I thought I knew Ikebukuro station, I really did. But it never ceases to amaze me how there's always something in that gargantuan building that I haven't seen.

When taking a new line, I came across this most curious haircut shop. It advertised ten minute haircuts. I'd never seen one before, so maybe they aren't too popular. But there was nevertheless, a long line of businessmen waiting to have a trim. You can just see from the photo that each stall has a type of flobee, vacuum style hose attached to it. I still saw employees sweeping hair up off the floor, however.

What was even more novel--that this store had directions on how to get your hair cut there in both English and Japanese. It probably goes without saying that people who really care about their hair would avoid this place like the plague. But for those men who simply wait their hair to look like it did before--short, I don't think the process could get much easier.

And I love how the instructions state that the cut will take only ten minutes. The clock only starts from when you're actually seated with a barber, ie. the entire process will likely take much longer.

Like some restaurants in Japan, this place uses a ticket system. The employees don't handle money, the machine does. You simply hand them a ticket that the vending machine gives you, and you're good.