The sound of silence: Japan’s no-conversation services

When you’re at the hairdresser’s, the pressure is at its greatest: You’re trapped and there’s no choice but to make conversation — unless you’ve specifically asked your stylist for the “silent treatment.”
More options for conversation-less services in Japan — from haircuts and taxi rides to retail store and restaurant visits — are catering to customers who want to politely avoid idle chitchat with strangers.
At Hair Works Credo, a salon in Tokyo’s Setagaya Ward, guests can choose a conversational or hushed approach. There are three courses to choose from: normal talking, less talking and no talking. After an initial consultation, the silent experience begins.
Contrary to what many people assume, not everyone who takes advantage of this system is socially awkward, says Credo owner Takahiro Noguchi. Noguchi introduced a kaiwa nashi (no conversation) service 10 years ago after reading about the growing popularity of “quiet chairs” and VIP rooms in the United Kingdom.
“In 2014, there were no other hair salons in Japan offering this unique option,” Noguchi says. “At first I thought I’d be catering exclusively to introverts and bad communicators, but over the years I’ve learned that some people just feel like having an introverted day.”

Today, about 60% of Noguchi’s clients opt to cut the small talk entirely or partially, making the request in advance when booking online.
How do these customers — most of them in their 20s and 30s — fill the silence?
“They’re on their smartphones, working on their laptops, wearing earphones, reading a book, looking in the mirror or just listening to the soft snip of scissors,” says Noguchi, 42. “Some people find the sound calming.
“I’ve had days where I didn’t talk at all,” Noguchi adds with a laugh. “But not talking doesn’t mean not being attentive. I pay attention to body language and nonverbal cues. I get more tired when I don’t talk because time passes slowly.”
If you don’t like small talk during haircuts, you’re not alone.
In a survey conducted by Recruit Group’s Hot Pepper Beauty Academy in April, 52.9% of the 2,000 respondents — salon-goers between the ages of 20 and 49 — said they would rather sit in silence than make small talk during their appointments. Many of them (43.5%) said the reason they hate small talk is because they are not good at it and it feels forced.
Both men and women consider work and school the worst hair salon conversation topics. Love life, marriage, family and holiday plans also ranked among the top five most dreaded topics. Meanwhile, many male respondents (34.4%) said they enjoy talking about their hobbies like sports and manga, while almost half of the female respondents (51.5%) don’t mind discussing their hair concerns.
Yohei Hirai, a 32-year-old part-time music teacher in Tokyo and self-proclaimed introvert (who asked not to be named) says that he would consider getting out of the house more if he could get a haircut, shop and run other errands without having to talk to anyone.
“Constant social interaction can feel like torture for us introverts,” he says. “I don’t enjoy being around people. I didn’t know about these silent services but it sounds very appealing. I think it’s a pretty smart business move because I know a lot of people like me who often feel like the odd ones out in a world designed for extroverts.
“They don’t charge extra, right?” he wondered with an introvert’s skepticism.
With so many customers preferring a quieter kind of service, the silent treatment is becoming a sales tactic — and it’s making its way to service sectors other than hair and beauty.
Like many fashion retailers, Osaka-based Urban Research believes that shopping should be an enjoyable and stress-free experience, which is why the company allows potential buyers to browse and decide at their own pace.

When you step into one of their 10 stores, you can expect to find two types of see-through shopping bags — one clear and the other blue — with the latter signaling that you don’t need any assistance. It saves you the trouble of having to push a sales rep away with a “No thanks, I’m just looking.”
Today, almost one in 10 customers use these “no help needed” bags, and feedback has been positive, according to sales manager Kazuhisa Abe.
“We believe excellent customer service is about identifying and responding to the diverse needs and preferences of our potential customers and giving them freedom to choose for a pleasant in-store experience, and that includes the choice to shop without interacting with a salesperson,” Abe says. “A one-size-fits-all service fails to resonate with diverse audiences,” he says.
For diners who want to eat a meal quietly with as little interaction with staff as possible, Kura Sushi could be the answer.
Instead of ordering through a waiter or chef behind the counter, the conveyor belt sushi restaurant chain now gives customers the option of communicating exclusively through their phones. It was initially meant as a labor-saving and social distancing measure, but people who consider themselves shy, anxious and introverted shared the initiative on social media.
Here’s how the Smart Kura Sushi experience works: Customers download an app to book a table. Once they arrive, they use a self check-in machine, seat themselves and complete actions like placing an order, tallying plates and paying on their smartphones.
“The machines provide instructions that help customers get what they want, so it’s a friendly service for people who get nervous when talking to waiters,” says Kura Sushi spokesperson Akihiro Tsuji. “The devices can also display content in English, thus eliminating communication barriers.”
Not every silent service is winning the hearts of Japanese consumers, though.
In 2018, Yokohama-based taxicab operator Sanwa Koutsu launched the Kuroko Taxi, more as entertainment than a new evolution in catching a ride.

The Kuroko Taxi chauffeurs passengers in utter silence with a driver dressed in black from head to toe, including a face cover, like the kuroko (stagehands) in Japan’s traditional kabuki theater. If communication is necessary, the driver uses a combination of written messages, gestures and Google Translate.
The Kuroko Taxi service is only offered via reservation, and passengers are charged a ¥5,500 (about $38) fee in addition to the normal distance-based fares, which might explain the lack of popularity.
“We’ve gotten a lot of media coverage but zero reservations so far,” says Sanwa Koutsu public relations officer Takumi Mizushina. “I guess the Kuroko Taxi isn’t what the world needs right now.”