadlocks, and this was the last one to go. I repeated this a couple of times loudly into the peach shop, and was answered with a loud cheer. Shinya came out playing the guitar, and there were general diverse celebrations.

 I was very excited: this truly felt like a momentous occasion. Daiki positioned the scissors close to the root and skillfully snipped through.

Suddenly, after 9 years, I was no longer a person with dreadlocks.

Daiki seemed to want to keep the lock, so I asked him what he would exchange for it.

Neither he nor his girlfriend believed they had anything with them worth swapping for it, so they went out to have lunch, promising to come back with something to exchange.
 After a fair while, they came back and presented me with a packet of abura-tori kami: paper with which to remove excess oil from one's nasal pores. I was not sure that I needed this, but it seems to be a common gift in Japan.

 I sold them some peaches and put an extra one or two in, and after a bit more conversation, they went on their way back to Tokyo and left me dreadless.

 I felt free - not just to be rid of my hair, but to have come to the end of a long drawn-out series of performances that could start at any time.

The final stage in the process was to get rid of the remaining hair. Being in Japan, this turned out to be a proper ceremonial occasion.

Encounter 45: The Forty-second dreadlock removal

I had just sold a box of peaches to a couple, when I noticed that the girl was wearing a necklace featuring a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. As I was handing over her change, I mentioned it, saying "Ah! You have a British Coin!" She corrected me saying, disappointedly, "Oh. I though it was Canadian." And I realized that it was, after all, a Canadian coin.

This initial exchange opened up the conversation to a level of friendliness that enabled the guy to look at my hair, point to his own and say, "I'd like to get Rastas too..." I told him that it was not that difficult, and that he could indeed have one that very day, since mine were in the process of being removed - by anyone who mentioned them to me. He was very happy to cut one off, and especially keen to keep the lock.

I asked what he wanted to exchange for it, and he and his girlfriend went to the car to find something to exchange for it. They came back with one of the most bizarre objects of exchange in the whole project: a hairband featuring a bright green flashing Minnie-Mouse style bow, which Jii took a great liking to.

 They also gave me a figurine in the shape of an athropomorphic warthog.

There was now only one dreadlock left to cut.

Encounter 44: The Forty-first dreadlock removal

At the peach shack, I was waiting, as had become usual. I was waiting for people to come and take an interest in peaches, so that I could give them some to taste, or show them to the pick-your-own orchard, and I was also waiting for people to take an interest in, or at least make some mention of, my rapidly diminishing supply of dreadlocks, so that the summer heat would continue getting less and less oppressive, and so that the strain on my neck would continue to diminish.

Just as I was beginning to think that I could no longer bear the heat, a family of 3 - mother, father and son - showed up and started talking to me. They were enjoying their holiday in sunny Fukushima, and told me all about it. The mother made a nonchalant mention of my hair, something along the lines of "so tell me about your hair." Upon the appearance of the scissors, which I produced, as usual, from my pocket, her immediate reaction was, "no, I couldn't possibly cut it!" and she handed the scissors to her son. He too was tentative, but I insisted that since I only had three dreadlocks left, it would be a huge favour to cut one more off. It was the father who eventually cut off a dreadlock: he seemed to have no qualms about its removal.

Although the mother was not initially keen to keep the dreadlock, Shinya the peach farmer came and suggested that she keep it as an o-mamori (protective charm) which, as I explained, was a similar fate to that of many of the other dreadlocks.

She tied it to her handbag, and then started searching in her bag for something to exchange for it. This search proved fruitless, but the family were all concerned that something of value should be exchanged for the hair. So the father handed me his zippo lighter. I thought at first this was a rather valuable, but he insisted that since it had taken me 9 years to grow, such a valuable item was worth the exchange. Shinya's father told the family that he too considered it Mottainai to exchange the Zippo, but I explained to all those present that many people had told me it was Mottainai to cut off any my hair, so it was rather appropriate to exchange a lock for something else that was Mottainai. Perhaps this is the secret of bartering.

The next day, the family returned on their way home from holiday, and presented me with a plastic fan. This kept me cool while I waited for the next dreadlock removal.

Encounter 43: The Fortieth dreadlock removal

A girl who had breezed past the peach stall returned after a while, and sat in the smoking area smoking a cigarette. As a peach salesman, I was duty-bound to offer her a taste of peach whether she was smoking or not, and she must have accepted the peach I offered her, as we got talking. About the second thing she said - while stroking her hair - was something about my hair. I think she said "how long have you had those in?" evidently assuming that my dreadlocks were extensions. I told her that in fact this was my real hair and the longest remaining parts had been growing for 9 years since being cut. I explained to her the method by which my hair was being cut, handed her the scissors, and asked her to take part in the process.

She seemed somewhat surprised but was content to reach up and cut off a hair.

Her friend, however, couldn't believe it and almost rolled over backwards laughing.

Then, of course, came the question of what to do with the detached lock. Ji came and tried to persuade the girls that maybe they did not want to keep a smelly old dreadlock, but they asserted that keeping it was a better idea, he suggested tying the lock to one of their handbags.

The girls took a while to go to their car and discuss what they would exchange for the lock. Their first suggestion had been a bottle opener.

I was initially averse to this idea, as I don't drink alcohol and so have very little use for a bottle opener,. The girls, however, pointed out that they had very little use for a disembodied dreadlock, so it turned out to be an appropriate exchange after all.

... not sure what to do with it...

An Appropriate Exchange

... still not sure what to do with it...

They left, and I began the wait for the next removal...

Encounter 42: The Thirty-ninth dreadlock removal

A group of people came into the peach shop. I had the feeling I had met them before, and they chatted to me in a familiar way. After a bit of conversation, the mother of the group, an excitable and loudly-spoken lady, waved her hands vaguely round her neck area and said something referring to my hair. I produced them with my scissors, which caused much mirth, and some disbelief about the next logical step.

The group seemed to be friends of Ji, who was also hovering around with an air of excitement. I wondered if Ji was in on the act: perhaps he had sent the group to me from the café to ask about my dreadlocks. Ji seemed fixated on increasing the frequency of dreadlock removals. I asked the group directly whether the hair question had been planted, but they assured me that they had no idea what was going on. Since I had no evidence for or against Ji's direct involvement in this encounter, I did not worry too much.

We went outside into the light for the cut, and the girls looked on, seemingly intent on creating a party atmosphere...

... their mother continued to seem somewhat bewildered ... 

...then she suddenly came at me, brandishing the scissors!

I flung my other remaining dreadlocks out of the way to safety... 

... and she POKED ME IN THE EYE!

Actually, that's not true. She really just sought approval from her daughters...

...and with joyful disbelief...

...cut...

...off...

...the thirty-ninth... 

...dreadlock!

Having cut off the dreadlock, the mother assured me she did not need it, but implored me to keep it safe and take good care of it.

So this is one dreadlock that I still have.

The same cannot be said for the next one to be cut off.