Barbers snip their way to the top - 4th August 2025

In an atmosphere you'd expect at a boxing match rather than a hairdressing competition, 12 barbers have gone head to head in Tokyo for the World Barber Classic.

In spite of there being 110,000 barbers shops in Japan, most of the barbers themselves are approaching retirement. However, a new generation of social media aware young barbers are rising to the top. They're eager to show that their work goes beyond conservative hairdos people associate with them.

Japan's barber industry's been losing out to hair salons, becoming increasingly popular with men seeking to fashion themselves on leading men and J-pop members sporting long hair styles. Whereas traditional barber shops are more associated with cropped or shaved styles.

Takamasa Suzuki is one of the contestants in the competition.

Takumasa Suzuki: "Actually, my model is a bonsai artist - a world-famous one at that. And as you know, bonsai has these unique shapes and textures of wood and branches, and I wanted each of these elements to be expressed in my haircut today."

With just 30 minutes to complete each haircut, the judges monitor every snip of the scissors, buzz of the razor and spray of product closely. The contestants aim to make their models feel and look the best version of themselves. With the judges and the cheering audience behind them, the barbers are taking their craft to a new level.

Giancarlo Burgos, a barber from Los Angeles is one of the competition judges and a firm believer in the power of a haircut.

Giancarlo Burgos: "I think hair is more than just hair, right? It's a way of communicating yourself, but also connecting people. So I think it's a very, very amazing thing. And I'm so happy that now the world is becoming more aware. And especially seeing competition now, I think it begins to evolve past the chair, yeah. It's more worldwide and it's language that anybody can understand."