What did I say?

Forget Wikipedia, the place to go for information, resources and the inside skinny for Tokyo is clearly the school bus stop.

"Hair Maker?" a Bus Stop Mom (BSM) repeated back to me.
"Yes, you know, a hair stylist," I explained. (The signs at the beauty salons here say "Hair Make" so I figured the stylist would be called a Hair Maker.)
"OK! Yes!," the BSM said. "I have two recommendations. But that's really too bad you're looking for haircuts. You were our first hippie family in the neighborhood."

"This place?" my teenage son asked me with suprise. "This place? Mom, c'mon! Don't you love me?"
"Listen," I explained. "I only heard about two places from the BSMs. This place offers the best deal in town."
"But, Mom," my son said. "I'm going to a dance. I can't get my hair cut there. Where's Dad? Dad!"

Needless to say, we went to the nicer hair make shop down the street.

"Mom," my 10 year-old son said as he watched his older brother completely enjoy his first hair cut in Tokyo. "You didn't tell me that his hair cut came with a massage! A hair cut and a massage! This place is awesome!"

"And you know what," he continued. "Just look how long my hair is! It is really long. Too long in fact. You know what? On second thought, I think I could also use a trim."

"Sumimasen!" I said to the stylist as I pointed to my ten-year-old. "Sashimi o kudasai."

I sat down pretty proud of myself. Oh, yeah, I am really tackling Tokyo now. I figured out who to ask to find a good place. I figured out how to get here. I have enough cash. I found some place my boys really like (maybe too much?). And, I know enough phrases to communicate my needs. I am really tackling Tokyo now!

Wait a minute.
Wait a minute.
"Sumimasen! Skoshi! Skoshi!" I said to the woman stylist. "I meant to say Skoshi. Little. Little trim." I was afraid to ask. "What did I say? What did I ask for?"
"Sashimi," she answered with a smile. "You said sashimi."

How embarrassing.

I meant to ask for a little trim. Instead I ordered raw seafood.

In case you were wondering, Hair Makers can cut, perm, color and massage, but they can't make an embarrassed mother disappear.