Keeping the barber trade alive in Japan

The event is a bid by the country's struggling barber industry to attract customers lost to hair salons

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TOKYO - Hundreds of rowdy spectators, many heavily tattooed, roared on July 14 at a Tokyo arena usually reserved for boxing except the contestants were not athletes, but barbers.

A dozen Japanese and foreign contestants were taking part in the World Barber Classic, showing off their hairdressing skills surrounded by national flags and the blare of hip-hop tunes.

The event is part of a bid by Japan's struggling barber industry to attract young male clients lost in recent years to hair salons, which are popular for their high-quality services.

"In many countries, men getting their hair cut by barbers is an established culture," whereas in Japan, young men favor salons, competition organizer Sho Yokota said.